Quarry Appeal on Hold;

Hearing Tape Is Missing

By Sandy Vondrasek

The double appeal of a permit to operate a ledge extraction quarry on Ridge Road—one filed by the applicant and the other by neighbors against the project—is on hold while an Environmental Court judge considers the case of the missing hearing tape.

Normally the E-Court would review the Development Review Board’s decision (in this case, to issue a permit with numerous conditions) by listening to tapes of sworn testimony taken during hearings on the application. That’s because Randolph is an "on the record" town; otherwise the E-Court would hold a "de novo" hearing, to take its own testimony.

The DRB held four hearings between September, 2007 and March of this year on the Sprague Farms LLC’s application to operate a 17-acre quarry in Randolph Center.

According to Randolph Zoning Administrator Mardee Sanchez, the tape from the September hearing is missing.

It’s the first time a tape has ever been lost, in her tenure, and Sanchez admitted she has "no idea" where it is.

So the E-Court is now considering how to proceed, Sanchez said.

Because of this unexpected twist, neither of the appellants have spelled out, in a formal "statement of question," what they would like the court to review.

After the permit was issued, Williamstown engineer Rob Townsend, who is representing Sprague Farms, told The Herald he believed the multiple conditions of the permit would render the operation economically unfeasible.

Phil Angell, one of the neighbors opposing the project, indicated that he felt that the DRB should have denied the application.

Recently, the Randolph Selectboard voted to participate in the appeal, Sanchez said, but not to hire an attorney. Sanchez was asked, she said, "to monitor the proceedings" on behalf of the town.

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