Opponents of a large industrial project in the Gales Ferry section of Ledyard got to have their say Thursday night at a long-awaited public hearing.
Up until this point, the company proposing the excavation of a portion of Mount Decatur provided a majority of the testimony.
The company has asked the town planning and zoning board for a modification of a special permit to do the work.
Opponents expressed concerns about blasting, dust and increased truck traffic from the riverfront property, also saying Mount Decatur was the site of a small, but crucial riverfront fort in the war of 1812.
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Anne Roberts-Pierson, of Ledyard, said, “Demolition of almost half of Mount Decatur, a local state and national historic landscape, degrades the historic character and integrity of the whole site including the historic vista of the Thames River. This application should be denied.”
Gales Ferry Intermodal, or GFI, the company proposing the project, has said the Mount Decatur property has recently “...become sacred in the eyes of those who oppose GFI’s initiatives to redevelop its property."
GFI, through an attorney, has emphasized at multiple hearings that its excavation will comply with all local, state and federal regulations, and it will preserve the historic nature of the site.
Investigations
The public hearing on the Gales Ferry project is scheduled to resume next week.
