Those opposed to the proposed bulk storage of 60,000 gallons of propane on property located at 2772 Boston Post Road in Guilford let the Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) know their displeasure by picketing as the commission recently met to walk the property.

"We view each application before us in the same manner," said IWC Chair Scott Williams in response to the protest. "Just because there is some controversy surrounding this land, our commission still had to look at it the same way we would any other application. By law we are legally mandated to look at the impact to wetlands only."

Williams explained the purpose of the walk was to identify where the tanks may go, the potential impact of the building on the property coming down, and where the site is in proximity to the wetlands.

"The commission wanted to get a physical look at the property so we have the configuration of the layout of the land in our heads when we discuss the issue at our next meeting," added Williams.

Edward Dinse, who lives across the street from the property and has been vehemently opposed to the idea of a 60,000-gallon propane storage tank opposite his home, said, "As opposed as I am to a propane terminal across the street from me waiting to explode, I also am just as concerned about the wildlife downstream from this.

"We get some serious rain here at times; the creek has run over Route 1 three times in the past 18 years," Dinse continued. "There is a pond on the lot, and Hoadley Creek flows through the property all the way to Long Island Sound. There are numerous ponds and swampy areas that this flows through, including Wolf Swamp just down Moose Hill Road from this project, which is Guilford Land Trust property. There have been studies of vernal pools and salamanders there."

This site is the second one that J.J. Sullivan has sought out in town for propane storage (its first was in downtown Guilford). In addition to the possible impact on wetlands, numerous other residents have made it know that they are concerned about spot zoning, property values, and safety through letters to the editor.

Recently, the Guilford Planning & Zoning Commission (PZC) approved an amendment to the Zoning Code that now allows bulk storage and retail sale of propane by special permit west of West Lake Avenue and south of U.S. Route 1 in the C-D zone.

According to a letter from J.J. Sullivan attorney Jeffrey T. Beatty to the PZC, the parcel located at 2772 Boston Post Road, according to engineer studies, is the most suitable for the bulk storage and retail sale of propane. The property is located in an area that is not densely populated and is approximately twice the distance from the center of town as the two approved bulk propane storage facilities on Soundview Road.

Beatty also noted that the west end of Boston Post Road has been an area that the town has sought to develop with commercially viable businesses for a number of years and the adjacent property at 2730 Boston Post Road already operates an onsite propane filling station.

Discussion about the property located at 2772 Boston Post Road and its possible use for bulk propane storage and its impact on wetlands in the area will be discussed in-depth at the Inlands Wetlands Commission's Wednesday, Feb. 12 meeting at

7:30 p.m. at the Guilford Community Center; members of the public are welcomed to attend.