Some neighbors in Plainville are opposed to Connecticut construction company Tilcon’s request to expand its quarry operations to a second site in town.
Tilcon is a construction company that manufactures basalt, the rock commonly used to make roads, pavement and railroads.
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WATCH HEREThe company already owns more than 400 acres of residential property on Long Swamp Road but it wants to turn 83 acres of it to a quarry zone to manufacture more basalt. The company needs a zoning approval from the town to proceed.
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SIGN UP Catherine Procko is one of the many neighbors who oppose the expansion.
“Our town is very small, we’re only nine square miles,” she said. “We can’t afford to let another mountain go.”
Procko and other neighbors expressed their concern at a town planning and zoning commission meeting on April 8.
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Some are worried about the environmental and wildlife impact.
A representative from SLR consulting, the firm representing Tilcon, said “a wildlife study has not been done, that it would be part of the site plan application.”
Robert Schneider, a Plainville resident, said Tilcon’s existing facility off Woodford Avene Extension is already disruptive.
“Our roads to their plant is being torn up by their trucks, causing more town labor to maintain the roads,” Schneider said.
SLR Consulting said during the meeting, that “the zone change would facilitate future economic opportunities, increase tax revenues, and local job activity.”
But some neighbors are hoping the town denies the application.
“I’ve lived here long, and I’ve seen things in this town transfer into bad stuff and we need to keep what we have,” Procko said.
Tilcon provided the following statement:
“Tilcon Connecticut has been a responsible member of the Plainville community for over 100 years, providing local jobs and meeting Connecticut’s infrastructure needs. We value inputs from our community members and will attempt to address any concerns at the next public hearing."
A second public hearing on the zoning application is set for May 13.
