Brookfield planning board issues temporary permit for Moose Mountain gravel pit, asks for reclamation plan

The Brookfield Planning Board voted April 30 to issue a temporary excavation permit for Moose Mountain Gravel Pit at 139 Moose Mountain Road, allowing the operator to continue limited operations while the town and applicant complete paperwork and a reclamation plan.

"I am Marshall Goldberg. I'm the vice chair, substituting for Ed Ingalls," Goldberg said as he opened the public hearing at 6 p.m. and read the notice for an application filed by Dana Warren of TW Excavating and Development Corporation and Moose Mountain Gravel Pit under RSA 155-E.

The hearing focused on several recurring concerns from abutters and board members: whether heavy truck traffic would damage town roads or a nearby bridge, whether the property’s "current use" tax status limits excavation activity, and the existence and content of a reclamation plan for the site.

A board member asked whether the application’s stated excavated amount — 10,000 cubic yards — and the resulting truck traffic would necessitate a bond to protect town streets and a bridge that board members said needs engineering work. "My big concern is that bridge area on that road," the member said, noting the town had committed $200,000 for engineering.

Jesse Warren of TW Excavating responded that truck permits and federal and state weight limits control vehicle loads and routing. "The trucks are inspected and permitted state and federally, and they're only allowed to carry so much weight," Warren said, adding that operators follow routing and permitting protocols to avoid structures that cannot safely carry the loads.

Several residents and an operator representative told the board that a large reclamation plan had existed in town files for years but could not be located. Ed Kamau, who identified himself as a Brookfield resident and former planning board member, said a large plan showing Moose Mountain Properties LLC had been on file in the past but now appears to be missing. Board members asked the applicant and town staff to search for any historic plans and requested the applicant provide a current draft reclamation plan.

On stumps and burning — a recurrent concern among abutters — the operator said stumps have historically been processed for on-site use such as erosion control or ground stabilization and are burned only in appropriate seasons and with permits. "We don't haul anything in there," Jesse Warren said when asked whether the operation brings in external wood waste.

The board asked the applicant to provide a reclamation plan and supporting documents in time for the planning board’s next meeting on May 11 so members could deliberate. Goldberg reminded the group that under the applicable rules the board must issue a written decision within 20 days of the hearing (by May 20).

A planning board member moved to generate a temporary permit number effective April 30 and submit the completed application to the state; another member seconded. The board called for ayes and the motion was approved. The minutes and application file will be updated with the permit date and the number the state requires, and staff were instructed to include a copy of the application in the town file. The board indicated it expects a completed reclamation plan and related documentation for further review at its May 11 meeting and will issue its formal written decision by May 20.

The hearing record shows the board approved a temporary permit to allow continued operations while the town and applicant complete missing paperwork and finalize a reclamation plan; the board reserved its final permit decision to the formal review and any additional information that may be submitted before the May 11 meeting. The planning board closed the public hearing and adjourned the meeting later the same evening.