Hooksett neighbors voice concerns over proposed bus storage area
A controversial diesel school bus storage area will take center stage at the next Hooksett Planning Board meeting
HOOKSETT, N.H. – A controversial diesel school bus storage area will take center stage at the next Hooksett Planning Board meeting.
The site, proposed on a commercially zoned property near the intersection of Thames Road and Hooksett Road by an organization called Ridgeback Self Storage LLC, has drawn criticism from nearby residents.
Initial construction of the site began over the summer but was halted after it was determined that there were concerns that the site’s use may violate an easement attached to the property.
Speaking at the June 19 meeting, Dubay Group engineer Doug McGuire speaking on behalf of Ridgeback said concerns of abutters were considered after they were raised at the June 5 meeting. Specifically, a sound attenuating fence and trees where placed along the property line and a slight adjustment was made in the placement of the buses. He told the board that such accommodations would not potentially be made for other uses of the site, such as a day care center.
“I think this is a good place for this,” he said.
McGuire also said that buses at the site will exceed EPA standards and back up alarms would not be used during early morning hours.
Jolene Archambeault is a resident of Gary Avenue, which directly abuts the proposed site. Archambeault does not believe claims from spokesmen of the developer, fearing that the approximately 30 school buses that will be entering, leaving and idling on the site beginning very early in the morning not only would violate the town’s noise ordinances but also could have impacts on environmental safety, residential quality of life and nearby property values.
She also believes that the buses would be too close to nearby homes and that sound attenuation efforts have been insufficient after trees originally on site were cleared.
“I can’t understand how the Planning Board would allow this,” she said. “It’s definitely going to impact us for the rest of our lives (if allowed).”
The next scheduled hearing for the proposal is on July 17 at 6 p.m. at Town Hall.