UPDATE: DRB site visit to Allstone, Julian quarries postponed DRB Hearing will proceed as scheduled on Monday evening
Shawn Cunningham | Jul 06, 2023 | Comments 4
The site visit scheduled for Monday, July 10 at the three quarries owned by Julian Materials is being postponed to a date, time and location still to be determined, according to Chester Town Manager Julie Hance. The notice also says that, “The site visits have been postponed to facilitate the appropriate arrangements for conducting the site visits in a safe and efficient manner,”
The Telegraph reported on Thursday that town employees, DRB members and the public would have to wear a number of pieces of personal protective gear to be allowed to attend the visit. On Friday, Hance told The Telegraph that lawyers for the quarry owners and the town were discussing the question of how to hold the visits safely.
The DRB hearing will go on as scheduled at 6 p.m. on Monday July 10 at Town Hall and via Zoom. To join the meeting go to https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88516649788
By Shawn Cunningham
© 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC
The companies are going before the DRB on Monday, July 10 seeking a permit to make changes to their quarries including putting up a new building at the South Quarry and moving their stone processing there from the Chandler Road Quarry. You can read about the permit application here.
The companies, through their attorney, Mark Hall, are also proposing to alter the schedule of the visits based on the limited parking available at each quarry site.
According to Bristow, there will be one, 12-passenger van provided by Julian Materials and another provided by the state of Vermont. “It might not be enough and there may be some cars that tag along after the vans, or a shuttle,” Bristow told The Telegraph.
The site visit schedule, as proposed by Allstone-Julian Materials is as follows:
3 p.m. All parties arrive at the Allstone Retail Store at 3643 VT Route 103 for a Safety Meeting.
3:30 p.m. Van will travel to 137 Chandler Road site
4:15 p.m. Van will travel to the South Quarry
5 p.m. Van will travel to the North Quarry
5:30 Return to the Allstone Store.
6 p.m. Hearing at Town Hall, 556 Elm St. in Chester.
In an email to Bristow, Hall said that the safety “… guidelines are not an all-encompassing list of controls required on the project. All applicable state and federal regulations shall be complied with.” This could indicate that further restrictions will be required of those attending the site visit.
Hard Hats
• All visitors while on the job site must wear hard hats as a condition of visitation.
Eye Protection
• ANSI-approved safety glasses with side shields are required at all times while on the site, except when in offices, lunch areas, shacks, vehicles, etc.
• Prescription glasses or sunglasses are not acceptable unless they meet the definition of safety glasses.
Hearing Protection
• Limiting exposure to excessive noise through engineering controls. Where engineering controls are not feasible, supervisors should provide and ensure that visitors wear hearing protection.
• When hearing protection is necessary, the use of protective equipment is not optional.
Foot Protection
• All visitors will wear sturdy work boots with durable sidewalls, toes and soles. Soft shoes or sneakers are never permitted.
• Visitors must wear appropriate sturdy shoes or be kept out of the construction area.
Body Protection
• All visitors shall wear shirts and long trousers to protect against the elements and work site hazards.
• No sleeveless shirts or shorts are permitted.
• Safety vests must be warn at all time while outside a vehicle in either the right of way or on the active quarry site.
Filed Under: Chester • Latest News
As an abutter to the Chandler Quarry, I find it amusing that the DRB is even considering a new Permit Application while the Company is already operating outside of currently permitted activities. I would think Allstone/Julian Materials would be required to conform to current Permitted activities for a specified amount of time before allowing a permit to go through for new changes. It is not as if what they were and were not allowed to do was not already specified, and it is not as if they did not have the opportunity to get permit changes before engaging in activity that was not permitted.
As a business they have decided that “Asking forgiveness is easier than asking permission” and it is as if they expect the new permit applications to go through as they are already doing the work they are not allowed to do, almost as a fait accompli.
Sounds like they couldn’t stall things using PPE as an excuse, so now they’ll postpone the site visit. Will the DRB table the Julian application until after such a time that a thorough site visit may be conducted?
Has OSHA performed on site inspections to ensure the safety of all employees?
Well, seems Allstone has clearly outlined its welcome mat for its visitors…
Interested in hearing more in response to Amy O’Neil’s comment about gear.
Do we know if all of the workers at all of the sites wear all this PPE all the time?
For probably obvious reasons, I am following this story with interest. I have never heard of a situation when visitors to a site to observe conditions regarding permitting are expected to comply with PPE compliance as if the quarry is OPERATING. For the safety of all visitors and employees on the site operations should be expected to cease during the site visit. Unless the Chester UDB definition of a site visit has changed dramatically in the last few years there is no testimony given during a site visit. Visitors are just there to look around so they can understand the testimony that will be given during the hearing. The town needs to push back on the applicant and explain that they cannot limit visitors by enforcement of “required PPE”.
Editor’s Note: O’Neil has experience in quarrying and as a member of Chester’s DRB