Staunton residents concerned over blasting for Middlebrook Trace apartment complex

STAUNTON — A video on Facebook posted by Randy Young shows an explosion, and debris flying up into the sky. Then the camera points down at the grass of a property on Moore Street, just off of Middlebrook Avenue, as Young watched the debris and moved away. In his post, Young said, “Flyrock went halfway up my yard. I had to run for cover.”

That video, along with dozens of other comments from alarmed residents, concern blasting that is taking place at the site of Middlebrook Trace, a planned workforce housing/apartment complex development. Complaints from residents have gotten to the point that the city issued a press release on Wednesday.

In the release, the Staunton Fire Marshal’s Office said they were “currently monitoring the blasting, but in the absence of an egregious or eminently harmful violation, the SMFO does not have authority to stop or suspend a blasting operation.”

There’s a lot of moving pieces here, so let’s reset.

What do residents say is going on?

Residents of Staunton, particularly those located near Moore Street, Mineola Street, and Hilltop Drive, have raised concerns about the blasting that is occurring on Middlebrook Road for two major reasons: safety in the surrounding areas and the existence of the Staunton Caverns. The News Leader first became aware of the issue when a concerned resident, Trudi Van Dyke-Sims, expressed a few problems she saw with the blasting.

“The concern is that 1) where the blasting is being done is connected to a fault area where many residential homes are and apparently some damage is being done 2) according to the report from the Virginia Speleological Survey this cave is considered a "significant cave" in the economic, geological, and historical categories,” Van Dyke-Sims said.

On potential damage to property

In the comments underneath the city’s posting of their press release on Facebook, two commenters and nearby residents said that they’ve noticed paintings that have shifted on their walls. Others have felt their homes shake, and Van Dyke-Sims said that she's seen trees near her home that have fallen over since blasting began.

"I live in this neighborhood and it's terrifying to have the whole house shake and pictures fall off the wall," said one commenter on Young's video on Facebook.

"For the last few weeks, we've felt a quick but severe explosion multiple times. I kept thinking it was my pipes getting ready to burst or a neighbor doing something or another," said another commenter. There is concern amongst residents that there could be lasting structural damage and damage to residential foundations from the blasting.

Young's video also made mention of "flyrock." According to Virginia State Code, flyrock is defined as "any uncontrolled material generated by the effect of a blast that was hazardous to persons, or to property not owned or controlled by the operator."

According to state law, "flyrock shall not be cast from the blasting vicinity more than half the distance to the nearest dwelling or other occupied structure." Young said on Facebook that following his complaints to the fire marshal, the construction company, Good's Services, was asked to use mats to cover the blasting.

On Staunton Caverns

Staunton Caverns refers to a system of underground caves near the location of the blasting on Middlebrook Road. It is designated as a "Significant Cave" by the Virginia Caves Board for economic, geological, and historic reasons, and some residents believe that the blasting could negatively impact the caverns.

According to the city's press release, "pre-construction surveys — a subsurface exploration program and geotechnical engineering evaluation — were conducted on Sept. 14, 2021 and Dec. 16-17, 2021, respectively. These studies were conducted by two different companies.  And the conclusion of those surveys is that no underground cavern exists under the blasting site."

Rick Lambert, who serves as a member of the Virginia Caves Board and as a director at large for the Virginia Speleological Survey (VSS), was contacted by a concerned resident, and visited the Middlebrook Trace site. He observed that the blast holes on the site were 400 feet away from the entrance, placing the western edges of the known cave over 300 feet away.

When combined with the knowledge that there was once a quarry operating near the cave, Lambert said in an email, "I am not concerned about the cave."

According to a report from the Virginia Speleological Survey, the caves were originally known as Dogwood Cave before being renamed to Staunton Caverns in 1907 for commercialization purposes, but were closed shortly after. It was a popular destination for cave-exploring youngsters until the entrance was blocked off by the city.

On social media, Van Dyke-Sims said that she had been in contact with the VSS and the Virginia Cave Board, and said she had been told that neither was consulted prior to the project being approved.

What did the city have to say?

First and foremost, blasting will continue. As mentioned above, the city said that pre-construction surveys were done in 2021 and found no presence of underground caves.

When it comes to potential damage from the blasting, the city referred to the Statewide Fire Prevention Code (SFPC), which sets limits on ground vibrations and air blasts from blasting. These limits are based on national standards, and do not provide a guarantee against damage from ground vibrations or air blasting.

The city also said that any construction company using explosives needs permits, insurances and bonds, and their blaster personnel must be certified and registered with the state. Violations of the SFPC can be treated as criminal, but the city indicated that financial recovery for damage from blasting incidents would be a civil matter. That would require homeowner's insurance or hiring a private attorney to possibly recoup financial loss from the contractor.

Lambert had been told about the issues with blast debris hitting homes and potential cracks appearing in the foundations of nearby homes, and his concern laid primarily laid with the company doing the blasting. In an e-mail to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Lambert said, "The Staunton Fire Marshall approved their blasting plan. Obvious someone doesn’t know what they are doing or they are not following the blasting plan."

According to Van Dyke-Sims, a device to monitor blasts and their effects in the Hilltop Drive area was installed on Tuesday by Good's Services.

The city also laid out how residents could register complaints with the Staunton Fire Marshal's Office. Individuals can call Deputy Fire Marshal Perry Weller at 540-332-3720, and provide the following information:

• Name, full address, and phone number

• The location of the blasting operation causing complaint

• The name of the company causing the complaint, including address, phone number, license numbers, etc. or any other identifying information.

• A description of the complaint with dates and times of incidents as best as residents can determine

The fire marshal's office also said that records, including names of complainants, would not be made public during an investigation.

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—Akhil Ganesh is the Government Reporter at The News Leader. You can contact him at aganesh@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @akhildoesthings.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Staunton residents concerned over blasting for Middlebrook Trace apartment complex