SEYMOUR, Connecticut — It’s a story you’ll only see on FOX61. A small-town controversy that’s quite literally set in stone. Residents in Seymour say a resurgence of controlled explosions at a nearby rock quarry is damaging their properties.
At the center of it, all is the Haynes Group quarry in Seymour. It’s one of five quarries Haynes owns across the state. They’ve been family owned and operated for 50 years and they source and sell aggregate rock. But it’s how they get it out of the ground that’s causing concern for some.
Residents in Seymour call this the summer of blasting. They told FOX61 there have been about half a dozen blasts at the quarry over the past several months.
“When these blasts hit they shake the house. It feels like an earthquake,” remarked Seymour resident Lisa Sodaro.
Seymour resident's home damage
Even living on the opposite side of the rock ledge, Sodaro claims detonations by the Haynes Group at their nearby quarry are impacting quality of life and she worries they are damaging the structural integrity of her home.
“I don’t think the blasting should be done here. I think it should be done away from people. Off the mountain. I’m concerned because I have a well and I have a septic tank.”
Lisa posted her concerns on the Seymour community social page. The topic garnered 146 replies, including residents who sent FOX61 pictures and videos showing cracks in their ceilings, walls, floors and foundations.
Tim Willis is the town fire marshall. He showed FOX61 the seismograph monitoring that is conducted. It measures the intensity of the blasts through both the air and the ground and the readings are strictly monitored by the town.
“They have been well, well below the 50 percentile. They’ve been approximately 20-30% of what they are allowed,” said Willis. “Can you have damage under that, I’m sure you can. I’m not a structural engineer. That’s not my forte but I am the one who monitors the results."
FOX61 took resident concerns to the Haynes Group. They responded, saying they follow all regulations and that blasting is done, “...safely for customers, employees, and the community. We investigate and follow up on any questions or issues that are reported to us.”
In addition to owning quarries, Hayes also owns several real estate developments and they are a pretty big tax contributor to Seymour. Residents tell FOX61 that makes them worry that town officials are only looking out for dollar signs and not for the well-being of residents.
Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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