Nott Street Blasting

[oldetowne]

This was an editorial in today's Courant - I think I get it but I am not 100% sure what they are trying to say:

"WETHERSFIELD -- Neighbors fear that blasting to remove a hazardous knoll as part of the Nott Street reconstruction in Wethersfield will cause property damage to nearby homes. But, if used properly, explosives should do no more than smooth the knoll.

Yet concern that explosives might harm nearby homes, based on a previous bad experience with road blasting, led the town council to change the plan and to procrastinate on the project until it can agree on the best of the more expensive alternatives.

What makes the decision all the more inappropriate is that residents passed up a chance to address the blasting issue at hearings held before the state Department of Transportation approved funding for the project in 1999.

As a result, the town would have to pay for any substitute to blasting. If payment is drawn from the current year's budget, it may require a referendum. Leaving the Nott Street knoll alone is not an option because it is a safety liability and the partly repaired road is already a mess.

Blasting the knoll, according to Town Manager Bonnie Therrien, would cost the state $45,000. Using machines to pound the knoll, a noisy process known as hoe ramming, would cost the town about $150,000, depending on how long it takes. The price jumps to about $800,000 if hoe ramming is combined with chemicals.

The appeasers on the council have stalled the Nott Street work to the point of sabotaging it. Some council members suggested taking a new look at blasting, which makes sense.

Wethersfield must act quickly because it faces the possibility of paying more money if the roadwork drags beyond its scheduled completion date in October.

Some council members expressed an unlikely hope that state and federal representatives could find money to absorb the cost of alternatives to blasting. What they should do is see to it that the job is correctly done."

[Simpleton]

I think I understand what their editorial is saying.

They state their opinion: that the town should go ahead with the blasting, since it was previously agreed-to, and there would be significant costs associated with backing out of that agreement. They believe fears of damage to homes from the blasting are unfounded. They go on to call certain Council members "appeasers." The editorial concludes by saying that the Town Council's role in this should be to ensure that the blasting is done correctly.

I don't often agree with the Courant's editorials, but in this case I think they got it right. The part about "appeasers" was clearly derisive, but was justified in this case, I think.

[MrsB]

As someone who lives right on the edge of the projected blast zone let me tell you what I think. I think the town should do what they told the DOT they would do in 1999. But I think that it should be done with the utmost care and in a fiscally responsible way.

The issue I have is that the company contracted to do this blasting, BLASTEC, has been banned from preforming similar type projects in Rocky Hill. They apparently used so much blasting stuff that they damaged many foundations outside the 300yd mark. Ask The former mayor, Kitch, she sued them for damage to her home and last I checked she didn't live in rocky hill. Also uncomfortable with the fact that the fire marshal was looked over, and the permit was given by someone at the state level. There was a meeting and the Fire Marshal (I believe) said he was uncomfortable with the blasting.

So with out Mayor Morin being able to vote (works for DOT) and Kitch being able to vote (sued them) it works out to those who listen to the MASSES of folks coming out of the wood work to say no to blasting.


I was at the first meeting and spoke with the Mayor and sent in a letter. I said no BLASTEC if possible and when the chemicals came up MrB spoke with The mayor and said no to that. Chemicals in our ground water, if it breaks up rock I don't want it in my run off!! I also don't want to hear a hoe Ram pound ledge rock all summer. I say blast it and give us a reputable firm to do it. If our basements flood, hopefully we will have some legal course of action to take with a better blasting firm. I don't think the town should be spending more money on the hype coming from the no blast folks.

Just another example of how people only get worked up about what happens with in 299 yards of their house! Why can't these people get worked up and organized and go get the money we deserve from all those state and federal mandates!! jeez!

[1]

I was watching the council meeting on TV the other night and they agreed to go forward with blasting but they wanted a new company to blast. So it looks like BLASTEC is out.

[oldetowne]

I think it was the right decision but it's sort of amusing to look back at the meeting a month ago where some of them went through the tear-jerking "your home is your castle" speeches when they said no to blasting. Maybe a motion to rescind all prior votes should be on the agenda at every meeting. John Kerry would be proud.

[TheFreshman]

So, Nott St blasting has gone off without a hitch...Wonder why we aren't hearing from the new "Neighbors" group about the lack of damage they were claiming would happen from the "bombing" of the neighborhood...Now they're going after MDC on the Ridge Rd/Wolcott Hill sewer project... Good luck to you MDC!!!

[Dr.Ken Sokolowski]

From Therrien's Weekly Management Report: 8/6/2004:
"The Nott Street blasting ended on Tuesday, August 3, 2004 at noon. There were 369 holes drilled and blasted during the 23 days of blasting, the depth of each hole ranged from 8 feet to 13 feet (in solid rock). "

I hope that you are right that all of this went off without a hitch. Time will tell.

