Town officials say the residents of Prospect have a long list of questions about plans to build a granite quarry and processing site in the area.
Bowden Point Properties has submitted applications with the state to build a processing site and a pier along the Penobscot River.
Prospect Town Planning Board Chairman Kathleen Jenkins said the town doesn't have many details just yet about the project, but people in town are concerned.
“They're worried about noise. They're worried about air quality and granite dust. They're worried about their wells and foundations,” she said. “People are concerned about the disruption of a nature habitat in an agricultural residential area. They’re concerned about their water supplies. Concerns about property values have come up.”
Bowden Point is an affiliate of Virginia-based Salmons, Inc. In the plans submitted to the state, the company says the facility will include an 80,000- square-foot building, parking areas, an access road and about 50 acres of storage and processing land.
Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection is expected to decide later this week whether the company's applications are complete. If the state does deem those applications complete, the public will have 20 days to request an open hearing with the DEP. The public would also have a chance to submit comments for the record.
Jenkins said the town is still learning about the scope of the project.
“[The company] did say that this is a project that goes on for generations,” she said. “I have concerns about that, the long term impact of such a major manufacturing industrial facility.”
