HUNTINGTON — The Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Board convened a third public hearing on Nov. 12 on a special permit for a proposed 4.9 acre gravel pit at 61 Goss Hill Rd., 0 Goss Hill Rd. and 0 Worthington Rd. on land owned by William B. Hull Forestlands.
Karon Hathaway, chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals, introduced Zoning and Planning Board members Victoria Minella-Sena, Jill Rose and alternate Deresa Helems. Hathaway and Helems are also on the Planning Board, which is chaired by Linda Hamlin, who was present at the meeting.
Hathaway said the boards would be asking for a continuance because they had not finished getting the information they sought from consultants. They had previously identified nine studies, and are working through the details, she said.
In response to bid proposals, the town received one proposal for a traffic study and three proposals for a noise study, and the ZBA has not yet determined which proposal they will submit to Hull. After the meeting, Hathaway said that the Zoning Board selects the consultants and Hull pays the quoted price.
Hathaway then asked Hull and attorney Michael Pill, who is representing the company, if they would agree to a continuance, or a withdrawal without prejudice or a denial without prejudice, which means they would be able to bring back the proposal at a later date.
“We agree to a continuance,” Pill said. The date of Jan. 21, 2025 at p.m. was selected for the next public hearing.
Hathaway then thanked the approximately two dozen residents in attendance for coming to the hearing.
“This is an important matter for folks in town,” she said, adding that since there were people present who had not come to earlier hearings, she would entertain questions for 15 minutes before adjourning the meeting.
Asked which studies the committee is conducting, Hathaway said a traffic study, noise study, a request in to David Haines for a hydrogeologic study, and one in to Tighe & Bond for a silica dust study. She said they also have a proposal from RPF Environmental for silica exposure.
“The process is not going as quickly as I hoped,” Hathaway said.
Susan Macintosh, a member of the Conservation Commission said it had been erroneously reported that the commission had approved the project. She said Conservation operates under the Wetlands Provision Act under the Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection. She said they had received a request for determination from Hull Forestlands as to whether the project is in a wetlands resource area.
“We determined it is not, so we did not have jurisdiction,” Macintosh said. She said their commission operates under a different process. “We didn’t approve or disapprove. We have jurisdiction over the wetlands resource areas.”
Robert Hebert of Worthington Road, who lives across the river from the proposed site and said he had just found out about the proposed gravel pit, asked besides a noise study, what other studies will be done.
Hathaway repeated traffic, hydrogeolocal and silica dust. She said R. Levesque Associates, who also represents Hull Forestlands, had investigated endangered species, and said the area has not been identified as a habitat for endangered species by the state.
Hamlin said an archeological claim had also been made, but the individual on whose land it was did not want to come forward.
“The board and chair of the Planning Board have been working diligently to try to get these studies set up, but we haven’t been successful yet. We will be as we will continue to work on it,” Hathaway said.
She said they will need to be in communication with the applicant and his representatives once the consultants are selected, and will post the final proposals and the studies once completed on the town website.
