Neighbors press Exeter council on alleged commercial truck storage and stormwater impacts at Bates Schoolhouse Road

Several Exeter residents used the council’s public-comment period to urge action on what they described as commercial use of a residentially zoned property on Bates (Bate) Schoolhouse Road, raising concerns about noise, trucks, stormwater, erosion, and potential threats to wells and the watershed.

Rita Cassidy reported long-running problems including machinery noise, log splitting, trucks on Arcadia Road and a recent October 31 video she said documents continued activity despite an alleged cease-and-desist. Cassidy also raised a conflict-of-interest concern, saying a council member reportedly told others she was “happy with the progress,” a characterization Cassidy denied and said that council member should recuse if there were business ties.

Neighbor James Fisk and other speakers described trucks and materials stored on the lot, a history of excavation and holes, the site’s watershed classification, and possible contamination threats to local wells. Several speakers said the town’s enforcement process had been slow and that inspector visits or follow-up were inconsistent.

Town staff reported that the town had issued violations at some sites, and that the state DEM had intervened on a Tenrod/Tenoride Road site and issued a cease-and-desist there, which shifted primary enforcement to the state for that property. Councilors and the town solicitor discussed remedies available under local code, including court actions, fines, and liens, and proposed a sequential enforcement policy (for example, a three-strike sequence leading to stronger remedies). The council moved to develop a clear list of enforcement remedies, consult the solicitor and return the item to unfinished business for further action.

The council did not adopt emergency enforcement at the meeting; members directed staff and the solicitor to prepare recommended enforcement steps and timelines.