The message was common from Farmington residents who spoke Monday at a nearly three-hour public hearing on Dunning Sand & Gravel's proposal to broaden its leaf composting operation to include food scraps and other organic ingredients.
Residents acknowledged their appreciation for owner Ben Dunning and his business, many saying that his heart was in the right place with the green organic composting initiative. But the crowd largely opposed the idea of expanding the composting operation due to concerns of noise, smell, traffic, environmental ramifications and public safety.
"Ben, I think it's the right idea, but the wrong place. Perhaps we can figure out some other location in the state that might be more conducive to this type of production than the current location you're proposing," said Demetrios Giannaros, of Basswood Road, and a former state legislator representing Farmington.
Giannaros and many other speakers particularly voiced concern for the possibility of meat scraps from kitchens being brought into the composting operation that currently just deals with leaves. He cited the potential for bad odor and increased bear and wildlife activity on the company property near his neighborhood. Other residents spoke out against composting grass clippings that might contain pesticides.
But Bill Neagus, a communication representative for the Farmington company, told The Hartford Courant after the meeting that the company would modify its plans to exclude meat and grass clippings in the compost and reducing the rows of compost originally proposed.
Neagus could not be reached immediately for comment to confirm or provide further details. Town Planning and Zoning Commission Commission Chairman Philip Dunn wrote in an email to Patch that he was unaware of whether Dunning Sand & Gravel submitted a revised application to the town.
Both Giannaros and his neighbor, Jeffrey Hogan addressed the high volume of traffic on Brickyard Road near Rails to Trails. They expressed concerns of the potential danger more truck activity in that area could cause.
"Unfortunately, for better or for worse because of the Rails to Trails, a lot of people are attracted to use Brickyard Road to run, bike, to access Rails to Trails and we don't have sidewalks," Hogan, Farmington's Town Council chairman, said. "It is very dangerous for people that use that to recreate or to access the Rails to Trails."
The town previously ran a composting operation at the town's sewage treatment plant. Hogan said that as a council member, one of the number one calls he got was complaints about the smell.
However, Neagus questioned in the hearing whether that smell was because of the composting or sewage treatment. He also pointed out that the town did composting a number of years ago and that the science has improved greatly since then.
"[Ben Dunning] really is looking to do the right thing, which is what this project is all about, to do the right thing," Neagus said, praising the amount of research Dunning puts into projects.
The composting proposal is a green initiative for Dunning's company.
A woman whose house abuts the proposed composting site said that when the leaf composting site was being built, she heard a lot of truck noise coming from Dunning Sand & Gravel that spring and summer. As vehicles moved the earth and paved part of the land, she could smell the asphalt.
After the October snowstorm the following autumn in 2011, many contractors came in and out of Dunning Sand & Gravel to dispose of tree debris remnants, she said. Wood chipping was noisy and created a pungent smell, she said.
"While I applaud you for building a compost facility in our valley, I'm very concerned as to where on your property it is. It's showing that it's literally in my back yard," she said, noting that she would otherwise support the idea if the composting were further back on the property.
Some residents were worried that the composting would potentially contaminate Dunning Lake at Winding Trails, where many kids swim. But Dunning said that is part of the reason he did not want to expand composting onto that side of the property.
Others had similar concerns about noise, namely the sound trucks make when they back up, and odor they already smell. Dunning said he could use trucks with a "quacker" back-up sound that is more subtle.
Many other residents spoke and one person who opposes the initiative has created a Facebook page for discussion and updates about the composting proposal.
Due to the late hour, the commission extended the public hearing to its Sept. 30 meeting so that more residents could voice their questions, comments and concerns. The meeting will start at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers.
Dunning Sand & Gravel is located at 105 Brickyard Road in Farmington.
What do you think about the proposal for an expanded organic composting operation at Dunning Sand & Gravel? Tell us in the comments!
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