NEW SMYRNA BEACH – First there were ashes when the Coastal Woods construction site became engulfed in flames by a controlled burn that got out of control. Now, dust seems to be the grit in residents' eyes.
A dry, barren landscape that remains from the March 28-29 wildfire has spawned dust clouds that winds have carried to neighboring houses, yards, pools and people, and city leaders are cracking down. New Smyrna Beach is requiring Geosam Capital's Coastal Woods' contractor to dampen the dust at least three times a day, seven days a week.
"We are taking this very seriously," said Mayor Jim Hathaway. "We're holding their feet to the fire."
While residents said Tuesday night they were appreciative of the city's efforts, they put pressure on the City Commission to demand vigilance of the Coastal Woods site.
Resident Jerrald Bedenk, who lives across Pioneer Trail from the construction site, brought a plastic shopping bag filled with soot-covered paper towels for city commissioners to see the mess he's been dealing with daily.
"I'm a 92-year-old World War II veteran living in Sugar Mill," said Bedenk, one of several nearby residents who spoke to leaders on the topic. "My doctors say get out there and do a lot of exercise and swim in the pool. I ain't been doin' it because of the pollution."
He held up the paper towels.
"This is what we've been breathing," he said. "You know, the Japanese didn't kill me in 1943, but maybe Geosam will."
City Commissioner Jason McGuirk said he wouldn't have believed it had he not seen photos from resident Greg Epps, who lives very close to the construction site.
"It looked like the Middle East," McGuirk said. "I'm absolutely shocked by the pictures he sent me."
It’s been a chaotic couple months for the Canadian developer, Geosam Capital, and it’s general contractor Jon M. Hall Company. The contractor had been clearing land for a 1,032-lot subdivision, burning piles of debris for the better part of the past year. That came to an abrupt end with the more than 200-acre blaze. Almost immediately, the company took responsibility for the controlled burn-turned-wildfire and apologized to all who were affected, including tens of thousands of motorists diverted off Interstate 95 for about 18 hours.
Since then, City Manager Pam Brangaccio said the developer has agreed to pay the overtime expenses for city emergency personnel required to fight the fire.
So the latest concerns about airborne debris have tweaked an already-tense relationship between residents, city officials and the developer, coming to a head again a week ago.
In an April 16 letter to Geosam's site engineer, City Engineer Kyle Fegley wrote the sand and fine dirt piling on neighboring subdivisions and roadways resulted in safety concerns and needed to be immediately corrected.
"This condition constitutes a direct violation of condition six of each of the land clearing permits that has been issued to Coastal Woods," Fegley wrote. "It is an unacceptable nuisance that must be addressed immediately with a permanent solution to control the dust during this process, seven days a week."
Geosam US general counsel James Stowers said after a couple of very windy and dry weekends, the city alerted Geosam to resident's concerns about the dust and Stowers said the company met immediately with the city and site manager to quell the problem.
Stowers said before, there was one water truck working on weekdays to dampen the area. Since being notified, they have added another water truck and both are watering down the site at an increased frequency seven days a week.
The site contractor has also been instructed to move quickly to finish the grading on the areas that brush up against Pioneer Trail, Stowers said.
"That's important, because once the grading is done, they can hydroseed," covering the dust-prone areas in new growth, he said.
The company is trying to reach out to neighbors like Bedenk, the WWII veteran, who have voiced concerns, and address each concern individually.
"We'll continue to work through this with the city and with the residents," Stowers said. "We think with these items in place, we'll be in much better shape."
City leaders promised to be mindful of all aspects of future land-clearing projects. From avoiding clear-cutting large areas, to efforts to ban burning altogether, city leaders echoed each other, repeating that the Coastal Woods project has been a "learning experience."
"I can assure you that we have learned a lot from this," McGuirk said. "We hear you. We see it. We're doing everything we can."