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Resident urges more public review as Swenson expansion advances
Summary
At Woodbury Select Board’s June 9 meeting, resident Carol Ray urged more community engagement and raised health and environmental concerns about the proposed Swenson/Polycore expansion, citing silica dust, chloride runoff and wetland risks; board members explained permitting and appeal processes.
Carol Ray told the Woodbury Select Board she is "over the top about the Swenson expansion," and urged the board to provide additional public listening sessions before the zoning and district commission processes continue. She said she was overwhelmed by the project proposals and wanted clearer, in-person opportunities for community input.
The board responded that zoning decisions proceed through the zoning board and the district commission, and that being recorded as an "interested party" at the town level gives residents the right to appeal and to submit materials to the district commission. Chair (Select Board) and other members described the town and zoning roles as separate and said residents may participate directly in the upcoming hearings.
Ray raised health and environmental risks she associates with quarrying and on-site crushing equipment: airborne silica dust, chloride sprayed on roads that she fears will reach wetlands, and increased truck traffic. "I really think transparency should be your boat," she said, asking the board to add a discussion on the June 22 agenda or to organize additional forums so neighbors can ask questions.
Select Board members and road staff replied that crushers require specific air permits and that on-site stormwater controls (holding/collection pools) and dust-suppression systems are typical permit conditions. Select Board member (1) noted the company already has extraction permits and that some activities will be regulated by state agencies; he added the district commission will review whether mitigation measures are sufficient.
The board encouraged concerned residents to sign on as interested parties at the town level if they want formal standing to appeal, and to bring specific data or observations (for example, dust or water-quality readings) to the district commission to support claims about public-health impacts. No formal action was taken; the board and residents agreed to monitor the schedule for the next zoning/district hearings.
