LONDONDERRY — As the state decides whether it will take action against a Hooksett logger, more local residents claim he caused thousands of dollars in damage to their property.
Although Shawn Grant of Grant's Logging was given until June 1 to clean up the mess from cutting trees at three homes on West and Wiley Hill roads, the state has no record anything has been done, according to Jim Martin of the Department of Environmental Services.
Jenifer Doucette of 109 Wiley Hill Road said Grant hasn't returned to her property after the DES ordered him to correct wetlands violations on the three lots that occurred when numerous trees were clear cut. She said her yard resembles a "war zone."
After hearing about the problems encountered by Doucette and her neighbors, residents of Kendallwood Condominiums in Londonderry said they had a similar experience with Grant.
"It's just phenomenal," said James Ellis, a Kendallwood board member. "You would have thought a tornado went through here. No, a tornado would have left it better condition."
This winter, the management for the 132-unit condominium complex was approached by Grant and asked if he could cut down some of the trees on the property in exchange for some of the money earned from selling the wood, Ellis said.
But what they received in return was more than they expected, according to Ellis and board member Kathi Bruneau.
Not only was the property clear cut, but Grant's heavy equipment tore up the ground and ruined a septic tank, water pipe and wellhead, flooding the area, they said.
"You're just so full of rage, disgust, and shock and horror that anyone could be so vile," Ellis said. "We can no longer call it Kendallwood — it's called Kendallbare."
Bruneau agreed.
"It's horrible what he did," she said. "He was supposed to cut a quarter of what he cut. ... He probably cost us, with the damage, about $10,000."
And they didn't receive the estimated $10,000 to $25,000 for selling the wood, she said.
"He did nothing of what he promised," Bruneau added.
Ellis said he was at work when he received a call from someone at Kendallwood saying, "A guy just came through and cleared out all the trees."
When he arrived home, Ellis was stunned.
"There were buildings behind the property that I never knew existed," he said. "The whole thing is totally unbelievable. I got here and it looked like Hiroshima. Shocked cannot describe how we felt."
Ellis and other Kendallwood residents were so upset at one point, the Londonderry Police Department was called and an officer was sent to the complex off Holly Lane.
But despite the damage, there were no environmental violations like on West and Wiley Hill roads, so no action was taken by the state, Ellis said. No further reports on Grant's Logging are on file at the DES, Martin said.
Ellis said some Kendallwood residents wish Grant was arrested since he didn't cordon off the area where he would be cutting — posing a safety risk — and had an invalid insurance policy.
"He had no permission to be here without the insurance," Ellis said.
When reached Wednesday, Grant said he has since renewed his insurance policy and has been as cooperative as possible.
"I'm not going back to Kendallwood," he said. "They asked me to leave, and it's going to go to court."
As for Doucette and her neighbors Donna Davis and Wayne and Mary Stuck, Grant said he taken care of problems on the Stucks' land — even sending the state photos — and intends to return to Davis' property to clean up some of the debris from cutting.
The DES ruled earlier this spring that Grant's company violated state wetlands regulations by doing work without a permit. The firm also is accused of leaving deep ruts that disrupted the flow of a stream on the properties, failing to clean up debris, and significantly increasing the potential for erosion.
Grant's Logging was ordered to "remove all slash materials, eliminate ruts, stabilize exposed wetland areas along with the stream, and apply grass seed and native plant species to reforest the area." About 375 linear feet were disrupted on the properties, Martin has said.
Doucette said Grant also caused about $10,000 in damage to her septic system and has asked his insurance company to foot the bill.
Grant said he doesn't intend to return to Doucette's property to fix the ruts she has complained about and disputes her allegation he cut down too many trees.
"That's an insurance matter," he said. "I did exactly what I said I would do there."
If Grant does not comply with the state's order, he could face further action from the DES, including unspecified fines, or action from the attorney general's office.
Since the June 1 cleanup deadline has passed, Martin said the DES will send an inspector to the site and contact the logging firm.
"We anticipate that happening very soon," he said. "We will have to discuss it with Grant's Logging. We will have to see what their situation is and what the plans are, and take it from there. We try to work with people to correct the problem."
