A lot of noise and a lot of dust – those are just some of the complaints homeowners in South Windsor have about their neighbor, and it's been going on for years.
The brick quarry, owned and operated by Redland Brick, has been in South Windsor for decades. The company is looking for a five-year permit renewal for mining clay from the Planning and Zoning Commission. But neighbors say they'd like to see some changes before that happens.
"You can see the amount of trees that were removed. You can see the whole operation on the other side," said neighbor Jim Poulin.
From Poulin's backyard you have a clear view of the quarry, and he says work at the quarry brings a lot of noise and dust his way.
"The amount of dust coming through, the amount of noise coming through. Neighbors have had their houses vibrate from the bulldozers coming down the road," said Poulin.
On Tuesday, the public got a chance to tour the quarry and hear from representatives of Redland Brick to see what their plans are to mitigate the issues. At the South Windsor Planning and Zoning Public Hearing that night, neighbors heard and gave proposed solutions like limiting working days to weekdays, planting trees, moving the road that's used to haul material to a lower level, and a system to control dust.
"The dust control system is a sprinkler system," said Redland Brick Plant Manager Steve Blomquist.
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What neighbors wanted the most was not just moving the hauling road to a lower level, but to move it to the north side of the quarry, far away from them. In order to do that, a permit that's already been submitted to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection by the company needs to be approved because water must be pumped out of the pit first. Residents say if water is pumped out, they want a monitoring system in place to ensure water quality.
"We are not here asking you to put this company out of business. What we're asking is for you to take into consideration, at least equally if not greater so, the residents who live adjoining the property," said attorney Marc Needelman, who is representing some of the neighbors.
The concerns and questions brought up at the public hearing meant no decision made by the Planning and Zoning Commission. Neighbors and the company are hoping for a solution that brings them both peace of mind.
"We're against the pollution. If there's a way to do it safely without polluting the waters and without polluting the air and creating a lot of noise pollution, which we have, then the residents would be fine with it," said Poulin.
The next meeting is April 9.
