GEORGETOWN – To the shock of neighbors, who thought their years-long nightmare was over, excavation of Zibell Farm at 214 North
St. started again last week with the town permitting the removal of asphalt millings.
Town Administrator Orlando Pacheco and Town Planner Frank O’Connor visited the site last week, and O’Connor said the excavation of asphalt – possibly a non-earth material – was allowed under the district court order that shut down the sand mining operation last year.
The Lawrence Superior Court ordered the mining operation at the farm to cease last August. The court acted on a motion by town attorneys, who argued that Robles Excavating Co., Todd Champlain and Kathy Potter were mining and removing the sand without permits from the town.
The court allowed only non-earth materials to be removed.
Champlain, the former manager of the property who oversaw the extensive excavation, was scheduled to go on trial on charges of larceny, lying and forgery Tuesday, April 7 in Salem District Court.
He is charged with two felony counts for forging owner Potter’s signature on documents filed with the town regarding the sand mining. He was also charged with two felony counts of “uttering false writings” and one count of larceny.
Champlain was also accused of taking $30,000 from the property owner and that he sold more than $200,000 worth of sand without reimbursing the owner.
Georgetown Police also determined that Champlain was working at the farm under false pretenses. In August, Champlain was taken into custody on an undisclosed, unrelated warrant, according to the Georgetown police.
Champlain maintained to the town that the sand was being removed so new sand could fill the deep hole to create an organic crop farm. Neighbors complained about the large number of dump trucks being used to remove the sand for long hours daily.
The police served seven traffic violations on Champlain on the sand removal last summer.
O’Conner said he say only one truck removing the asphalt millings, but neighbors told The Town Common that more trucks were being used in the current operations.
At a meeting last summer of the SelectBoard and Board of Assessors, Georgetown Town Manager Orlando Pacheco said the farm is in the process of being sold. Last week, O’Connor said the Planning Board did not know of any plans to sell the farm or for any housing development at the site.
The farm has 28 acres, five of which were being mined for its sand. The plan was to mine other 5-acre parcels for the valuable sand, Champlain told the Planning Board.
Town hall sources confirmed that the future developer has met with the planning, conservation and other offices investigating the property, reviewing maps, asking about utilities, water, and determining any offsets and any limitations on placing an untold number of homes/townhouses/apartments on the parcel. ♦
