Strafford Contemplates Prospect of 15,000 Trucks

Strafford Contemplates Prospect of 15,000 Trucks

Anticipating that as many as 15,000 (yes, that's fifteen THOUSAND) truckloads of gravel, sand, and topsoil may be needed to stabilize the Elizabeth Mine in South Strafford, residents are mobilizing to keep those trucks out of South Strafford village.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency, through its Superfund program, has committed $3-million to stabilize the huge 35-acre pile of mine "tailings" which some engineers fear could collapse. The EPA wants to get started this fall.

The three-phase project would replace a cement drainage pipe and divert some surface run-off. The biggest aspect of the plan, however, is to construct a "buttress" on the north side of the pile, requiring 600,000 cubic yards of material.

According to the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, bringing in this material could require 10,000 truck loads for the general fill, 3000 truck loads for sand, 300 truck loads for crushed stone, and 2000 truck loads for topsoil.

It is possible that most of the general fill can be excavated from locations near the site, so it would not have to be trucked in, but the sand and topsoil is not likely to be found nearby, documents indicate.

The Strafford Planning Board and the School Board have both expressed considerable alarm at the prospect of this many trucks running through the village, and the Selectboard will meet with the Thetford Selectboard on the matter on Monday, Sept. 8 at 8 p.m. at the Thetford Town Office.

The Planning Commission sent its recommendations to the Selectboard. If there is no progress on the recommendations, "the planning Commission recommends that a petition be initiated to the Director of the EPA requesting appropriate relief," according to the summary of an Aug. 18 meeting written by James Condict.

'Unacceptable' Risk

And a letter dated Aug. 29 from Tom Diamond, chair of the School Board, said that allowing the trucks on the Strafford roads would be "frankly, unacceptable.

"We see no way that assurances can be made that this will not greatly endanger our students who ride the bus, walk, use bicycles, etc. on these very same roads," he said.

The Selectboard has proposed, and Diamond supported, that trucks coming up Route 132 should be diverted over a temporary military-style bridge over the Ompompanoosuc River about two miles before they get to South Strafford. Then, they could use a discontinued road leading to the mine.

Unloaded trucks, instead of coming back the same way, could continue on over Gove Hill and back to Route 132, according to another idea proposed in a memo from Selectboard Chair Steve Willbanks.

Willbanks noted that the EPA so far is saying it has no funds for building the shortcut road to the mine.

The Selectboard's "official position" is that "any significant truck traffic associated with remedial or emergency work on the Elizabeth Mine should avoid South Strafford village entirely and have the least possible impact on Strafford's roads," Willbanks said.

The meeting of the two selectboards next Monday is, of course, open to the public.