Nicole Solfanelli moved back to Factoryville six and a half years ago. She remembers it being a quiet neighborhood. Now, she says a nearby quarry "is ruining" her family’s life.
The Mazzone Falls Quarry is separated by 400 feet from 60 homes on Bunker Hill Road and Concord Avenue in Clinton Township, Wyoming County, according to Richard Dickson, a former member of the Clinton Twp. Planning Commission. The quarry is on two acres of a 110-acre property at 109 Bunker Hill Road.
Residents say the owner, Frank Mazzone, runs jackhammers and other machinery from 7 a.m to 7 p.m. nearly every day. They protested his application for a mineral extraction permit at a conditional use hearing on Sept. 23. The permit will allow blasting at the site.
At meeting, residents were allowed to make arguments as to why the township should deny Mazzone’s permit application. Mazzone made his case to the township for the permit at a prior permit hearing on Aug. 28, according to his lawyer, Edwin Abrahamsen Jr. from ACA Law.
Mazzone and his lawyer were present at the meeting, but declined to be interviewed.
Solfanelli, a Factoryville native, said her grandmother owned a home on Bunker Hill, and she was excited to buy a house there herself. But when the quarry expanded its operations in February, it changed her life for the worse. She works remotely from home as a physical therapist and the noise makes her job nearly impossible, she told supervisors.
“When all you’re hearing is this pounding constantly, all day long, it makes it really hard to focus,” said Solfanelli.
She said she is unable to teach classes from home, which is part of her job. The sound has gotten worse over the summer, and it’s affected her kids, she said.
“It’s been anxiety inducing, honestly. You feel like you want to crawl out of your skin when it’s been hours at a time, and this pounding doesn’t stop,” said Solfanelli. “My kids won’t go outside to play when they’re home.”
Other parents added they believe the quarry caused their children emotional and health problems. Devin Litwin, a father to three young children, said he cannot get his six-month old daughter to nap during the day because of the noise. He struggles to calm his daughter down while managing two young boys.
“If anyone has little boys, they probably know how they act. So, just trying to maintain a newborn and take care of the boys while you basically have to hold one to keep them calm because of the noise – I mean, that’s unacceptable…it’s almost torture,” said Litwin.
He said the noise strains the whole household.
Rachel Tunis, a Concord Ave. resident and licensed counselor, argued continuous exposure to loud noises can increase anxiety and worsen health issues. She worries for the wellbeing of residents with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and noise sensitivities. In her practice, she has worked with clients, often veterans, who move to rural areas from cities to escape loud noises.
“If we had a vet in our development that had combat PTSD, they would be unable to function,” said Tunis. “They would be requiring intense therapy, intense medication therapy because that type of noise is louder than fireworks, and that can cause meltdowns. It can cause nightmare disorders. It can cause worsening nightmare disorders due to that condition, post-traumatic stress disorder.”
Her own anxiety worsened because of the jackhammer noise, she said. And she cited her own experience with migraines, which she believes are now more frequent because of the noise.
“I had been migraine-free for almost two years,” she said.
Attorney Elizabeth Bennett is also concerned about possible health issues from the quarry, especially if it is allowed to conduct blasting operations. She acted as residents’ council during the hearing.
Bennett criticized the board for waiving Mazzone’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which township code requires for submitted mineral extraction permit applications. EIS statements hold developers accountable by documenting plans for environmental damage mitigation.
According to the township’s ordinances, parts of EIS documents can be waived, but not the whole document. She’s especially concerned that the developer did not do an EIS evaluation for air quality.
“Having a quarry within three-four hundred feet of my home and all the homes that are here is going to affect air quality,” said Bennett.
She’s worried about her and her neighbors’ children. Her daughter has asthma, and she feels parents have a right to know whether their children will be exposed to dust from blasting.
“Everyone in this room has a right to know how our breathing is going to be affected,” said Bennett.
The Board of Supervisors declined an interview.
Clinton Township’s supervisors voted to continue the hearing to a third meeting on Nov. 6 at 5 p.m. at the municipal office after residents asked for extra time to retain expert sources on noise pollution.
