July 18, 2002 -- MIDDLEBORO -  Plympton Street area residents were skeptical as an engineer told selectmen Monday night that his client, the James G. Grant Company, plans to build cranberry bogs on a Plympton Street site where an unfinished earth removal project resulted in what everyone agrees is an eyesore.

Selectmen, who approved a new earth removal permit Monday night, said they would rather give the applicant the benefit of the doubt than continue to deal with the unsightliness - and siltation from an unfinished reservoir canal on the 14-acre site.

Glenn Amaral of GAF Engineering said the earth removal project, for which the original permit expired in 1999, was hampered by the poor material on the site. The Grant Company was authorized to remove 370,000 cubic yards of material from the property in 1994, and a one-year extension, the maximum allowed under the town's earth removal bylaw, was granted in 1998. The project was the first of a proposed three phase earth removal operation. Mr. Amaral said about one-third of the first phase has been completed, but the market for the material on the site was limited and much of it went to the municipal landfill on Brook Street to be used as daily cover material.

"The owner believes he has a market now," Mr. Amaral said, adding that plans still call for cranberry bogs to be constructed on the property.

"Is that a viable option?" Chairman of Selectmen Wayne Perkins asked, noting that many bog owners have been selling off land since a surplus of berries contributed to a dramatic drop in market prices several years ago.

"A number of people are preparing land ... in hopes that as time goes on the market will improve and the land will be ready to go into production," Mr. Amaral said.

Mr. Amaral said if a new permit is approved, his client plans to loam and seed the banks of the unfinished canal to prevent silt from moving downstream, an issue that concerns the Conservation Commission.

Abutters noted that there is a "for sale" sign on the Grant property, and questioned whether the owner is likely to sell the land in the middle of the new earth removal project.

"We're concerned that the land could be sold and turned into house lots," said Garrett Holmes of Eddy Street, while others expressed concern about the project being left unfinished despite the new permit.

Town Manager John Healey and selectmen said the town is still holding a $75,000 performance bond that could be used to grade and clean up the site if necessary. Mr. Healey said the Grant Company has paid inspection fees on time and has been "generally cooperative" with the town. He said the earth removal permit would not be transferable to a new owner.

Mr. Amaral said the soils on the property are "very poor," and it is unlikely that they would support septic systems for residential development. He said he did not know whether the 14 acres involved in the proposed earth removal are included in the 92 acres of land that abutters said is for sale.

Bruce Atwood of Plympton Street, who is a cranberry grower and chairman of the zoning board, said the Grant Company should be required to complete the first phase of the project before any further permits are granted. He said the existing bog on the site has been flooded and is not in use.

"I also question whether the cranberry business is feasible right now," he said. "I'm in it, and I can tell you it's not. I go by that eyesore every day, and I think the least they could do is level it off . It's a dump."

Selectmen approved the new permit and said an order of conditions will be considered at their Aug. 12 meeting. Public input on the conditions will be accepted.