Ledyard ― Gales Ferry residents are gearing up for another battle next month over a controversial proposed quarry operation at Mount Decatur.

Gales Ferry Intermodal’s third submission of its quarry proposal, which addresses some of the concerns residents expressed in a series of public hearings last winter that brought out as many as 200 people each time will be heard Sept 12 at 6 p.m. at Ledyard Middle School.

The new proposal offers some financial incentives to the town, 25 cents per cubic yard of material extracted from the site as “payment in lieu of taxes.” The plan didn’t estimate how much money the town would likely accrue from the operation, or over what time period.

Opponents of the resubmitted project, including members of the community group Citizens Alliance for Land Use, have argued that any monetary offer from Gales Ferry Intermodal is irrelevant when it comes to considering the quarry’s compliance with regulations. Other issues they say are left unaddressed include the loss of property value and the impact of stormwater runoff.

Backers say the quarry is necessary to supply the needs of the offshore wind industry, among others operations that require gravel.

During previous public hearings, only one member of the public, from out of town, spoke in favor of the quarry application. Opponents cited health dangers caused by silica dust, truck traffic, noise pollution from traffic and blasting, possible contamination of wells and the destruction of large portions of Mount Decatur, which contains the remnants of a War of 1812 fort.

Gales Ferry Intermodal would attempt to deal with silica dust by treating small particulates released by the operation with water, mitigating its ability to get into the air. But residents have argued the system isn’t foolproof and the dust, a known carcinogen, would still hurt affect the health of residents. Schools, a church and a day care center are among the facilities nearby.

“It is impossible to totally control silica contamination,” said Robin Hood Drive resident Markos W. Samos, who identified himself as a cancer researcher in a note to the commission. “Gales Ferry is a densely populated area, and the health impact will be catastrophic.”

One issue the commission will have to address is whether the application for a special use permit at the former Dow Chemical plant off Route 12 needs to fit in with the character of the immediate neighborhood.

Quarry proponents say this part of the town’s regulations is superseded by a new state law that essentially nullifies such language unless “clear and explicit physical standards for site work and structures” are specified.

New planner overseeing project for the town

The town has a new planning director overseeing the project, former Montville Town Planner Elizabeth Burdick.

Ledyard’s former planning director of planning, Juliet Hodge, was fired April 25 by Mayor Fred B. Allyn, according to a letter obtained by The Day.

Allyn did not return a call about why Hodge was fired. There was no reason for her firing listed in her termination letter, and Hodge could not be reached to comment.

This spring, Hodge had questioned whether quarrying is a permitted use for the site or if there is a possible wetlands issue with the project.

Burdick said that as the commission’s staff person, she felt it would be improper to make any public comments on the new application when a public hearing has been scheduled.

But an Aug. 6 memo from Burdick stated that certified soil scientist Robert C. Russo of CLA Engineers Inc. in Norwich had indicated in an Aug. 3 letter that he saw no “material difference” in the new plan and therefore no reason for another review by the Inland Wetlands panel. Burdick agreed with Russo’s assessment.

Gales Ferry resident Anne Roberts-Pierson, a steadfast opponent of the project, called the operation “an existential threat to the community” in a July 31 letter to the Planning and Zoning Commission. She also complained that “this quarry application keeps getting bigger and bigger, and changes keep being made,” and she believed the new application required further review by the wetlands commission.

Lynn Wilkinson of Terry Road was among several residents expressing concern about the proposal on the town website before next month’s hearing.

“As I live within a mile of the site, I believe my family's health would be at risk due to air and noise pollution,” Wilkinson said in a letter. “As someone who uses the Thames River for recreation, I believe there would be adverse impact on the ecology. Several once-endangered bird species seem to be thriving, and I frequently see people fishing and swimming in the coves. I feel that a multi-year quarrying operation would be detrimental to the environment, and therefore to our quality of life.”

Roberts-Pierson said the argument about neighborhood character is essential. In an email Friday, she cited the quarry, along with the proposed 320-unit housing application on Military Highway, “the size and scale of which have never been seen in our town,” as radically changing the area’s way of life.

“We have a wonderful sense of place here in Ledyard, here in Gales Ferry,” she added. ”We are not only looking out for ourselves, our town, but for future residents.“

l.howard@theday.com