To: noone, The working families in this area should be able to come home and enjoy the property they bought without looking and listening to a clear violation of this cities zoning laws. We are not going to allow an illegal business to operate in a clearly documented residential zone. It's not a matter of minding your own business, it's a matter of safety for the children and families affected in the area. Zoning laws are for a reason, move the business to another site that allows this type of work.

I need some wood. Do you know how much they charge for a cord? Can you please find out for me. Thank-You

To: Frank,
The residents making this complaint are correct, it is a residential area in violation of our zoning regulations. It is clearly a commercial logging operation and should not be in that neighborhood. If you lived near this property you would ask for town zoning enforcement also. The site and owner are being watched, I wouldn't get involved if I were you. A load of wood is not worth it.

You folks should either demand that your elected officials shut this down immediately, or go to the state of CT D.E.P. site and get a phone number.
Maybe even call Blumenthal's office or your local police.
Stop wasting time with the zoning office.
These loggers probably don't even have a permit, but the zoning officer is obviously not going to go after them.
Even better, call your local TV investigative reporter to check it out.

We have a similar problem (although not as large an operation -yet) on Saybrook Road opposite Freeman Road, in Middletown near Higganum. The noise is audible and very disturbing to residents in the area. We appreciate that people are trying to make a living and are glad that it is winter so that we are not outside as much but would like to know what can be done about this disturbance.

As I suggested, if you make no progress with your town hall (start with PZC and then go to your first selectman to see what your local noise ordinances and licensing laws are, and see if this business even has proper permits)I would then contact the D.E.P.
and maybe Blumenthal's office.
The other best method is to get it on TV via an investigative reporter.
They are possibly operating commercial in a residential zone.

I sent an email to the mayor about this, including this post on see click fix. (I reported this to zoning, also) Maybe if enough people do this, it will bet fixed.

Apparently, they has ceased the saw mill operation, here. I investigated the property a few weeks ago, and the saw was gone, as was the pile of firewood that was there, before. There is still a stack of lumber under cover. Neighbors told me they are still logging further back on the property but far enough away that the noise was not so bad, but logging trucks still exit/enter there. My guess is that when the firewood season begins, the operation will start back up.

Bruce Driska and P&Z get no credit for resolving this. The operators got away with this for years; according to Bill Warner, "The Zoning Enforcement Officer has been dealing with this property for a number of years." The operators ceased of their own accord, and as I said before, as the firewood season approaches, they will get back in business.

There has to be a way to stop the way this property is being used. There is constant truck traffic to and from this site with and without firewood. The amount of construction debris, appliances, brush, pavement, toilets, shower stalls, roofing, and who knows what else dumped on the wetlands side of this property is unbelievable. There are junk cars, trucks, boats, farm equipment and junk covering most of the back yard. The garage area should be looked at to make sure oil waste is contained and/or stored properly. It's time to put an end to this mess. A residential neighborhood should not have a business like this in operation. The town has been dealing with this property for years, take a good look and shut them down once and for all.

Start complaining to P&Z again, and this time, also email the members of the town counsel and the mayor's office. Also. write letters to the editor of the Piddletown Mess and the Hartford Courant. The only way this is ever going to get resolved is by continued complaining. Include a link to these posts along with your emails to the mayor, p&z, town counsel, and the media. Maybe contact WMRD, too. I have complained till I was blue in the face. Maybe complaints from others will help.

Someone at PZC is probably a pal of this illegal woodcutting operator. Why are you going back to that well, instead of going to the mayor ?
I would also recommend you call the CT Atty General's office, the CT DEP, and get the local papers involved, along with one of the investigative reporters at Ch. 3, 4, or 8.
If it hits TV, something will get done.

The mayor's office is aware of this. According to P&Z, this matter has been "resolved". I have complained till I'm blue in the face and this has just been swept under the rug. If others get involved, and can get some media attention, I still have the emails from the mayor and P&Z and would be happy to turn them over. I also have an email from one of the selectmen, who also "looked into it", and she also says the matter has been "resolved". Apparently, the extent of her "looking into it" amounted to calling P&Z and taking their word for it. I have also written to the Piddletown Mess and got no response, whatsoever. Of course, we all know what great investigators they are.

To Gordon Fan:

You personally need to contact either channel 3, channel 4, or channel 8.
Their investigative staff can keep you anonymous if necessary.
I don't understand why you want someone else to contact the media for you.
If you just make the call, they can assess the issue and probably get going on exposing the dirty dealing going on here. If one TV station won't help, call another one.

Help resolve this with a comment, image or video...
I don't even live in this neighborhood. My beef with this guy, Chris Bukowski, stems from a load of wood I bought from him, last year. He presented the firewood as being "seasoned", having been in his garage for two years! It was anything but seasoned; it was so wet it would hardly burn. Bukowski promised to refund part of my money, ($120) but never followed through. The Middletown Dept of Consumer Protection got involved and was unable to do anything. (another waste of taxpayer money). I've already spent an abundance of my time on this matter, and anything further needs to come from the folks who live in the area, rather than me. It would carry far more weight that way. I'm willing to support the neighbors, but it is now in theri court.

