North Smithfield council hears experts and residents on proposed Pound Hill quarry overlay; no vote taken

The North Smithfield Town Council on March 3 continued a public hearing on a petition by Pound Hill Realty LLC to add an "Industrial Special Management District 1" overlay to allow and regulate quarrying, mining and associated processing on an 89.44-acre parcel off Old Oxford, Pound Hill and Pine Hill roads. No vote was taken; the hearing will continue at a later date and experts will appear before the planning board on March 13 and the council at its next meeting on March 17, council members said.

Why it matters: The petition would codify and limit the future expansion of quarrying activity that the petitioner says has operated on the property for decades. Residents objecting to the overlay raised long-standing concerns about blasting, airborne dust, groundwater and the site's proximity to two Superfund-designated locations and a public aquifer.

William Landry, representing the petitioner, described the zoning amendment as a way to move a grandfathered, nonconforming use into a planned, regulated framework. "We're not saying it's a permitted use," Landry told the council. "We're saying it's a grandfathered nonconforming use, but it's not one that requires reporting, testing, planning, fencing, buffering. What we're proposing is to plan the future expansion of the nonconforming use on this lot by building in controls ... to make sure that there are no adverse impacts on people's houses, on their wells, or on the landfill."

The council heard technical testimony from Richard J. Grohl, an industrial seismologist who said he has monitored blasting at the Pound Hill site since February 2003. Grohl described the monitoring setup, regulatory thresholds and the site's blast records. "I perform seismic monitoring, pre-blast inspections, damage claim investigations," Grohl said, identifying himself and his company Richard J. Grohl Technical Services of Hollis, New Hampshire. He said seismographs are placed at or near the closest structures and, in practice, at multiple residences, landfill locations and other points of concern when requested.

Grohl told the council that blast sequences at the site typically last about 600 milliseconds (0.6 seconds) and that the site averages about 12 blasts per year. He said Rhode Island's explosives regulations use peak particle velocity (PPV) and frequency to gauge damage potential and that each blast report is sent to the state fire marshal's office. "I send them over on email," Grohl said. "If there was anything that went over the limit, I state it in the report; if everything was within limits, I report that as well."

On measured impacts, Grohl said the site's recorded vibrations have remained below regulatory thresholds. He summarized his findings for the council: "The landfills, the highest vibration that we've had so far is, 44% of what would cause damage to plaster." He told the council that most measured displacements at the landfill and other monitored points were extremely small, in some cases on the order of "approximately the thickness of a human hair." Grohl also explained that air overpressure (the pressure wave heard and felt as a blast) can travel farther than ground vibration and that residents feeling or hearing a blast miles away are most likely sensing the air pressure pulse rather than ground motion.

Council members and several residents questioned Grohl about monitoring frequency, placement of seismographs, community notification practices and what a berm or other buffers would accomplish. Grohl said a berm would reduce some sound and visual impacts but would not materially alter measured ground vibration from blasting. He also said blast design, charge sizing and timing are primary tools used to control ground vibration and air overpressure.

Dozens of residents spoke during the public comment period, citing concerns that included increased blast frequency, airborne dust and the site's proximity to two Superfund sites and the town aquifer. Speakers included Patty Griffin (351 Matity Bridge), Beth Newberry (53 Follett Street), Ann Lilly (Maple Avenue), Muriel Halloran (62 Douglas Pike), Cheryl Marandola (1780 Pound Hill Road), Mike Rapko (25 Greenville Road) and Rebecca d Cristoforo (1931 Pound Hill Road). Several said they felt or heard blasts inside their homes, reported dust on homes and cars, and asked the council to require independent technical review and stricter local controls.

Some residents and speakers disputed the petitioner's characterization of the property and its uses over time. Cheryl Marandola presented a lay summary of town records and court actions dating to the 1980s and 1990s and argued that purchases and new structures on the property since 1979 should preclude continued grandfathered rights; Landry disputed that reading and said the property's nonconforming status remains.

The council clarified process items: no votes would be taken during the hearing night, the hearing would be stopped at 9:00 p.m. if not complete and continued as needed, and additional expert presentations on dust and water (previously presented) would be scheduled for future hearings.

What's next: Landry said the petitioner will present a dust-control expert to the planning board on March 13 and that the petitioner expects the dust expert to return to the council on March 17. Residents urged the council to retain independent, town-selected technical experts with no contractor ties to review potential environmental and health effects.

Council members did not take formal action on the petition at the meeting.