Were any of the homes shaken off their foundations? No. Were windows broken? No. Maybe no ill effect of this trying episode (for the neighborhood involved) will develop. Were micro-cracks in the foundations and basement floors formed or enlarged (perhaps behind finished walls)? We don't know - yet. In successive years, will radon levels in these home become progressively higher; don't know; but, it would be worth annual testing. If it were YOUR home wouldn't you be a little bit concerned about its health and the health of its occupants (you and your family)?

I'd cut the neighbors a little slack if I were you. Who knows when the Town, State or Feds might decide to do something unsavory in your neighborhood next: Vorsicht!

[TheFreshman]

Ken- All good points however, we all must live with little carsonigens (sp?) around us all the time. Most of us in town have cracks all around the house and from time to time, the town has to do projects that may hurt a few for the greater good (an ancient argument that goes back to Plato) but perhaps that's fodder for another thread! Anyway, I agree that we must feel compassion for these neighbors. In time, I'm sure that this will turn out to be a tempest in a teapot. Old fashion politics happened here and a bunch of people were needlessly stirred up as a result...

[oldetowne]

Plato notwithstanding, there is a general expectation that public good at private expense requires the expense to be minimal or the party who is harmed is compensated. Blasting is not an exact science, otherwise there would be no need for preblast surveys and insurance. The stuff further down Ridge Road for the MDC may be just as controversial. Finally, as many of the Council members said so eloquently during the meeting before the one at which they completely changed their position, this kind of thing affects people's homes and their peace of mind. I wouldn't be too smug or too cavalier if I were called upon to make that kind of decision.

[mocmoc]

I don't live in the Nott Street area so it doesn't really affect me but it sounds like to me our elected officials have been a little too insensitive to the local residents. Were other alternatives to blasting explored? I know if I lived on Nott Street I wouldn't be to happy right now.

[GoldShield]

Wow ,

I don't know if you sound more like a rich, military-worldtrader, Republican, or a current member of the I-want-it-now, gen:me!, quasi-Democratic Town Council: arrogance galore again.

I would like you to stand up in the Town Hall Chambers before the Council or the BOE (yeah, the BOE!, televised to hundreds of soccer moms and ballgame dads) and recommend the same 'what's a little cancer* risk in your kids line with regard to lead, mercury or asbestos that may be in Town/School buildings. What are the chances your political career would come to a screeching halt?

The greater good? Sounds good on paper, but it all depends on who is defining and determining the group who will benefit and the group who will be hurt. Does the majority (the greater/more powerful) have the right to impose on the minority (the few/less powerful)? I feel that this only works if the minority (the few/less powerful) voluntarily assumes the risk/harm for the benefit of the majority!

*carcinogen - an agent which causes cancer ( Greek: karkinos + gignesthai = give birth to cancer )

[Blastaway]

Geez people...Try to be more serious... I think that Freshman was just saying that people got all stirred up over nothing. Y'all don't need to be quoting philosophers or accusing our civil leaders of all kinds of nonsence... From what I see of these threads in this site, we got some folks who are serious about sounding like Rocco and his pals like what's his name on the radio - oh ya, Mr Oxicotyn! Anyway, just chill out and stop all that fuss on blasting. Blasting is as safe today as walking down the street (of course that depends on which street and I don't mean in Bagdad!)

[PattyOFurniture]

Blastaway; your right. I don't know what is worse, the blasting or trying to read Goldshields posts.

The blasting is done, had they chose to "hammer" the rock they would be there all summer and into fall with constant noise.

Be glad the council pushed for the blasting.

[GoldShield]

Wow ,
"...all stirred up over nothing.."?

Blast-it-all; man, you need to get your head out of the fog (?bong smoke) it's in. (And I don't believe for a second that you are either black or female, as suggested by your avatar and "gender" symbol.)

Like Patty-O-Cake, who followed you here, you seem to be inexperienced, short-sighted and ill-informed about the the principles which support our republic - principles which are being attacked locally and nationally - from within, not from without.

You are just another out-of-the-woodwork, nouveau minion who will serve the dominant forces of the Right or the Left (or whoever is the current powerbroker).

"Blasting is as safe today as walking down the street..." Yeah, right? Maybe as safe as walking down Heritage Way in daylight in the middle of the week- all alone.

It's time you grew up! In the meantime, go play somewhere else.

[GoldShield]

Patty-O-Cakes ,
"I don't know what is worse..." Yeah, that about sums it all up for you too. Everything I said to Blast-it-all above applies to you too, newbie.

"Be glad the council pushed..."? More like they flopped and then flipped. But, there is nothing wrong with reconsidering a position which becomes untenable, frosh.

If you have trouble with the American-English language, then it's time to go back to school, fledgling (either with or without the "e" - I chose the latter).

In the meantime, "get serious" and study.