The pit owner is from Massachusetts, and he presented his asphalt plant proposal to the town with not one but two attorneys.
I have been directly involved in the public opposition to the plant and was a witness to the process wherein the Winchester planning and zoning boards eventually approved the plant application on Jan. 3.
The decisions by both boards to approve the asphalt plant were unjust, unfair, and inappropriate for many reasons, but primarily because of the following conflict: It does not do environmental justice.
This term does not refer merely to the geography of the land but also to the people who inhabit the neighborhoods surrounding the proposal.
Environmental justice is the fair treatment of people of all races, ages, and incomes with respect to development, implementation, and the enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.
This obviously applies to town boards and land use applications.
The community around the sand and gravel pit includes people who are disadvantaged due to age, health status, income, lack of resources, lack of experience and a lack of knowledge of how to stand up for their rights.
Many are elderly or children. Some are single parents. Others are working so much they lack the time to defend themselves. This is clearly a vulnerable community. Although the community did mobilize against the plant, the boards disregarded public opinion and were clearly biased toward the business applicant.
Asphalt mix plants are never proposed in affluent white collar communities with multiple resources to block their establishment.
The industry is known instead to target vulnerable populations and small communities like Winchester, where they almost always succeed in getting in, and where it is impossible to get them to leave once they have arrived.
The best this asphalt plant has to offer (besides a modest amount of tax dollars to the town) is a few jobs, and they are not likely to be hiring locals for these specialized technical jobs.
The Winchester boards have essentially approved the plant in exchange for a local eyesore, potential health and safety hazards to the community, lower property values of nearby residents, a noise nuisance, air pollution, traffic issues on Route 10, environmental safety risks, foreseeable damage to the local ecosystems and agitation of the area wildlife.
Asphalt plants affect the air for a radius of 10 miles, according to the NH Division of Environmental Services, and the DES will only inspect the plant for compliance at start up and every five years thereafter. This is hardly reassuring to nearby residents. As a matter of fact, it is alarming.
The plant will be nearly self-regulating. The proposed asphalt mix plant is not in the best interest of the community or the town of Winchester, and it does not do environmental justice, or any kind of justice at all.
MARY E D RYAN
129 Westport Village Road
12 comments:
To make matters even worse, the NH DES only regulates the emissions from the smoke stack and the bag house. They do not regulate any fugitive emissions or truck emissions. There is also the danger to the river, human and wildlife, and the ecosystem of fugitive dust - the particulate matter that spreads everywhere and is caused by the gravel pit activities and explosions, by the truck traffic, and by loading and unloading the trucks. This is bad news all around.
As evidence from the report about air quality in our region now, this will only add to health issues and effect many more people that just those in Winchester and Swanzey. This was a real no brainer for the ZBA and PB too bad they didn't use the brains God gave them to make the right decisions and instead opted to let the citizens that will be most affected fight on their own with no protection from the town. Remember this come election time, we need these fools out of office and bring in people who protect us from harmful industry like this.
Kudos to Ms Ryan for submitting her very well written letter to the Keene Sentinel and all her other efforts at bringing light to this situation, and the plight of Winchester.
To the three members of our appointed zoning board who ignored the many people who showed up to the hearings and voiced their concerns and gave testimony that this was not something good for the area, shame on you. The arrogance and disdain you showed towards the citizens of not one, but two towns was disgusting and your treatment of Mr. Towne and others who filed appeals of your decisions was an abusive misuse of your powers. You allowed an out of state applicant to have an appeal hearing and overturned our own code enforcement officer's decision in this matter, yet turned your backs on citizens of Winchester. You don't represent us and don't deserve to be on that board, your a disgrace and exactly what's wrong with our town. Good for you that your positions are safe and protected by our selectmen; otherwise not one of you would ever get elected to fill any position in this town.
Thank you Mary and the many others who took the time to do research, attend many meetings and who are standing up for all of us in an attempt to protect both towns from this polluting industry despite the ignorance of our town boards. I am contacting the informer to offer my support and wish to help in any way I can to protect my children's health and the health of others. I too am appalled that our town boards would allow this plant to be built here.
Environmental justice? So Mary do you want us to stop burning wood next? Why don't you admit the reason you are opposing this is so you can sell your house and abandon the people that you say are not as enlightened as you are to defend themselves. Hypocrisy alive and well in Swanzey.
When you bring together people who feel that industry is our only solution for town growth (that doesn't involve houses that attract more special ed children), this is the kind of business growth we will attract and entertain.
However, the jokes on them - they appear to be clueless or blind to the fact that this is the sustaining factor creating these special ed children? We will continue to open our wallets wider every year, supporting our astronomical school budget!
I for one can attest that these individuals do NOT attend school budget or board meetings, so they are clueless to the excess. (excluding Jack Marsh, Kim Gordon, & Brian Moser)
To the coward hiding behind the anonymous posting option above who called Mary a hypocrite you truly do need to be enlightened, she's not going anywhere or abandoning anyone and is continuing in her efforts to prevent this polluting business from ever getting started and ruining not only her life and the lives of her family, but also the lives of many of her neighbors and friends, including yours. If anyone is a hypocrite it's you for turning your back on your neighbors and those of us who called you friend.
129 Westport Village Rd. Swanzey $314,900 MLS 2779703
Funny this was a listing through Masiello Agency. Don't believe the house is still listed. However given the real estate market I am sure the property was pulled off the market until things turned around.
So "we know you who you are" get your facts before you claim to know something which you clearly don't. They are going to sell and leave you all behind... And this was only one year after she and her husband got a special permit to operate their gallery. (all you need to do is google someones name and you get a lot of information) So it looks to me, the art business is not doing so well, they want to sell the house, and they fear change around the property (even if it is a half a mile away) they think it will impact their ability to sell. Don't kid yourself. We need to ask ourselves does Mary care about Winchester, or just about her own interest. HMMMM makes you think.
To the person who is attempting to discredit Mrs. Ryan and her efforts to stop the construction of the asphalt plant ..
You can go away now, I'll not allow any more of your diatribe to be posted on this board. It's evident you have a dislike of Mrs. Ryan and/or her efforts and feelings and offer no constructive criticism either pro or con on the subject being discussed.
Many houses have been for sale all around Winchester and the Village long before this plant's owner came to town and many residents have since pulled them due to slow sales here and everywhere else in the country.
Also many factors come into play which determine why someone puts their home up for sale, loss of job, personal health, etc.
I'd strongly suggest you go get a good book, throw a couple of logs on the fire and curl up with your dog for company and find someplace else to post your drivel, it won't be here any more.
You're a prime example of why the administrators of this blog are forced to moderate comments.
What information is not appropriate Mr. Informer? The Informer should be called "The Editor". You should post all comments so long as they are not personal attacks,and let us assess what is appropriate or not. (Although you do publish personal attacks against people that you do not like or people that have views different from your own.) I guess we should expect nothing more from the Misinformer.
.. and the village idiot speaks again. If you don't like this blog, the comments on it or the people who post those comments then why do you come here and run your mouth? You're real quick to claim misinformation yet have never pointed out any in all of your rantings. Like the Informer has said .. go away, you offer nothing but your personal agenda of attacking anyone who thinks your husband is an ass; which by the way he is.
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