The Boston Globe: Peabody rock quarry closure plans are in midsts of expanding
This is not such a giant controversy.
The quarry was in place long before the houses all sprouted up, so the neighbors complaining about the quarry are simply guilty of choosing to live in the wrong place.
That being said, Aggregate Industries is proving itself to be not only a bad neighbor, but a criminal one as well. The company needs to be very closely watched as it has proven itself to be NOT TRUSTWORTHY.
However, the fact that the two politicians mentioned in the article, Ted Speliotis and Barry Sinewitz, are confused by such a "complicated idea" that this company has the legal right to expand, and plans to do so, while at the same time creating a shut down plan for 30 years in the future says more about the mental abilities of these gentlemen and less about this confusing issue.
It is not confusing.
This company can (and obviously plans to) continue its operations in this location until they have exhausted their permitted rights. They also are required to create a long-term plan to ultimately close the plant.
Gentlemen... how hard is that to understand?
Bottom line...
- Neighbors will complain about ANYTHING and the reality is you shouldn't build/buy your house next to a rock quarry if you don't like noise, ground shaking blasts and truck traffic.
- Aggregate Industries has proven itself to be untrustworthy and in violation of the law. They need to be closely monitored and controlled.
Now I know from talking with a few people that living near AI is a pain and it makes life unpleasant at times (and dangerous at others)... even if people made bad choices in the past (choosing to live near a quarry) - but they are there now and the City should be trying to mediate a fair and reasonable accommodation for all involved. AI has rights, but so do the residents. In fact, the City itself should bear some of the responsibility for allowing these homes to be built in the first place.
In my opinion the best course of action here is:
1) Continue the closure plan discussions with a keen focus on how the land will/can be used in the future.
2) Continue the discussion on the expansion plans - AND MAKE SURE THE CITY HAS SMART PEOPLE IN THIS DEBATE when it comes to the issuance of special permits required for AI to achieve its goals.
The only place the City has any say in AI's business (if they are operating within the law) is when they come to ask for a special permit. This is the time the City needs to act intelligently and get some logical concessions in order to benefit FIRST, the City as a whole and SECOND, the concerns of the neighbors.
