Pollution and blasts that shook homes. Those were some of the concerns raised Thursday night about a construction company in Plainville.
“I’ve never had a blast shake my house until May 20th,” said Sandy Dellafera, of Plainville.
Neighbors in Plainville want answers about the operations at the quarry of Tilcon Connecticut. Their concerns included worries about possible water contamination and rock blasting, including one that shook the town back in May.
One geologist brought in by the town showed data where he believed Tilcon’s scheduled blast coincided with a small earthquake at that time.
“It was 21 seconds long. There were people, three four, five miles away that felt that event. That is not typical of blasting,” said Douglas Rudenko Sr., of Vibratech Inc.
The shaking was so intense the U.S. Geological Survey initially reported the tremor as a magnitude 2.0 earthquake, but then changed those findings after learning about the blasting.
Another concern of homeowners is what’s ending up in the air and water, which local health leaders say they have spoken with Tilcon about.
“It was much more reassuring as far as the testing and the measures that are being done internally at the site,” Susan Lonczak, with the South Central Health District, said.
But many neighbors that showed up say it will take more to reassure them about the quarry operations, wanting more transparency.
“This community demands a truly independent review, and they are out there,” Georgia Badell said.
Some people felt they got the answers they needed at the special town meeting.
“I think they’re being forthcoming. They’re having conversations. The public health officer has sat with them. You know what? Enough of the witch hunt,” Mary Couture said.
The president of Tilcon Connecticut said the company wants to work with the community and is listening to neighbors.
“Your feedback matters deeply to us and we are committing to maintain open, honest communication with our neighbors as we move forward together,” Tilcon Connecticut president Carolina Borges Cavalcante said.
But many continued to press for changes.
“We have to be more concerned about preserving in what we have here and not collecting the almighty tax dollar from them,” Dellafera said.
Town leaders say this meeting was meant to share information and listen to people’s concerns. Tilcon says they’ll have an informational open house in September for the community.