Stantec Consulting Services Inc. presented the City of Franklin Quarry Monitoring Committee with its third-quarter (July–September 2025) monitoring report and a proposed scope of services for calendar year 2026.

Kristen, a Stantec consultant, told the committee that "during the third quarter there were a total of 16 blasting events" and that Stantec’s seismographs detected about 63% of those blasts. She said no blast in the quarter exceeded the 0.3 inches-per-second vibration standard and that year-to-date 100% of blasts remained in conformance with that vibration threshold.

Kristen said the city’s permit limits for air overpressure call for 123 decibels as the threshold applicable to 85% of blasts in a calendar year. "I think it was a 126, and the limit's a 123. So a little over, but not not significantly," she said of a single event that registered above the threshold. Stantec reported there were no related complaints for that blast.

On complaints, Stantec recorded four total in the quarter: two formal complaints and two informal complaints. One of the formal complaints requested anonymity. For the blasts where approximate locations were known, two complaints were reported east of 50 First Street and one was reported south of Drexel; complaints were associated with two separate blasts, the consultant said.

Stantec reviewed inspection activity: five field observation events during the quarter, with the Rawson Avenue street sweeper observed in use during four of the five visits. Stantec also noted another seismic-meter relocation during the quarter; the firm moved a meter previously on Allwood Avenue to Drexel so its meters are again co-located with the Pan and Dolan meters.

On future monitoring, Stantec proposed 14 inspection events for 2026, with two announced inspections (early and late season) and the remainder concentrated in busier months. The firm said reporting practices would remain the same (quarterly reports with email summaries and photos) and that the proposed dollar figure for 2026 matches the current contract amount, with one fewer inspection to offset equipment and rate increases.

The committee voted to accept the quarterly report and then voted to recommend the proposed 2026 scope and budget to the Common Council for approval.

Votes at a glance: approval of minutes from July 29, 2025 (voice vote, approved); acceptance of Stantec Q3 monitoring report (voice vote, approved); motion to recommend the 2026 monitoring scope and budget to the Common Council (voice vote, approved).