Dust Control – Soil Stabilization – Erosion Control

BRISTOL – Zoning issues surrounding a Tupelo Street business that have been floating around for several years could finally be resolved at the next Bristol Town Council meeting. ELJ Inc. of 703 Metacom Ave. has approached the town and is looking for a zoning change for its property at 95 Tupelo St. where it runs a stone-crushing operation.

Ed Tanner, Bristol zoning official, said a zoning change from general business to manufacturing at the site will make ELJ in compliance with town regulations.

Mr. Tanner said, as of now, the business is a non-conforming use. ELJ has argued in the past that the business is grandfathered because they used the property for similar uses before zoning at the property.

“They’ve done a lot of things to their operations to try to comply with our requests and the neighbors’ complaints about noise and dust,” Mr. Tanner said.

The property has been the scene of zoning battles and lawsuits dating back to 2005, when families on Brook Farm Drive sued ELJ for noise and air pollution.

The R.I. Department of Environmental Management issued a dust control “ fugitive dust ” violation to ELJ in October of 2005, citing clouds of dust traveling from the Tupelo Street property to adjacent neighborhoods. Samples taken tested positive for silica, a potentially harmful substance when breathed in.

Since 2005, Mr. Tanner said, ELJ has taken several measures to clean up the property.

There were many past complaints by neighbors of mud being dragged up and down Tupelo Street, but now ELJ uses a street sweeper to keep the dust and the mud from being spread around the neighborhood.

Mr. Tanner said ELJ also implemented several dust control  measures, including changing the way they were using their rock crusher and the storing of stockpiles of materials on the property.

ELJ now uses water and a chemical called a tackifier resin that is sprayed on material piles to hold them in place and not produce dust.

Mr. Tanner said the town hasn’t had any recent complaints about the business. “(ELJ) has certainly done some things to clean that up and to address the town’s concerns,” Mr. Tanner said.

Part of the zoning agreement involves the submission of a master plan showing a map of the property with entrances, exits and parking. The change is on the planning board’s agenda for recommendation at their Tuesday, Dec. 8, meeting and would then go before the council the next day.