WMNA is aggressively pursuing a resolution to the continued blasting affecting homes in West Meade / Hillwood and surrounding neighborhoods. To date there have been 63 residents who have reported damage to their homes, driveways, patios, etc. This is out of nearly 1800 homes – not a staggering number. If you have not filed your complaint, do so now at https://westmeade.org/blasting-damage-survey. Also, encourage your neighbors to do the same. The larger number of complaints, the better our chances for success! Here is a condensed timeline of our activities –
Nov 28, 2023 – Meeting with Vulcan Materials (CM Thom Druffel, Paul Garland, Sheryl Garland) – Vulcan Materials denies that their blasting, which registers less than 30% of the regulation limit, could be causing damage to homes. Sheryl points out that these vibrations have been periodic for the last 40 years, and that the cumulative effect must have an impact on structures and foundations.
Thom Druffel said, “Perception becomes reality, and Vulcan needs to come up with some way to make the intense blasting stop.” We will not stop complaining and may begin to pursue other avenues of recourse. (Read More…)
November 30, 2023 – District 59 Tennessee House Rep. Caleb Hemmer sent a request to the Deputy Fire Marshal for the State of Tennessee, asking for the results of his investigation. The Fire Marshall responded, as he usually does, that the blasts were within regulations.
December 2, 2023 – Letter sent to District 59 Rep. Caleb Hemmer, District 50 Rep. Bo Mitchell, State Sen. Heidi Campbell, CM Thom Druffel. The letter puts our political leaders on notice that this is a serious problem that needs addressing, and points out issues with the current blasting regulation. The letter states, “This isn’t a handful of discontented people. At last count over 80 West Meade and Hillwood residents have voiced their displeasure with the blasting, and many of those have blamed foundational or plaster problems on the vibrations. The West Meade area is comprised of around 1700 homes, and the Hillwood Neighborhood is similarly sized. Most of the homes in these neighborhoods are worth $1 million – 6 million, and for many retired residents, may be their largest investment. I seriously doubt this problem will just go away without some acceptable resolution, and telling the residents everything is ok because Vulcan’s blasting was “within State Allowable Values” will just turn up the heat (so to speak). Any acceptable resolution will likely also need to address how residents will get help for needed repairs.” Read the full letter here.
January 4, 2024 – Meeting with District 59 Legislative Rep Caleb Hemmer and District 50 Rep Bo Mitchell (with Wayne Underhill, Paul Garland). In this meeting, Caleb and Mitchell agree to address the problem, initially by funding a project to research the effect of 40 years of blasting. The point is made that this research needs to involve seismologists, geologists, structural engineers and civil engineers, and needs to be free from bias (all previous research was sponsored by biased organizations).
March 20, 2024 – Series of reports on NewsChannel5 with Hannah McDonald. View them here.
May 30, 2024 – Received proposal from University of Memphis on research project of impact of blasting on West Meade neighborhood. Research team includes the Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI), the Center for Disaster Recovery and Resiliency (CDRR) and the University of Memphis Civil Engineering Department. Caleb Hemmer is procuring funding for the study, which may be in early 2025.
June 6, 2024 – CERI begins checking seismic monitoring stations around Nashville, including stations in West Meade, Bells Bend and Cedars of Lebanon. Blast on June 6 from Vulcan River Road registers on Cedars of Lebanon monitor almost 30 miles away.
Sept 9, 2024 – Vulcan Materials announced a series of tours of the quarry for West Meade Neighborhood Association members and West Meade residents. The invite is here. This is a PR effort sponsored by Vulcan Materials – not a WMNA event.
Currently – WMNA is gathering data on potential foundation and internal damage to homes. We will correlate damage to proximity from the Vulcan Materials River Road Quarry. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT AND CRITICAL TO OUR RESEARCH. IF YOU FEEL YOU MAY HAVE DAMAGE FROM PERIODIC BLASTING PLEASE FILL OUT THIS SURVEY: https://westmeade.org/blasting_damage_survey
For More Information, visit the WMNA Hot Topics page.
West Meade Neighborhood Association
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