Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents warn board that Prospect Street sale, blasting could threaten aquifer and slope stability
Summary
Residents urged the Board of Selectpersons to halt or rethink plans tied to 100 Prospect Street, saying proposed blasting and development would harm a Grade A aquifer, risk landslides and conflict with the town's plan of conservation and development; the board entered an executive session on the possible sale and took no action.
Residents pressed the Board of Selectpersons on risks tied to a possible sale and development of town-owned land at 100 Prospect Street, warning that blasting and clearing could damage a Grade A aquifer and trigger landslides.
Deborah Alteria, who gave her address as 37 Fulton Drive, told the board the parcel sits "within a Grade A aquifer" and cited the town's plan of conservation and development as calling for identifying and protecting natural resources. "What is blasting the top of that mountain gonna do?" she asked, saying the mountain contains springs and ledges, that clearing and blasting could increase runoff into nearby wells and Holy's Pond, and that the town's stated policies on conserving sensitive areas would be undermined by permitting such work.
Mike Renk, a Woodside Avenue resident, urged people to review the town's Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) and emphasized that local volunteer bodies such as the Seymour Conservation Commission and the Seymour Land Conservation Trust inventory and protect watershed resources; he asked the board not to sell the Mountaintop property and urged that volunteers' and boards' input be weighed before any disposal of town land.
Ralph Capiello, a Derby resident with family on Woodside, asked whether the board has seen engineering studies about caves under Woodside Avenue and whether blasting had been evaluated for risk of cave collapse and landslide. "If any of those caves collapse and there's any kind of a landslide at all, it's gonna be a catastrophe," he said, and requested any existing studies be shared.
The board later entered an executive session to discuss the potential sale of the town-owned property at 100 Prospect Street, inviting Attorney Rich Bertullo and Kurt Miller. Attorney Bertullo cited the legal basis for confidentiality as the risk that publicity could adversely affect the potential sale price. On returning from executive session, the board reported that no votes or actions had been taken and Bertullo told the board "no action will be taken at this time."
