Todd Champlain (excavator) and Kathy Potter (land owner of the 100-year-old Zibell Farm) are presenting contrasting stories to authorities, with Champlain now awaiting an early December court date, and Potter offering her former farm-turned-sand-mining operation for sale (for the construction of homes/condos/whatever…).
This spring, Potter allowed hundreds of trucks, directed by Champlain to leave her property laden down with sand that was open-pit mined in her back yard. She has since claimed she got shortchanged in the deal, that Champlain misrepresented himself to the town, etc., and Champlain’s history and court appearances leads one to believe part of such a story.
A few days before the town shut down her non-permitted mining operation in the residential neighborhood, various equipment used in the operation by Champlain disappeared from the site. Potter told police her ring camera from her home that sits with a front row seat to the operations, was of no use to investigators, as she had erased all recordings and knew nothing.
Meanwhile, Town Administrator Orlando Pacheco told the SelectBoard that it is unknown what was buried in the land (past and present mining operations). Neighbors at multiple meetings have provided photos of construction debris being buried on the site at the mining spot, and other spots on the farm (grassed over now). No information has been made available by the town nor state as regards plans to unearth the potential ground-water contaminating substances, however, at press time, the The Town Common was informed that environmental protection agencies are finally, actively looking into the case and that several trucking firms could be potentially on the hook for remediation costs/fines as regards what they dumped there. More as we learn on the matter…
