Crosses the Line

A company named Cape Cod Aggregates wishes to create a quarry that would be 64-69 acres in it's entirety in a residential neighborhood in Berkley/Freetown MA. The town line crosses the street, so a portion (24 acres) of the quarry property is on the Freetown side of the town line and a larger portion of the property (45 acres) is on the Berkley side of the town line. It is one continueous property that is only divided by the town line.

The property in Freetown was zoned as general use and did have a sand and gravel operation there in the past. However, that operation never quarried or used explosives, was only seasonal - did not operate year round - and had not operated for the past 8 years, letting their permits lapse. Freetown has given the company a permit to quarry and has placed very little restrictions on the permit. There is nothing in the permit restricting the company from blasting on weekends or holidays or at times when children are returning home from school. They are currently blasting at a time when most people who work nearby return home for lunch. The company spent about 1 year creating their work site and began blasting this spring. Each blast has shaken our homes, causes loud noise, and makes our windows rattle. Since they began blasting, each blast seems to be getting stronger.

The property in Berkley is zoned as residential. CCA put in a proposal to the Berkley Soil Board last year and withdrew the proposal without prejudice because of public protest. Because they withdrew instead of being voted down, they can re-apply. The company stated at the time they withdrew their proposal that they plan to re-apply in Berkley. We know that they have been working on new plans for the Berkley site and have placed monitoring wells on the Berkley property the help them move forward with their plans for Berkley.

The Berkley property contains Quaker Brook, which feeds into the Assonet River. The Assonet River borders the Freetown property. The Assonet River is a tributary of the Taunton River which has been designated a wild and scenic river. There are several vernal pools on the Berkley property that would be destroyed in creating the quarry. The property provides habitat for a variety of animals and the 45 acres of quarry on the Berkly side of the town line is a large "take" of habitat. There are Eastern Box Turtles (threatened) and Terrapin Turtles (endangered) in the area and on the property. We are concerned that the quarry operation will dry out the wetlands on the property and could contaminate Quaker Brook and/or the Assonet River with silt and rock dust which would have a detrimental effect on wildlife, plant life and aquatic life. Forge Pond borders the property and is a protected Biom. There is also a portion of the Assonet Cedar Swamp across the street (Rt. 79) from the quarry site. This is a unique and protected environment.

The entire area in both Berkley and Freetown is surrounded by residential neighborhoods. In Freetown, family homes are within 500 feet of the site. In Berkly, the company wants to quarry within 100-200 feet of family homes to the rim. A safe distance would be at least 1,000 feet. 100 feet is about the length of 1 school bus.

There is nothing in the Freetown permit to limit how deep the quarry can go. In Berkley the company was proposing to mine 250 feet deep. There are 2 right-of-ways to the property that go right in between family homes. This means the company can drive large trucks and equipment in between family houses.

We feel this project presents a public safety hazard for children and residents. We are concerned about blasting so close to family homes. We are concerned about creating an attractive nuisance where children might injure or kill themselves in the quarry pit. We are concerned about the health effects of this operation on residents and we are concerned for the environment and the character of our communities.

A heavy industrial mining project does not belong next door to residential family neighborhoods on all sides and on an environmentally sensitive piece of property. That crosses the line. Placing such a project in an industrial area or an isolated area would at least meet the needs of both business and residents and create fewer problems for both.

Citizens