Resident says 'fence not needed'

HEBRON — A resident, at the selectmen's meeting Monday, told board members there is no need for a fence between his property and the transfer station property, despite the fact that trash bags and debris have been blowing onto his land. 

Thomas Grant insisted that an article published by the Advertiser Democrat on June 28 about a discussion between selectmen concerning the erection of a fence between his property and the transfer station at a June 25 board meeting does not properly reflect his concern.

Grant attended Monday's meeting to present his side of the story.

"I never said that the town was encroaching on my property," Grant announced calmly.

"The issue is just the 100-foot buffer," he explained, "and a lot of things have been pushed beyond that 100-foot buffer," including a ditch that was dug.

Selectman Dan Eichorn told Grant that Selectman Jim Reid had visited the land and stuck a couple stakes in the ground to mark the setback. He said that two of the transfer station's buildings and two recycle bins are within the limit.

"We are clearly within the 100-foot setback," agreed Reid.

Grant said he would like to see some propane tanks within the setback removed. In addition, Eichorn told Grant that the selectmen discussed moving the two buildings out of the setback – "If we can move them without them falling apart," he said.

He also said that moving the recycling bins shouldn't be a problem.

"The only things we should have to move are those two buildings and last couple of recycle bins," Eichorn told Grant.

Reid readdressed whether a fence was needed, but Grant insisted it was unnecessary.

"This is the thing I was concerned about. You don't need a fence up. That's an expense that you don't need," he told selectmen.

Reid said the point of installing a fence would be to prevent debris from blowing onto Grant's property.

"If someone, on a windy day, puts their garbage out – they start dumping it and the wind blows, it [would be] a metal fence, not chainlink, but something that would catch those bags," said Reid.

Grant disagreed, saying that a fence is unncessary because the wind will somehow blow the trash bags up and over it.

Grant said the bags are coming from trash cans beside the recycle bins – he said the problem could be solved if the trash cans' covers were secured tightly after each use.

"There's no covers on them, and when we get a windy day, it pulls it out of there and sends them flying," said Grant. He told selectmen that "he fills a trash bag with trash bags three to four times a year, just going around picking up trash bags."

Eichorn said that he would look into seeing that lids were secured on trash cans, pointing out that it'd be much cheaper than having to erect a fence.

However, he told Grant "the only reason [he] was thinking of a fence, was because part of the issue is that we [the town] are not the ones who moved the recycle bins in and out. If we've got a fence there, it's clear where [the bins are] supposed to go."

Instead, per Grant's request, Eichorn said selectmen will proceed with marking out the setback with stakes to settle the issue.

In addition, Eichorn said he would be in touch with the transfer station about moving the propane tanks and putting secure lids on the trash cans.

He will also contact Oxford County Regional Recycling or the Public Works Department about moving the recycle bins to another location.