It does seem pretty odd that the neighbors are either willing to put up with this illegal mess of an operation, or won't take the extra step and get the media and the CT D.E.P. involved.
Calling one of the TV stations is 100% the best way to expose whatever graft and corruption is going on there.
I bet some local officials would get caught with their knickers down.

I think the biggest problem with local officials is gross incompetence and ignorant voters that vote for who ever is in office, or the party line without any thought or reasoning behind it. I wonder if "City Resident" would be willing to take and post some photos here, or send them to DEP/TV? What about you, Sammi? You live in the area?

Nope, I don't live in that area. I am interested because I have had to deal with illegal activity like this in my rural CT river valley town, and found that going to Channel 8 did the trick.
I just don't get why the "concerned residents" kept trying the zoning office for 7 months but never took it higher than that, to the CT D.E.P. or Atty General's office.
They just wasted their time, and need to expose the local town govt. for refusing to do its job.
Something smells like a rat in this wood lot.

I took a good look at this property over the weekend and saw a mess. The wetlands are full of scrap wood, building materials, pavement, bottles, cans, old tarps, etc. There were pickup trucks, dump trucks, backhoes, a lift truck, junks cars and trucks, old boats, scrap lumber, scrap metal, garbage and run down structures. The back yard is a dump. It also looks like the owner dug a trench from his house to the catch basin on the street. Is that the right of everone in town to use them this way? I don't think so. I live a couple of miles from this house and walk past it all the time. The properety is getting bad and I'm hoping the city officials will band together and truly investigate before the wetlands and wells in the area are damaged beyond repair. I do think the DEEP should be called if the city won;t do anything. I feel sorry for the neighbors who have to look and listen to activities at this address.

So, why not call one of the TV networks investigative teams, or call the DEEP ?
Posting comments on here is not going to produce any concrete results.
Seriously, call Channel 8 or 3 or 4, and ask for their I-teams.
Why not go to The Courant, if the Middletown Press won't post any letters ?
The DEEP should be all over this site, as well.

Walker, Since you have personally observed the conditions of this property, why don't you complain to DEEP and P&Z? Take a few pictures and post them here, if you can, and send them to the powers that be. I have complained about it and been dismissed as a quack. Maybe with the help of others making complaints, something will be done about it.

Here is the email address for DEEP: deep.webmaster@ct.gov. I have emailed them and WFSB and WTNH (via their web sites). Now, I need people who live in the area and actually have to put up with this to help out and do the same.

Good job to "Gordon Fan" for actually contacting WTNH and WFSB about this mess at 1683 Country Club Road.
I don't live anywhere near there (I'm east of the river) but I empathize with the neighbors.
I don't think that contacting the DEEP webmaster will serve any purpose, however.
I suggest calling the DEEP FOR "UNAUTHORIZED WETLANDS FILL" AT 860-424-3019 OR FOR ILLEGAL DUMPING, AT 866-363-3867.
You can remain anonymous, if you are concerned about that.

I heard from DEEP and she/they is/are going to refer this to the Dept. of Natural Resources. I hope the original posters are still getting the updates and will back up my complaint. The email address below was the only one found for DEEP, but I have this one for DNR: <Elaine.Hinsch@ct.gov>.

Good for Gordon Fan for following through. Now, where are the neighbors who originally complained ???Help resolve this with a comment, image or video...

I just emailed Elaine Hinsch ........let's hope the DNR does something sooner or later.
Still seems more like a DEEP issue, but what do I know ?

Did anything ever happen with this? Are they still logging? We almost bought a house a few doors down, but fortunately didn't (due to a bad well/inspection issues). We didn't notice any logging noise during the multiple times we visited the property. I'm curious if this was actually resolved.

If you didn't buy the house it really does't matter if they are still logging!!!!!

Well, I do still live in the area.

The yard and wetlands along the property have been used as a dump for building materials and anything else he can bring home for years, The owner still runs his trucks and equipment back and forth with and without wood. The place is a mess and the neighbors have tried and tried but the town doesn't help. We ( the neighbors ) are hoping he will move away soon.

I still don't get why the town won't go after this guy. Are they afraid he may get violent or something ?
Is he a town official's relative ? Has he bribed someone ?
Maybe a lawsuit which includes both him and the town would rattle a few cages.
If wetlands are being polluted, no clue why the DEEP won't touch it either.
To have the only recourse be "hoping he moves away" is pretty pathetic.
Noise pollution, air pollution, wetlands pollution, illegal wood cutting business,illegal dumping......
what part of "arrest the guy and levy fines" does the town not get ?

Last week he covered more construction debris with a small excavator in the wetland area along the side of his property, The yard is a dump and the neighbors in this area are sick of it. We have tried all resources except a news station. It would be nice if the town would check on this guy. By the way the debris is covered at night.

Keep reporting it, get photos if you can. We have a new administration, maybe they will do something about it.