Opponents of a proposed quarry off Nash Road announced last Friday that they would no longer pursue a moratorium on quarries in Windham. Instead, the group of concerned neighbors intends to petition for a revised town ordinance that would prevent large quarry operations from being allowed in residential areas.
The announcement came during Friday night’s “Speak Out,” a public access show moderated by state Sen. Bill Diamond.
During the show, Nash Road neighbors debated the future impacts of the quarry with developer Peter Busque.
At previous Planning Board and Town Council meetings, neighbors came out in force to oppose Busque’s proposal for a long-term quarry encompassing a hundred acres at the corner of Nash Road and Route 302.
In the debate, Busque was outnumbered 3 to 1 by neighbors round the discussion table.
Neighbors Margaret Pinchbeck, Ingrid Stieg and Carl Russell pressed him on why notification of the quarry project never reached abutters. But Busque defended that his engineering firm had sent out certified letters, many of which were never picked up at the post office.
The neighbors then broached the broader issue of quarry placement in town and whether town ordinances reflected the direction Windham residents want the town to grow.
“Windham invites more and more development, but the ordinances are outdated. Right now, the edge of a quarry can be within 200 feet of your house,” Pinchbeck said. “For me living on Route 302, it’s the worst thing that could ever happen.”
Pinchbeck mentioned that a lawyer representing the neighbors was re-writing the ordinance to force tighter restrictions on quarries in residential zones and ensure longer distances from abutters. She and the group plan to petition town government to adopt the amended ordinance.
Russell, who owns a kennel called Avante Garde Pet Care located near the quarry site, argued that quarry blasts could force him out of business.
“I can’t sit idly by and wait for my business to close,” he said.
In debating the quarry’s location, he drew an analogy between having a pornographic shop in close proximity to a school. It’s just as “obscene” an idea, he said, having a quarry in a residential part of town.
“If we’re not going to follow the ordinance, why have the ordinances in the first place,” Busque said. “Why not make it up as we go along as these people are suggesting?”
Busque drew a map of the quarry project, which would be phased in over 50 years with a concrete batch plant on site to measure removed rock for concrete production. Busque listed Russell’s business and a nearby motel as 800 feet away from the quarry.
With berms to prevent noise, the quarry should not have as dramatic an impact as portrayed by the neighbors, he said.
“I sat out there last Saturday and listened to the traffic on Route 302,” Busque said. “I don’t believe anyone is going to hear our quarry.”
The quarry project still needs Planning Board and Town Council approval. The Planning Board is currently conducting a “third-party review” of all noise, air quality, water and traffic studies submitted by Busque.
During the show, several residents spoke out against the quarry and told Busque that they personally did not blame him for wanting to develop the land, but found a quarry inappropriate for a residential area.
Busque defended that “you can only have a quarry where there is rock.”
When Busque asked whether the neighbors would rather see a cluster of 70 houses built on the site, the audience responded with a resounding “yes.”
“It’s not that we’re against quarries,” Stieg said. “It’s the placement of the quarry and the proximity to so many houses.”
As soon as the ordinance is revised, Pinchbeck and the neighbors are organizing a petition drive to force the town to adopt it.
“It really offends me that something like this can come in and change people’s lives to make a profit,” Pinchbeck said.
Busque announced during the “Speak Out” show that he will give tours of the quarry property to any neighbor so he can explain the project on site. Busque purchased the property for $1.8 million last year and has already clear-cut land and acquired equipment needed to begin quarrying.
“This is the biggest investment of my life,” Busque said. “I need some money from it in order to pay the bank back.”
From left, neighbor Margaret Pinchbeck debate the proposed quarry of Nash Road with developer Peter Busque at recent taping of “Speak Out,” a public access show moderated by Bill Diamond.Send questions/comments to the editors.
