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EDITORIAL: Development to explode on scene: Site preparation for new project could make area more unstable(The Dominion Post in Morgantown (WV)(KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sep. 8--There's nothing new about another development in Morgantown. Some fit on an acre while others might occupy 41.24 acres, like the location of still another project exploding with plans for site preparation work near Airport Boulevard. But what's different about this one is that it plans to literally blast its way onto the scene while doing site preparation. Although all the details on this site are not set in stone, the owner of the property specializes in student housing. That should not surprise anyone. What was a surprise, though, for many Airport Boulevard and Mileground residents and businesses -- outside Morgantown -- were the letters they recently received notifying them of a pre-blast survey being conducted. The letters notified property owners in that area of plans to document their homes and buildings' conditions -- with photos and paperwork -- before blasting began in the neighborhood. Clearly, most property owners in developed areas like this one might be concerned, but what's really alarming here is that much of this neighborhood was seriously undermined in the past. The state and some of these property owners have spent large sums of money in shoring up this property. In 2001, one state project alone invested $1.2 million into filling abandoned mine sites underground with concrete and grout to stabilize an area where a school, a restaurant, a row of homes and the Morgantown Municipal Airport's terminal are located. Last week, the Monongalia County Commission joined some residents' objections to plans for blasting in this area. We concur with that sentiment. With all due respect to the planners of this project, blasting is not a safe way to perform site preparation there. The fears of these homeowners, business owners and the community are not unfounded. Mine subsidence is an everpresent fear of property owners in many areas of West Virginia. Though the state may license the companies that perform blasting projects, like this one, their liability does not extend far enough nor are they required to perform any major geologic surveys of an area. More importantly, there is little to no regulation of blasting for commercial development in our state. We are not referring to mining operations, which adhere to a separate, extensive set of regulations. We also suspect certification of those who perform the actual blasting is not thorough enough. One blasting accident some may remember is an errant boulder that rained down on one home in Westover during site preparation work for the mall near Westover, in 1989. More supervision at the state, county or local level is needed before any blasting proceeds at the project near Airport Boulevard or on other commercial development projects. That would be new. To see more of The Dominion Post or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dominionpost.com/. Copyright (c) 2008, The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |