WESTBROOK – Officials from Artel Inc. and Pike Industries sat down without their lawyers Thursday to talk about what Pike can do to limit the effects of its Spring Street quarry operations on Artel’s business.

The hourlong meeting at Artel’s office in the Five Star Industrial Park included the regional manager and environmental manager from Pike and Artel’s president, senior scientific manager and facilities manager.

Artel presented Pike with a document the company submitted to Pike’s attorney in September, a day before a consent agreement regarding the quarry was approved by the Westbrook City Council.

George Rodrigues, Artel’s senior scientific manager, said Pike’s attorney told Artel at the time that Pike would address the requests included in the document at a later meeting.

That’s what happened Thursday.

The officials focused on vibration limits set by the company that manufactures Artel’s equipment for measuring precise amounts of liquid. The units of measurement, however, are not the same as the ones Pike uses to measure the vibrations caused by its blasts.

The Pike officials agreed to translate the measurements.

The effects of Pike’s blasts, including noise and vibration, are currently regulated by the consent agreement approved by the council in September and, a month later, by a Cumberland County Superior Court judge.

Artel and Smiling Hill Farm, another nearby business, are challenging the legality of the consent agreement, which was negotiated by the city, Pike and Idexx Laboratories, the first nearby business to publicly oppose Pike’s quarrying plans for Spring Street.

Artel has said that the company will relocate if it loses the appeal.

“All we’re talking about is trying to limit the harm over the next year or so,” Rodrigues said about Artel’s goal for the Thursday meeting.

Artel said it’s had to shut down its operations for at least a few hours during the past 10 weekdays as Pike blasted for the purpose of constructing an access road to the quarry. Jonathan Olson, Pike’s regional manager, said the final construction blast was conducted Thursday morning.

Going forward, Pike will be allowed eight blasts per year to remove rock from its quarry.

Olson questioned how those blasts would have a greater effect than a weeklong construction, sewer or paving project near Artel.

The difference is, Rodrigues said, “we know it’s going to end.”

Staff Writer Leslie Bridgers can be contacted at 791-6364 or at:

lbridgers@mainetoday.com

 

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