Brookline authorizes chair to send letter to Mason over gravel hauling and road impacts

The Brookline Select Board authorized the chair to sign and send a letter to the Mason planning board expressing Brookline’s concerns about Onyx's gravel operation and the potential impacts on local roads.

Board members and residents referenced a traffic study supplied by Onyx and raised questions about its methodology, including the timing of sample days and the treatment of heavy-vehicle counts. The town planner's draft letter (not physically present at the meeting) was described as summarizing Brookline's road-safety, traffic and environmental concerns; the chair said he would sign on behalf of the board to ensure the letter was mailed in time for Mason planning deadlines.

Speakers stressed the need for ongoing documentation of pavement condition and traffic impacts in Brookline's portion of Mason Road; volunteers and staff (Scott, Rosie and board representatives) reported they were collecting data and preparing records that could be presented at Mason meetings. One participant warned that if Mason's planning board does not extend the applicant's timing, a lack of extension could trigger a builder’s remedy — effectively allowing the applicant to proceed without conditions — so Brookline intends to monitor Mason's schedule closely.

What’s next: the chair will sign and send the planner’s letter; Brookline representatives will continue to attend Mason planning sessions and document pavement and traffic conditions for follow-up and possible permit conditions.