Saugus project causing new problems for mobile home residents

SAUGUS – While one issue has been settled for the residents of the Mobile Home Park at 846 Broadway a second apparently has reared its dusty and smelly head.Residents turned out in mass for Town Meeting Monday to see meeting members solve an issue regarding water bills that had skyrocketed in the park and other multiple unit dwellings over the last year.Tuesday, however, a handful of park residents filed into Town Hall once again, this time for a selectmen meeting. The group has a new dilemma: This one concerning a huge construction project going on next door.Everyone in town has been curiously watching the growing mound of earth along Route 1 north just past the mobile home park.According to Town Manager Andrew Bisignani no firm plans have been announced for the large tract. A blasting permit was issued for excavation purposes and Bisignani said the developer plans to spend the next year leveling the property.Preliminary designs in the Building Inspector’s office showed two large-scale buildings, one roughly 95,000 square feet and another 45,000 square feet. Bisignani said he was unsure if that was still the plan.No matter the plan, huge machinery continues to push the earth around clearing paths and making small mountains but it is the blasting that is troubling the neighbors.”I’m on the front line,” said resident Dave Miller.Miller said the cliff the construction crew has been blasting is barely a dozen feet from his shed. He said there are only hay bales between his property and the blast site, which he added, wouldn’t do much to stop any rubble that might fall his way.The new topography next door has also led to drainage issues for Miller. He said when it rains the water now puddles on his property.”This summer the puddle was four feet deep,” he said. “It didn’t smell but there were mosquitoes.”Leonard Melanson didn’t get a chance to speak during the meeting but said Thursday the issue is very important to him as well.Melanson’s wife suffers from a chronic breathing disorder and the dust from the blasting is often so thick she can’t go outside.”She started getting nose bleeds last week and I think it’s from the dust,” he said. “We can’t even go for a walk. They’re supposed to be putting water on it to keep the dust down but I don’t know about that.”Melanson said secondary to the air quality is the noise.”You better believe it’s loud,” he said.Les Martin, president of the park association, said the blasting has been a problem for everyone and leaves a thick coat of stone dust all over the cars and homes.But his greater concern is the smell, not from standing water, but from what they believe is a cracked sewer pipe.Martin said following a recent blast one of the residents reported a strong odor of sewer fumes.”I’m afraid the blast cracked a sewer pipe under his trailer,” Martin said.He said he has been trying to get someone to investigate the issue so far to no avail.Town Manager Andrew Bisignani said he has tried to remain on top of the problems and has asked both the Board of Health and the Building Inspector to investigate.Martin said he is on the agenda for Monday’s Board of Health meeting at 6:15 p.m. in Town Hall, where he plans to speak on the dust issue as well as the sewer fumes.