TCE was retained in 2002 by Pike Industries, Inc. to assist in the development of a new stone quarry off Route 14 in Williamstown, Vermont. The 90 acre sloping site was a mix of open fields and wooded areas and was bordered by a stream. The plans called for a new 30 acre, multi-celled, stone quarry, a 1700’ long, 17% grade, access road, and various other on-site operations. The project was designed to minimize impacts on the environment and meet the strict criterion of Vermont’s Act 250 Land Use Development Law. Working carefully with Pike, TCE developed design plans for the entire project. The design included an innovative stormwater recycling system that could be used to recapture process water from the washing operations, treat it, and reuse the water. A series of treatment ponds, pumps and reservoirs were used to accomplish this as well as provide for on-site dust suppression.
The project was contested by concerned neighbors, and TCE worked diligently with Pike, and a team of consultants, to secure the necessary permits and approvals which took over 3 years to obtain. The project design includes a number of mitigation measures to limit impact to the neighbors including careful site layout, progressive reclamation and phasing, and an extensive landscaping plan to minimize noise and visual impacts. TCE provided surveying, engineering, permitting, and expert testimony. TCE also provided the traffic impact analysis and designed off-site improvements at the intersection of VT 63 and VT 14 to accommodate increased truck traffic. The project has been successfully operating since 2005 providing quality aggregate products for construction and asphalt production for Central Vermont. In 2010, TCE assisted Pike Industries with design and permitting a new scale house which was added in lands formerly used as a Town of Barre gravel pit adjacent to Route 14.
The project is a good example of how even large industrial projects, which are a necessary component of the Vermont economy, can be designed in such a way to minimize impacts on the landscape and the environment, consistent with the strict requirements of the Act 250.