WESTMINSTER — I strongly support the proposal that the town of Westminster purchase the stone quarry on Wellington Hill, in the best interests of the residents.
The quarry would then be used exclusively by the town for road maintenance, repairs, and road building in Westminster.
I live near the site, near the bridge on Goldies Road. There will be many very unhappy residents in the northeast corner of Westminster if this parcel is purchased by a private business and operated as a commercial stone quarry. The noise, trucks, dust, and ground vibration would be continuous year-round.
This project would also provide the town with road material for many years to come, at a lower price.
Some residents say that a commercial operation could never be approved and would never get an Act 250 permit. That is not reliable information. Stone and gravel supplies are running out at old, established quarries in this area, and large corporations are moving in looking for opportunities to obtain the stone products that they know will be in high demand as we continue to suffer road damage from thunderstorms, flooding, and mud seasons.
I ask the residents of Westminster to take the route that presents the smaller risk: Accept short bursts of stone production activity by the town.
If this project, which benefits all of Westminster, turns out to place an unequal burden of losses on some residents, we are supposed to know how to make our shares more equal. We can measure things and make them as equal as we want.
I have served on the Westminster Planning Commission for several years. Even though I have been advised that a town quarry on this site would reduce my property resale value, I still favor this project because it would be best for the town over many years to come.
That is what is meant by town planning.