By Nate Jones
Staff Writer
    The Scarborough Planning Board met Monday to review the progress of the Larrabee Farm wetland mitigation project, spearheaded by Grondin Aggregates. The project, which started in 2000, is subject to review by the board every third year, making this the third time Grondin Aggregates has presented its progress report.
Rich Jordan, a consultant for Grondin Aggregates, outlined a brief history of the project, which has so far been “greatly successful” working the Maine Department of Transportation’s Gorham bypass project and the more recent development of the Cabella’s retail store on the Haigis Parkway.
The 268-acre site between Route 114 and Beech Ridge Road was originally intended for residential development, Jordan said. However the site’s potential for wetlands creation was greater than originally thought, and has become a “multi-user commercial mitigation project,” allowing large developments in Scarborough to proceed with minimal overall impact on the environment, Jordan said.
Town Planner Dan Bacon said a wetland mitigation project is often a requirement of the Department of Environmental Protection as well as the Army Corps of Engineers.
“Whenever you fill in a certain square footage of wetlands, you have to mitigate those wetlands by creating new wetlands somewhere else,” Bacon said.
“The Nonesuch River is such a strong feature in the town. Obviously the town has conservation in mind,” Jordan said.
Jordan outlined several proposed amendments to their contract with the town, one of which addressed Grondin Aggregate’s current inability to process aggregate material including stone, rock and gravel on site. The amendment would allow on site processing, which Jordan said would shorten the duration of the project by 10 years.
Local residents expressed some concern about road damage that could be caused by trucks both leaving and entering the site with full loads, but Jordan said the amendment would also increase the impact fee for access roads.
“On site processing just makes sense,” said board member Charles Callahan.
The amendment also calls for the construction of a Quonset hut for the processed materials and a “Grondin Aggregates” sign to be erected, Jordan said.
Overshadowing these small changes to the contract was the acquisition of an additional abutting 53 acres of land currently owned by Maine Fish and Wildlife by Grondin Aggregates, which owner Ken Grondin said would increase the total acreage of the mitigation site to about 320 acres.
Scarborough resident Randy Tibo expressed concern about the amount of clear-cutting that would occur on the new parcel, which could increase the amount of noise generated by a gun range toward its southern end.
“Maybe an acre,” Jordan said. “It’s really in the spirit of conservation.”
Jordan said Grondin Aggregates would attempt to create several vernal pools on the parcel without much impact on the existing woodland.
“There will be an insignificant amount of trucking related to the new parcel,” Grondin said.
Other residents expressed concerns about the amount of blasting that Grondin Aggregates has conducted toward the western edge of the site, and some requested their properties be reassessed for damage caused by the blasting.
“Sometimes we hear the blasting, sometimes we don’t,” Sheri Edgecomb said, stating that the blasting reduced the quality of life for her and many other families at Cloverleaf Estates.
Dave Bergeron, a neighbor of the Edgecombs, said the blasting was “a major issue” and he had concerns about foundation cracks in addition to well damage.
In response, Grondin said blasting does not occur on cloudy days, when the sound is more likely to reverberate through the surrounding neighborhoods. He also offered to compile a “must call” list to notify owners two hours ahead of any blasting activities.
Grondin said it was his belief that all blasting would be completed in the next three years.     “There will be no ledge removal for the upcoming Haigis Parkway project,” he said.
The amendments to Grondin Aggregate’s contract will be presented at the town council’s Feb. 6 meeting.