Beginning this week, there will only be two quarry blasts per week from Aggregate Industries.
The agreement comes after ongoing discussions between the stone-making business and the town regarding three months of complaints from Swampscott residents about noise, public health risk from films of dust, and structural damage to homes. Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald said the announcement was made at last Thursday’s Select Board meeting.
“We’ve had some very constructive discussions with Aggregate Industries over the restriction of blasts per week and the power of those blasts,” he told the Item on Wednesday. “The residents of Swampscott have been impacted significantly over the years and we want to see some efforts made to address those concerns. We have a responsibility to the citizens of this town and we are hopeful that this will be a formative discussion. We’re looking to strike a balance that is long overdue.”
At the meeting, Kurt Hines, AI operations manager, said that he and members of both the Earth Removal Advisory Committee (ERAC) and the town administration have met three times since the Select Board meeting at the end of September. They agreed on interim and long-term conditions.
Interim conditions, to be implemented before the next meeting on Nov. 20, include the limit of two quarry blasts per week, no more ground blasts that go deeper than 80 feet, and adding a third seismograph that gets blast data from the areas surrounding Essex Street. Aggregate has also agreed to stop plant operations by 9 p.m., hire a consultant to carry out blast recommendations with the goal of keeping neighbors in mind, and start a dust study that, beginning this week, will determine how the films form and what the contents of the dust include.
More long-term conditions include looking at noise models to reduce the noise impact, adding or moving the blast warning sirens, holding a community meeting at the beginning of the year, and studying the contamination and effects of the blasts on Foster’s Pond.
“We have been looking at our other permits in our other municipalities where we blast in order to improve the one we have in Swampscott,” Hines said at the meeting. “We’re going to keep working through these items and continually improve our business model.”
During a presentation at the meeting from Fitzgerald, Fire Chief Kevin Breen, and ERAC Chairman John Picariello, they stated that quarry blasts have gone up 60 percent since 2016. Breen said blasting hasn’t taken place on the Swampscott side since 2015, remaining on the Salem side, but Fitzgerald said that Swampscott is still feeling the majority of the impact.
Nichols Street resident Ana Lanzilli is one of the many residents who have expressed concerns regarding the last three months of quarry blasts. She said she is thrilled that Aggregate Industries has limited the weekly blastings, but she still has a concern about the plant operating until 9 p.m., saying she thinks that hour of night is still unreasonable.
She also said that, while the dust study is great, she hopes the company comes up with a plan to clean up the films of dust that are currently on homes throughout the town.
“I am happy they are making changes,” she said. “It seems like Aggregate definitely has good faith, but we can’t just base this on good faith. They have to make changes, which they are starting to, but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.”
Select Board Chairman Peter Spellios said at the meeting that the board is going to look at the current bylaw regarding the quarry blasts. It is very likely that, come the Swampscott’s spring Town Meeting, they are going to make some suggestions for a new bylaw that addresses the many raised concerns, he said.
On Nov. 20, the Select Board will host a meeting where they come to a conclusion regarding the tests and studies Aggregate Industries plans to implement in the next month.
“If we aren’t satisfied on the 20th and the Town Administrator makes a recommendation, we will take up that recommendation,” Spellios said. “We will seek whatever rights we have on the permit and take a vote then. If these interim conditions are not met, all bets are off on the 20th.”
