After an outcry from neighbors complaining about teeth-rattling noise, work being done by hammering machines to break up rock ledge off Old Winter Street has been stopped while the property owners draw up a alternative plan for blasting. 

The work is being done on a three-lot, 8.5-acre parcel owned by Timothy and Madeleine Plaut to install an underground water main that will service a new hydrant, since the house is too far from the road. The Plauts, who currently live in Europe, got Planning Board approval in April to clear-cut and replant several acres of undeveloped land between Old Winter Street and Silver Hill Road.

Since work began, more than a dozen neighbors have complained to the town about the excessive noise from machinery that drills holes in the ledge and then hammers away the rock to create a trench for the water main. Jen Stephens of Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design acknowledged at an August 12 Planning Board meeting that “it’s going very slow” and could take several more weeks to complete.

“There has been a systemic lack of transparency and effective communication, severed utilities (both water and internet), and unannounced street closures,” said Jay Donnelly of 35 Old Winter St., reading from a statement signed by about 16 area property owners. The all-day hammering has “disrupted indoor activities and prevented outdoor activities,” he added.

Planning Board Chair Lynn DeLisi was even more critical, citing harm to “the mental health of your neighbors. You’ve already ruined their summers. There has to be another way to do this.”

The meeting was held to consider a request from the owners to modify the approved plan to allow blasting instead of drilling and hammering. Permission and supervision from the Fire Department would also be required. Matt Shaughnessy of Maine Drilling and Blasting gave a detailed presentation on how blasting is done, the planning and precautions that are taken, and measures to minimize sound and vibration that could potentially damage nearby properties. State law specifies limits on changes in air pressure due to blasting, which sounds like “distant thunder,” he said.

Stephens and the Plauts’ attorney maintained that they were within their rights to remove the rock in whatever way they deemed best. Running the driveway and water main from Silver Hill Road was not an option since the Conservation Commission will not allow a pipe or driveway over the intervening wetlands.

“We have a lot of factors we’re trying to mitigate,” Stephens said. “We’re trying to save some trees [and] trying not to impact the topography with huge amounts of fill. I don’t think there is a miracle solution that is going to eliminate the need for either continued hammering or a much more efficient method of rock removal.”

Young said that in general, blasting can potentially cause “cosmetic damage to the weakest construction material” such as horsehair plaster in nearby houses, though Shaughnessy said the vibration levels would be well under state limits and pose less of a threat to foundations than seasonal temperature changes and high winds. Neighbors also worried about the possibility of radon gas release and cracked foundations, since the ledge under the Plaut property may extend under houses.

“There are a lot of unknowns [about potential damage] that make me very nervous,” said Justin Hopson, whose home at 38 Old Winter St. abutting the Plaut property dates from 1886.

One possibility is placing the hydrant farther from the house, reducing the requirement for 20 feet of trench, about half of which is complete. Stephens said they were “very open to exploring the feasibility of [having] the hydrant at the current limit of excavation” and they would confer with Fire Chief Brian Young to see if that was a workable solution. 

The board acknowledged that they didn’t have the authority to order the Plauts to stop work but asked them to do so in good faith while planning continues in preparation for the next board meeting on September 9.

“You’re hanging out a giant ‘Trust me’ card,” Donnelly said. “It’s been a very long four weeks.”

15 Sunnyside Lane — Linda Laughland Trust to Sara Abbott Bellin and Adam Rieth for $1,200,000 (June 26)

15 Juniper Ridge Road — Peter W. Wyatt to Julian Kwan and Rebekah Larsen for $1,025,000 (June 23)

236 Aspen Circle — Stephen K. Geiger to Jerry J. Ding and Jessica Donahue for $930,000 (June 23)

82 Virginia Road #B405 — Madeline H. Chen Trust to Diane McElligot for $430,000 (June 18)

9 Silver Birch Lane — Peter V. Marsden to Forrest Gittleson and Melissa Fitzmaurice for $1,475,000 (June 18)

46 Bedford Road — Robert P. Hopkins to Stephen Hawley Trust and Nin You Trust for $1,260,000 (June 16)

7 Lincoln Road — Thomas W. Darling to Austin Smith and Alexandra Milne for $2,525,000 (June 9)

49 Stonehedge — Annie Knowlton Trust to Timothy and Jessica Donahue for $1,850,000 (June 6)