Pondview Neighbors Air Blasting Concerns to P&Z

Some residents' experiences of living near blasting sites include stories of damaged wells, broken windows, cracks in walls and damaged foundations. Neighbors of 127 Main Street worry intensive blasting to make way for a new shopping center there will damage their homes.

Their concerns led to a prolonged legal battle between the neighbors and the developer, Pondview, LLC, after the Planning & Zoning Commission approved a special exception permit years ago. The developer won the final court challenge last summer.

On Thursday night, Jay Keillor, the manager of Pondview, came before the Planning & Zoning Commission with a request to review the performance bond. Several of the neighbors, who also attended the meeting, aired their lingering concerns in a public comment session.

Elizabeth Murphy of Crescent Place wants to ensure Keillor follows all of the conditions of approval for the special permit, which she says includes a requirement to test all wells within 750 feet of the property. She said Keillor is only testing six of 50 wells in the vicinity.

"A special exception permit is a legal document," Murphy told the commission. "The applicant must follow conditions to get the approval. Testing six of 50 wells is 12% not 100%. Eighty-eight percent of the wells are being ignored. The neighbors feel cheated."

________________________________________________________________________________________

Interested in Monroe's news, events, community bulletins, blogs and businesses? Sign up for the free Monroe Patch daily newsletter, "like" us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Keillor countered that his application was approved by the Army Corps of Engineers, the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection, the Planning & Zoning Commission and the courts.

"We are lowering the water table in the upper regions of the site — adjacent from these property owners," he said. "We went over our plans surveying properties within 750 feet. There are only six properties that have a well where the surface is at the elevation where we are lowering the water table. We worked with the state and local health departments on what wells we should test. We're doing it properly in accordance with state and local health code regulations."

Murphy later claimed that Keillor has no actual approvals to only test six wells.

During the public session, she also said, “We cannot ignore mining an auquifer where there is no city water," adding one expert estimates the water table would drop by 20 to 30 feet.

Keillor said, "We're returning any water we're taking out of the ground. It's going into recharge basins to recharge the aquifer."

Reaching Out

Peg O’Leary of Crescent Place told commissioners her family had to dig a new well years ago after their well was damaged by nearby blasting.

Sally Lundy of Old Fox Lane said her well was one of the six the developer tested and that it is still a producing well. But Lundy said she wants to know what the town would do if someone loses their well water after the excavation.

"Help neighbors to understand what their rights are," she told the commission.

Mary Elizabeth Fulco recently bought her home on Crescent Place. "I purchased my property not knowing there will be blasting and developing right behind my house," she said.

Fulco said neighbors want "comforting and leadership" from town officials, while protecting them should anything go wrong.

Keillor said he will reach out to neighbors and try to do right by them, and he later answered their questions in the Monroe Town Hall lobby.

Maureen and Robert Wicklund have lived on Crescent Place for 30 years and never had a problem with their well, but they are concerned over the project.

"What he was saying today makes us feel better," Robert Wicklund said of Keillor. "But we're hoping he lives up to what he said. If he does, there won't be a problem."