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Planning board schedules April 30 public hearing for Moose Mountain excavation permit; debates grandfathered status of gravel pits
Summary
An excavation application for Moose Mountain was filed April 1. The planning board scheduled a public hearing for April 30 at 6 p.m., discussed required abutter notices and newspaper publication, and debated whether long-standing gravel pits are 'grandfathered' or must submit excavation and reclamation reports.
The Brookfield Town Planning Board on April 13 set a public hearing for an excavation permit application for Moose Mountain and discussed longstanding questions about whether the town’s two gravel pits hold a grandfathered status under state rules.
Planning staff reported receipt of Moose Mountain’s application on April 1, triggering a requirement under the town’s excavation regulations that a public hearing be held within 30 days and that abutter notices be mailed and a notice be published in a newspaper at least 14 days before the hearing. Board members reviewed the timeline and selected April 30 at 6 p.m. to allow time for certified abutter lists and newspaper deadlines.
Members discussed fees connected to the permit process: a $50 town permit fee listed in the regulations, a $100 state filing fee, and the practical costs of certified-mail abutter notices and newspaper publication. Several members said the current fee schedule does not fully cover registered-mail and publication expenses and asked staff to propose a fee line for abutter-letter mailing costs.
The board also debated whether existing gravel pits are legally "grandfathered." Members said they have not found evidence that the pits filed the excavation report required in 1981 to establish grandfathered status. Without documentary proof, the board discussed treating operators as needing permits and, where appropriate, waiving some submission requirements temporarily (for example, the excavation plan and reclamation plan) for this annual cycle while requiring those documents for the following year. Several members favored sending a letter clearly documenting any waivers and expectations for next year.
The board directed staff to certify abutter lists, prepare mailing stickers or arrange mailings, publish the hearing notice in the appropriate newspaper to meet statutory deadlines, and return with inspection records and any existing historical filings for the pits.
The Moose Mountain public hearing is scheduled for April 30 at 6 p.m.
