Gravel pit site walk delayed

POLAND — The permitting process of a gravel pit on Whalesback Drive has been delayed after a scheduled site walk was canceled due to inclement weather.

"We canceled it because the snow was too deep," said Chuck Finger, head of the Planning Board.

In the town's Comprehensive Land Use Code (CLUC), under "Requirements for On-Site Inspection," town ordinance reads that "within thirty (30) days of the Pre-application Meeting, the Board may hold an On-site Inspection of the property."

One of the requirements is that the "Board shall not conduct On-site Inspections when there is six (6) inches or more of snow."

Finger says that the permitting process may move forward without the site walk.

"It is not a requirement," said Finger.  "One guy wanted to see where the lot lines were, another one wanted to see the existing landscaping. That was his interest in it. Mine was 'where are the homes in relation to where the new mining is gonna be?' So, we all had a different reason for wanting to do the site walk."

Finger said that the group might decide to conduct the site walk in Spring, or might not do the site walk at all.

"We may go back and say, we don't want to do it," said Finger. "We've got to discuss it as a board."

Had the site walk been completed, says Finger, the board would have discussed their findings this week.

Abutter Michelle Arsenault, who has been active in the permitting process, raised concerns about the site walk based on the CLUC, but Finger says that the decision to cancel had already been made by the time she raised the concern.