Public hearing reopened on Hooksett school bus site proposal
Once again, Hooksett’s town hall was packed with abutters of a proposed school bus depot, but this time they got another chance to talk.
HOOKSETT, N.H. – Once again, Hooksett’s town hall was packed with abutters of a proposed school bus depot, but this time they got another chance to talk.
On Monday night, the Hooksett Planning Board reopened the public hearing for the proposed facility at 1461 Hooksett Rd., after the board requested additional information in July before deciding on approval for an amended site plan for 1461 Hooksett Rd. applicant Ridgeback Self Storage LLC. As part of that request, Hooksett Town Administrator Andre Garron was ordered to produce a request for proposals (RFP) that would study noise and environmental impacts that the depot would produce.
Dubay Group Engineer Doug McGuire, speaking on behalf of Ridgeback at the hearing, expressed concern that the wording of the RFP would not consider information already provided to the board about the proposal from Ridgeback. McGuire also expressed concern that the RFP would not consider that the proposed depot is within the town’s performance zone, which has specific noise criteria.
“I want to make sure because they don’t need to guess and they don’t need to make assumptions if they have the data,” said McGuire.
Planning Board Chair Michael Somers indicated that the board is seeking as much information as possible at this point and Planning Board Member Paul Scarpetti said that the buses proposed to be used by Ridgeback may not always be the buses that will be used on the site, requiring a wider scope for the RFP. Garron also indicated that it was implicit within the RFP that information would likely be considered by the preferred bid up to this point, which was made by HMMH of Burlington, Mass. According to Garron, HMMH indicated they could perform the study for $56,384 and complete it within three weeks.
Attorney Bob Best, representing the Granite Hills Condominium development just north of the proposed depot told the board to question the assertions of Ridgeback, noting a pledge that buses at the proposed facility would be fueled offsite when a company mentioned in an agreement with the Hooksett School District specializes in fueling buses on-site.
“(You need to ask yourself) can I rely on the information they’re telling me when there’s been some things along the way where it’s been difficult to rely on some of the things they said,” said Best.
Later in the meeting, abutters indicated that they had reached out to the specified company that confirmed they expected to fuel buses on site. McGuire responded he did not misrepresent any facts, with people from the meeting’s audience yelling out calling him a liar without rebuke from Somers.
Best, who also is the chair of the Planning Board in Merrimack, said that he has never seen such consistent opposition from neighbors to a project over the series of months that this process has taken so far.
“Your review has to show that (this) won’t have a negative impact on abutting properties,” said Best. “(These people) live there and they are absolutely certain that this will have a negative impact on their property.”
With the public hearing reopened, a series of abutters provided a variety of other concerns, such as the traffic impact to Granite Hills residents, light pollution on nearby properties, noise concerns and concerns of fumes from idling buses impacting elderly and ill residents on Gary Avenue that have homes only 25 feet away from where the buses would be located.
“Would you want or even allow your parent or elderly family member to live subject to some of the conditions the bus would create?” said Cythnia Wright of 58 Gary Ave., Chair of the Granite Brook Mobile Home Park. “I urge you to please say no to the buses.”
The public hearing was continued to the board’s next scheduled meeting on Sept. 18, where Garron will finalize the winning bid of the RFP, given that there were concerns over the intent of the RFP that may require additional consultation with HMMH and the two other RFP applicants.
Garron indicated that the study would likely take three to four weeks after that point.
