HALIFAX — The Halifax Conservation Group (HCG) will hold a fundraising yard sale Saturday, June 28, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 72 Oak St. in Brattleboro.
Proceeds will be used to further the citizen group's research and public awareness efforts regarding a proposed industrial scale commercial schist quarry in the Halifax Conservation District.
The proposed quarry site is centered in one of the largest remaining contiguous forest tracts in Windham County.
The Halifax Conservation Group is a large and growing group of citizens who are deeply concerned about the short- and long-term implications of the proposed quarry operation. The excavated stone would be trucked to a Massachusetts facility which is leasing the Halifax land for the activity.
“If approved, a mining activity of this size and duration would forever change the landscape and character of our area,” said Susan Kelly, DVM, whose property abuts the proposed site.
“The more we learn about the proposed project, the more we are concerned about water and air quality, noise, resident and migratory wildlife and the overall impacts on the quality of rural life in our region,” ssaid abutter Janet Taylor.
Financial issues also loom large for the town and its taxpayers.
“Road maintenance costs stand to skyrocket due to the exponential increase in daily load,” said abutter Pete Silverberg, who plans to retire to Halifax.
Many property owners in the immediate vicinity, including Silverberg, worry about declining property values in an already challenged market. “No one moves to Halifax to experience industrial noise and construction traffic,” he added.
A project of this magnitude requires an Act 250 permit from the state and a Conditional Use permit from the town. The group, which is funded entirely through donations, has engaged an attorney and engineers to provide guidance through the Act 250 and local permitting processes.
“We have faith in the meticulous scrutiny that state and local review processes will provide,” said Kelly. “However, we want to be prepared for informed discussion on this critical matter, and we want to be sure that all who are potentially affected are in the loop.”
Act 250 and local conditional use permits are expected to be filed soon. For more information, contact Kelly at [email protected] or 802-451-9363.