By Matthew K. Roy
PEABODY — Years of discussion and debate about the future of Aggregate Industries' quarry in West Peabody culminated last night with the City Council's approval of a closure plan.
"It took seven years to get to this point, and I think it's an amazing step," said Ward 6 Councilor Barry Sinewitz, chairman of Peabody's Quarry Closure Committee.
Aggregate is not obligated to close its quarry anytime soon. But a condition of the company's city-issued special permit requires it to detail how the land will be left when it is finished with it.
Councilors, heeding the input of quarry neighbors on the Closure Committee, endorsed a plan that lets Aggregate continue to blast in its existing hole, now 135 feet deep, until reaching 410 feet. It keeps an asphalt plant in its current location on the company's 110 acres.
"I do believe that this is the right plan for the city and this neighborhood," said Councilor-at-large Ted Bettencourt, also a committee member.
Last fall, Aggregate presented city officials with three possible closure alternatives.
The two rejected options involved Aggregate extending the quarry's rim, blasting to 245 feet and either relocating the asphalt plant to a different spot on the company's property or finding an off-site location.
"We're very pleased," Scott Colby, Aggregate's environmental and estates manager, said after the vote. "We were very happy with the cooperative effort."
Just how long it might take Aggregate to blast to the maximum depth is a moving target that depends largely on the economy and the demand for stone, Colby said. But he estimated it would take at least 20 years to exhaust the quarry's supply.
The hole will eventually be filled with water or clean soil or a combination of the two.
City officials and quarry neighbors chose not to indicate a preference in the plan, opting to delay that decision until a date closer to the end of the quarry's life cycle. Councilors did agree to review the plan every five years.
Aggregate has previously expressed interest in expanding the quarry's rim and blasting in new locations.
It's still possible the company might pursue expansion, though no decision has been made, Colby said.
To expand, the company would have to get the council's approval to amend its special permit and, if successful, the closure plan would have to be altered to reflect the changes.
Aggregate last night promised to continue negotiating with the city to reach an agreement that would ensure the company dedicates money toward covering closure costs.
The company also agreed to consider adjusting its pumping of water from the quarry to mitigate flooding in the surrounding neighborhood during heavy rainstorms.
