Do "Secondary" Towns Know About I93 Project?

By Doug MacPherson on Monday, June 24, 2002.

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This week and next, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation plans to hold informational meetings about the widening of Interstate 93 between Massachusetts and Manchester. The first meeting is scheduled in Manchester this afternoon. But five state-wide conservation groups are concerned that people in communities who may be most impacted by the project won?t find out about the meetings. So they?re trying to get the word out themselves. NHPR?s Doug MacPherson reports.

INFORMATIONAL MEETING SCHEDULE:

Note: the format for all meetings is the same:
4:00 ? 7:00 PM Informal Discussion
7:00 ? 9:00 PM Formal Presentation

Tuesday, June 25, McLaughlin Middle School, 290 South Mammoth Rd., Manchester

Thursday, June 27, Salem High School, 44 Geremonty Dr., Salem

Monday, July 1, Windham Center School, 2 Lowell Rd., Windham

Londonderry Middle School, 313 Mammoth Rd., Londonderry

Wednesday, July 10, West Running Brook School, 1 West Running Brook Lane, Derry

Transcript begins here:

TOM IRWIN, AN ATTORNEY FOR THE CONSERVATION LAW FOUNDATION, SAYS THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION HAS DONE A GOOD JOB KEEPING THE PUBLIC INFORMED ABOUT D-O-T?S PLANS TO WIDEN I-93. AT LEAST, SOME OF THE PUBLIC. D-O-T HAS HELD 21-PUBLIC MEETINGS, BUT ALL OF THOSE MEETINGS HAVE BEEN HELD IN THE FIVE SO-CALLED CORRIDOR COMMUNITIES: SALEM, WINDHAM, DERRY, LONDONDERRY, AND MANCHESTER. THOSE ARE THE TOWNS I-93 ACTUALLY TRAVELS THROUGH. IRWIN POINTS OUT THAT NO MEETINGS HAVE BEEN HELD IN ANY OF THE ADJACENT TOWNS.

TAPE TOM IRWIN We?re not sure they even know /// that they will be subject to the sprawl-inducing effects of this project. :07

IRWIN REFERS TO THE FINDINGS OF AN INDEPENDENT COMMISSION THAT, AT D-O-T?S REQUEST, STUDIED THE PROJECTED IMPACTS OF WIDENING I-93. THE COMMISSION REPORTED THAT 41-THOUSAND PEOPLE WILL SETTLE IN SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE AS A DIRECT RESULT OF WIDENING THE HIGHWAY. SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE IS AMONG THE TOP TEN FASTEST GROWING REGIONS IN THE NATION ? BUT THE COMMISSION FOUND THAT THE HIGHWAY WIDENING WILL INDUCE 41-THOUSAND PEOPLE ABOVE AND BEYOND THE EXPECTED POPULATION GROWTH WITHOUT THE WIDENING. THE COMMISSION ALSO REPORTED THAT MOST OF THAT GROWTH WILL OCCUR OUTSIDE THE FIVE CORRIDOR TOWNS, RESULTING IN THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF NEW DEVELOPMENT.
D-O-T PLANS TO MITIGATE FOR WETLANDS DESTROYED AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THE PROJECT ? THE AGENCY PROPOSES TO OFFSET THE LOSS BY SPENDING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO PURCHASE OTHER PARCELS OF LAND. BUT D-O-T HAS NO PLANS TO OFFSET SO-CALLED SECONDARY IMPACTS ? THE LAND LOST TO DEVELOPMENT IN COMMUNITIES ADJACENT TO THE CORRIDOR. IRWIN BELIEVES THAT A VIOLATION OF FEDERAL LAW.

TAPE TOM IRWIN. The d-o-t will have to get a wetlands permit under the clean water act in order to move forward with this project. And under the clean water act, we believe that in fact they are required to mitigate for secondary impacts that could have significant degradation on the aquatic environment. : 18

BECAUSE D-O-T ARGUES ONLY FIVE-TOWNS ARE DIRECTLY AFFECTED, IT?S HELD PUBLIC MEETINGS IN THOSE TOWNS ONLY. OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEKS, D-O-T PLANS TO HOLD INFORMATIONAL MEETINGS IN EACH OF THOSE TOWNS, WITH THE STATED PURPOSE OF DISCUSSING THE DIRECT IMPACTS OF THE PROJECT TO EACH INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITY.

SEVERAL NEW HAMPSHIRE CONSERVATION GROUPS WANT TO BROADEN THE DISCUSSION. IN ADDITION TO THE CONSERVATION LAW FOUNDATION, THEY INCLUDE THE AUDUBON SOCIETY, THE NEW HAMPSHIRE PUBLIC INTEREST RESEARCH GROUP, THE SIERRA CLUB, AND THE SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF NEW HAMPSHIRE FORESTS. THOSE GROUPS ARE SENDING A JOINT LETTER TO THE SELECTMEN, PLANNING BOARDS AND CONSERVATION COMMISSIONS IN 18-TOWNS SURROUNDING THE CORRIDOR TOWNS. THE LETTER SAYS IMPROVEMENTS TO I-93 ARE NECESSARY, BUT SAYS D-O-T HAS FAILED TO SEEK INPUT FROM SECONDARY-IMPACT COMMUNITIES. IT URGES OFFICIALS IN THESE TOWNS TO GET INVOLVED IN THE PLANNING PROCESS BY ATTENDING A PUBLIC MEETING. THE SOCIETY ALSO PLANS TO WRITE ITS OWN MEMBERS, AND OTHER GROUPS MAY FOLLOW SUIT.

SPOKESMAN BILL BOYNTON SAYS D-O-T HAS DONE ITS BEST TO KEEP THE PUBLIC INFORMED ABOUT THE PROJECT THROUGH PRESS RELEASES AND THE AGENCY?S WEBSITE.

TAPE BILL BOYNTON if I was a public official in a community within a reasonable proximity, that would be my responsibility to find out about it. :07

C-L-F WROTE TO D-O-T COMMISSIONER CAROL MURRAY IN EARLY APRIL, URGING D-O-T TO INCLUDE THE SECONDARY TOWNS IN THE PUBLIC PROCESS. C-L-F RECEIVED NO REPLY. BOYNTON DOESN?T KNOW WHY THAT IS, BUT HE DEFENDS THE DEPARTMENT?S DECISION TO LIMIT PUBLIC MEETINGS TO THE CORRIDOR COMMUNITIES.

TAPE BILL BOYNTON the five communities that are directly impacted by this ? they?re the one?s that are going to bear the brunt of this project. And they?re the one?s that are ? well, I?m sure are demanding that these meetings be held in their communities. How will that impact communities like dunbarton, bow, concord? Certainly there?ll be some impact, but ? there may even be impact in the north country. But at some point you have to draw the line as to where your going to hold a meeting like this. :23

BOYNTON SAYS ALL OF THE MEETINGS ARE OPEN TO EVERYONE, AND ANYONE?S CONCERNS WILL BE ADDRESSED. FOR N-H-P-R NEWS, I?M DOUG MACPHERSON.