Faceoff on plans for farm in Cornwall

CORNWALL — A public hearing on the appeal of a zoning permit has sparked so much interest in town that a Nov. 23 meeting had overflow crowds and ultimately had to be continued to Dec. 14.

The hearing concerns plans for an agricultural use on a property that has been in one family for generations. The family would like to begin producing a high-end gardening mulch called Sweet Peet.

The principals in Cream Hill Farm LLC, which is partnering with Watertown-based Sweet Peet of Connecticut LLC, are brothers Ralph and Charles Gold, their wives, Ann and Barbara, and a partner, Pat Graziano, described as having business expertise.

After the Golds were given a permit to produce Sweet Peet at Cream Hill Farm, some neighbors protested. The Golds then went door to door explaining that Sweet Peet production would not create a nuisance in the neighborhood, and that it would allow them to keep the land open and rural.

The public hearing on the appeal of the zoning permit was held Nov. 23. It started late because so many people came that the venue had to be changed from Town Hall to the Cornwall Consolidated School gym.

Some of about 100 attendees had gone directly to the school in anticipation.

Following the impromptu “parade,� the hearing got underway just before 8 p.m. It would be nearly three hours before it was over, at least for the moment.

It will continue Dec. 14, at 7:30 p.m. at the school, mainly for the purpose of allowing the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) to respond with questions about a large document distributed at the end of the hearing that describes the project in detail. Public comment, both written and oral, may also be submitted at that hearing.

The Golds appeared at the Nov. 23 hearing with their attorney, Peter Herbst, retained to help guide them through legal and procedural issues.

The project was expected to get underway earlier this year. Cream Hill Farm was a dairy farm for generations. The Golds now plan to use about three remote acres, a short distance off Cream Hill Road, as a composting site for wood shavings from horse stalls. The material will be trucked in from area horse farms, and trucked back out in bulk up to six months later.

Support from health agency

No more than 5,000 cubic yards of material, as regulated by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), will be piled up on the site at any one time. It will be turned using heavy equipment two or three times during that six-month period, and will be screened before it is removed. Between 2,500 and 2,900 cubic yards of Sweet Peet will be produced at the farm annually.

The Golds described the partnership as a way to keep the farm viable. They read aloud from a letter from Torrington Area Health District Executive Director James Rokos, who said he favors turning an environmentally hazardous material into a useful product at a regulated facility.

He wrote that he has received no complaints regarding another Sweet Peet facility that is already within the health district.

Questions about permit

The appeal is actually separate appeals filed by several Cream Hill Road residents. All were discussed at the hearing. Two specifically address the zoning permit signed by ZEO Karen Nelson.

The permit was issued based on a decision made by the Planning and Zoning Commission that the project is allowable in a residential zone as an agricultural use on an existing farm, with the condition of approval by the DEP.

The appeals were filed by Lois Reddington, and Peter and Kathleen O’Flinn, who hired legal counsel.

After ZBA members Ginny Potter and Fred Scoville recused themselves, Peter O’Flinn led off the proceedings with a detailed look at concerns that focus mainly on truck traffic. He described a treacherously narrow road with blind curves that is used by walkers and cyclists.

His presentation included posters of the types of trucks that might be used.

He also raised concerns about water quality and impacts off the site; whether the use is actually an accessory use of the farm, which makes it allowable in a residential zone; and the potential for fires on the site.

Ralph Gold later said there was no way the composting material would become hot enough to spontaneously combust.

Those who objected generally prefaced their remarks with expressions of respect for the Golds, and their obvious willingness to protect the land. It was noted along the way that the Gold family chose to sell development rights and put most of their acreage into conservation.

Many of those who spoke both for and against the project also spoke positively of their connections to the former dairy farm. Many said they had worked there as youngsters, or had family members who did. Others said they missed the familiar sound of the milk trucks running up and down the hill, a sound that spoke directly to the history and rural character of Cornwall.

There was also an objection to O’Flinn’s description of “tannic acid� as a by-product of the composting process. Supporters said it is actually tannen water.

About two dozen residents spoke or sent letters to be read in favor of the project. Many are longtime residents, and many live on Cream Hill Road.

The issue of “weekenders� versus full-time residents was brought up by a few. Others said it is not about that at all.

Making farming work

A comment from Jean Bouteiller was received to applause, and seemed to sum up the general feeling of supporters.

“There is a need for ways to make farming work in Cornwall,� she said, adding that there are currently many cement and dump trucks on Cream Hill Road. “Many helped with building the homes of those opposing the Sweet Peet project. It is a sad day when a group of 21 can push through their own agenda just because they have enough money.�

Others spoke to the traffic issue, such as Kathy West. She said she and her husband supervise their two children, who are under the age of 5. She said the bigger risk is the increased traffic and speeders in the summer and on weekends.

Cream Hill Road resident Lawrence Van Valkenburg said he spends about 90 percent of his time in Cornwall.His home is close to the road, which he described as “not merely a picture postcard road.�

“I hope we can create more agricultural enterprises to take the place of the dairy farm.�

He noted the whole time he was writing out his remarks, not a single truck went by. Ironically, a horse ridden on the road left a deposit that he said spoke to the issue.