Manufacturer MilliporeSigma has delayed a request for a variance to permit paving a section of wetland buffer at its Jaffrey plant location until at least next month.

MilliporeSigma representatives were scheduled to appear before the Zoning Board of Adjustment to argue the merits of the application on Tuesday, Jan. 3. However, the application was initially submitted on behalf of MilliporeSigma by Levi Mothersell, who has since left the company and was not available to present the application.

MilliporeSigma, through representative Michelle Salvatore, requested to withdraw the application, which the Zoning Board granted without prejudice Tuesday, in a unanimous vote.

Jaffrey Property Records Clerk Becky Newton said Wednesday that the company currently intends to resubmit the same or a very similar application, with updated contact information, for review at the Zoning Board of Adjustment’s February meeting.

MilliporeSigma had the option to either open the hearing and continue it, or to submit a new application, and chose the latter, according to Newton. A new application requires a new noticing process, including sending a fresh round of letters of notice to abutting property owners, and public notices, at MilliporeSigma’s expense.

The company initially submitted a request for a variance to allow paving in an 80- by 100-foot section adjacent to the site’s wastewater treatment plant in October. The purpose of the proposed paved area is to allow trucks delivering large amounts of sodium hydroxide to back into an existing secondary containment area of the chemical room of the wastewater treatment plant, according to MilliporeSigma’s application.

Allowing the truck access to the containment room for unloading is a safeguard against spills, according to the application.

The requested variance is from a provision of the Wetlands Conservation section 20.7 of the town’s ordinance, which states that “no primary building, impervious cover, or driveway shall be located within the Wetlands Conservation District.” The application argues that by allowing a safer method of delivery of the sodium hydroxide, the new paved section would be within the spirit of the ordinance – which is primarily the protection of town water sources and wetlands.

“The project would increase wetland protection and would not be visible from the road or neighboring properties. The project will impact only the wetland buffer area and not the wetlands themselves,” the application reads. “While granting the variance would be beneficial for MilliporeSigma, the public would also benefit from the increased protection of the wetlands and community health that the project would provide by containing a catastrophic release of sodium hydroxide from the delivery truck during transfer operations.”

Other solutions, the company argued, would be “significantly more expensive,” as well as being “less effective in protection of the environment and human health.”

The paving would be located in the southeastern area of the property, with the treatment plant blocking the view of the proposed paved area from neighbors. The area directly around the proposed parking area is also owned by MilliporeSigma.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.

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