Portland quarry plans expansion, neighbors concerned over explosives

Abutting property owners in the residential neighborhood say not so fast.

Neighbors on Isinglass Hill road in Portland have known for decades that the old 115-acre Hale Quarry has been used for years by construction companies and pyrotechnic companies to store explosives.

They're stored in thirteen by forty-foot-long trailers.

Ric Hosley Jr. and Connecticut Explosives license the land.

Neighbors are questioning how much is stored in the trailers.

"Each trailer can hold between 5 and 15 thousand pounds of this material," said Wayne Carini, a concerned property owner.

Carini lives next door to the site whose owner now wants to install 3 tall silos.

In their application submission, Connecticut Explosives explains that, "In this application, we were seeking approval to pour a concrete pad to support portable storage silos; 2 for fertilizer at 59' high (ammonium nitrate) and 1 for emulsion at 42' high."

"The silos are going to be about tower over those trees. They're proposed 60 feet tall, then add on 30 feet. You're talking 90 to 100 feet tall," said Carini.

The public hearing is taking place on Thursday night in the Portland Library.

Many neighbors want to find out what's going on.

"Well we have an interest in what's going on but we have no concrete objections because Richard has followed the licensing requirements through the ATF," said Michael Innes, a neighbor.

Channel 3 made attempts to contact Connecticut Explosives, but they've yet to return our call.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. and is open to the public.