Opinion: Dedham Striar Project Noisy, Affecting Air Quality

In a letter to the editor, Bob LoPorto, a Dedham Town Meeting member from District 5, voices his objections to the ongoing construction activity at the Striar property:

Ongoing construction and public works activity at the Striar Property/ Manor Woods has been something neighbors have dealt with for years. When the construction started it was just the DPW work and fill from Avery school being stored here. In the past several years, months and weeks, this work has extended far beyond the original one acre parcel that was designated for this use and now extends almost 4 acres and is getting closer and closer to bordering residential property.

I have learned that this Striar Property is under the jurisdiction of the Parks & Recreation Department and they have begun leasing out additional parts of the land to multiple contractors with no permits from the Zoning Board or input from the Conservation Commission and ZERO communication to the neighbors.

They have allowed the contractors to truck in numerous loads of road waste per day to be ground up onsite, increasing traffic and noise to an already congested area. This work has been commencing as early as 6am and continues all day long. Have you ever heard rocks being ground up? It is deafening, our houses are shaking and the dust and particles in the air can make it hard to breathe. We are told this unauthorized work is set to continue until 2021, severely affecting our day to day lives with noise, air pollution and other possible toxic exposure that has not been determined or studied.

The neighborhood did not receive notification from the town about this work. We were not provided a community forum to address our concerns or even learn about the scope of the project. The Parks and Recreation Commission has effectively turned our neighborhood into an 5 day a week 10 hours a day construction zone on their own, for their profit. This reckless and egregious misuse of town land and disregard for the neighbors is unacceptable. We are also concerned about the destruction of these woods, wetlands and wildlife and environmental impact to our families.
This property was purchased by the town for future recreation, not to become a for-profit construction zone.

We recently requested to have an open forum for neighbors and abutters to speak but were only granted a few minutes at this Tuesday, May 14th Parks & Recreation meeting. Dedham has long prided itself as a town that supports its neighbors. The people of Paul Park, The Manor and Precinct 5 are now asking for your support.

Please attend the meeting at 7 p.m. on May 14, contact your elected officials and tell your neighbors.