Callanan resumes blasting in E. Kingston

Mining company Callanan Industries has resumed blasting in this town of Ulster hamlet after it was unable to move a 20-by-40 boulder from the top of a ridge but built a concrete barrier to protect neighboring properties, according to town officials.

Ulster Supervisor James Quigley said 300 tons of pressure was applied in an unsuccessful attempt move the boulder.

Blasting was allowed to resume because, despite being unable to move the rock, Callanan “met their obligation to the town to address the potential hazards,” Quigley said.

“They have finished the safety project” to protect the neighboring properties, he said.

Callanan Industries initially was going to construct an 1,100-foot-long concrete barrier, similar to the type used along roads in areas where rocks slides are common, but ultimately erected a 300-foot barrier instead.

The boulder is about 200 feet up, on the edge of an embankment that runs along Main Street in East Kingston. It became a concern in August following several rock slides.

Callanan Vice President Dan Broomhall said in an email that engineering and geological studies were conducted to determine whether blasting could resume.

“We also now have state-of-the-art monitoring equipment in place, as well as a safety [barrier],” he wrote. “Based on our attempts to remove the rocks, we’ve determined that they are stable and pose no risk.”

Responding to town residents’ concerns that blasting resumed sooner than they expected, Quigley said the town is powerless over scheduling.

“They have a mining permit that was granted to them in 1987,” Quigley said. “There is nothing this Town Board can do outside of planning and zoning, and they are living up to their obligations under planning and zoning.”

East Kingston residents have long complained about damage to their homes due to the blasting, but they have not been successful in developing enough evidence for a court case.

The residents also object to Callanan expanding work on the west side of Route 32. They say blasting in that area endanger Central Hudson gas lines.

TANIA BARRICKLO — DAILY FREEMAN FILE In this Sept. 9 photo, Richie Becker of Baker Brothers Excavating fills a dumpster with fine gravel, creating a makeshift wall to protect Main Street in East Kingston, N.Y., from falling rocks.