MDI quarry seeks to reopen amid concerns
A 2.1-acre granite quarry in Mount Desert Island is seeking to reopen after the town set new rules that require existing quarries to operate under more stringent conditions and restrictions.
The Mount Desert Islander reported that the Mount Desert Island Planning Board is expected to consider a license for Freshwater Stone, the company that leases the quarry in the village of Hall Quarry, in light of the new regulations.
Voters in Mount Desert Island last year approved new regulations that prohibit new granite quarries and allow existing ones, as long as they can obtain a license that contains a number of conditions and restrictions, including proper setbacks from abutting property owners.
While two neighbors have reached agreements with Freshwater for setbacks, others argue that Freshwater's quarry does not qualify as an existing operation because it does not meet conditions under the town's zoning rules. Opponents say they are primarily concerned with noise from quarry operations.
Freshwater maintains that it does qualify under the town's zoning rules and said that it will use “the best practicable means of attenuating and reducing noise.”
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