LONDONDERRY — Six months after a logger clearcut her property and others in town, Jenifer Doucette becomes frustrated when she looks at the damage and debris that remain in her yard.
"It's a huge mess out there," she said. The Wiley Hill Road resident is one of several Londonderry homeowners who paid Shawn Grant of Grant Logging to remove trees on their land. What they received in return was more than they bargained for.
The Hooksett logger not only cut down trees, but clearcut large areas and destroyed the landscape, violating state wetlands regulations.
For Doucette, that meant contending with the deep ruts and piles of trees left on her property. It also meant $7,500 in repairs to her septic system — damage caused by Grant's heavy equipment.
The single mother of two has had enough.
"It's gotten really depressing," Doucette said. "The yard still looks terrible."
Across town, residents of Kendallwood Condominiums were upset after their association paid Grant to cut down trees, and the property at the 132-unit complex was clearcut. Grant's heavy equipment also left ruts and ruined a septic tank, water pipe and wellhead, flooding the area, according to Kendallwood board members James Ellis and Kathi Bruneau.
The state Department of Environmental Services gave Grant until June 1 to clean up the mess and resolve other problems at Doucette's home and two other neighboring properties.
Working without the required wetlands permit, Grant's company disrupted the flow of a stream on the properties when the heavy equipment tore up the ground, significantly increasing the potential for erosion, the DES ruled.
The department did not investigate the situation at Kendallwood because there were no known wetlands violations. The association wound up paying a contractor to repair the damage, according to Bruneau.
But while the DES said this spring that Grant was expected to take care of the damage in Doucette's neighborhood, she said nothing has been done. Grant was also cited for problems at the homes of Donna Davis and Wayne and Mary Stuck.
After Grant failed to meet the June 1 deadline, DES spokesman Jim Martin said an inspector would be sent and the department would work with the logging company to make sure the problems were resolved.
In mid-June, Grant told The Eagle-Tribune he had taken care of problems on the Stucks' land, but did not plan on returning to Doucette's property. He could not be reached for comment Friday.
On Thursday, Martin said the Stucks, who were also named in the state's order, corrected the remaining wetlands violations on their property.
"That issue has been resolved as far as the DES is concerned," Martin said.
But the DES spokesman said Grant is not obligated to do work at Doucette's home because there are "no wetland impacts" and the state could still take action against Grant.
"There are possible additional investigations on adjacent properties," Martin said, but refused to elaborate further. "I am not at liberty to say what further action could be taken against Mr. Grant."
Doucette said she has discussed the problems on her property with the DES and even contacted the attorney general's office back in March, but only received a response from the AG two weeks ago.
"They are not going to do anything," she said. "I think they're washing their hands of it. They told me I have to go to a lawyer. Basically, they said, 'There's nothing I can do for you.'"
Doucette, who lives with her mother, said she is hard pressed to foot the cleanup costs herself, and can't find anyone who would be willing to cut up the downed pine trees and take the firewood for free. It would be difficult to deal with the trees herself, she said.
Two truckloads of loam would also be needed to fill in the ruts, which have made it difficult for her to mow the grass, Doucette said.
What seemed to be an ideal way to spruce up her yard and provide a nicer play area for her twin 5-year-old daughters has turned into a nightmare.
"The sad part is I thought the state was going to help us. They kind of left us high and dry," she said. "All we wanted to do was make it better for the kids."
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