Recovery, no matter the final outcome, will not be easy in North Canaan

This is a time of sometimes stunningly uncivil civic discourse. It’s happening at the national level and at the international level, so it shouldn’t be too surprising when it trickles down to the local level. Yet somehow, it is.

Not to say that the issues facing humanity aren’t worthy of passion and even in-your-face activism. Because they are. And the things that affect our own lives every day undeniably mean just as much, or even more, to us than those that are more conceptual or in the distance. 

In North Canaan right now, the issue is a hot asphalt plant. It’s been under public discussion for months and months, with all sides of the topic being aired, usually with an awareness of the importance of the outcome while still trying to behave respectfully to one’s neighbors, whether their property is zoned commercial or residential. The business that is proposing it, B. Metcalf Paving, has been producing cold asphalt historically at the location. But the addition of the hot product has changed the conversation dramatically, even in a town that generally has an open, permissive  attitude toward planning and zoning. 

It’s made for a very tough time for those on both sides, and for those making the decisions on the Planning and Zoning Commission. These volunteers are also part of the community, and the polarization surrounding the hot asphalt has surely affected their lives as directly as it has the property owners around the site. It all came to a head at the public hearing last week, where about 200 community members attended,  some speaking and shouting down the attorney for Metcalf when he spoke beyond his allotted three minutes. (See story, Page A3.)

The vote at that meeting of the P&Z went against allowing the asphalt production. While there’s still opportunity for appeal, no matter the final outcome, it will take a very long time for these longtime neighbors to see each other the same way, if ever.