Ayer Planning Board Orders Safety Overhaul After Blasting Rock Hits Home

AYER -- February 12, 2026, Ayer Planning Board convenes emergency session after blasting debris strikes occupied property at Lincoln Hill development. The board heard from Onyx Corporation project manager Jason Martin, A-1 Drill and Blasting representative Tim Keefe, Fire Chief Brian Gilman, and Town Manager Robert Paprian at a special February 12 meeting called after the 19th blast at the Lincoln Hill subdivision sent fly rock off site and onto 29 High Street, damaging a shed and, according to resident Janelle Byron, also striking her home's roof. The state fire marshal's code compliance unit found no willful negligence and no deviation from the approved blasting plan, but the blaster responsible faces a license suspension and probationary period. Keefe said approximately 27 blasting days remain, and the team will reduce blast sizes, double-layer blasting mats, and install a chain-link fence with scrim along the western property line. A separate traffic overhaul, including off-site truck staging near the Ayer Rotary and police-escorted deliveries via Groton Harvard Road, addresses repeated violations of the approved truck route on local residential streets. The building commissioner retains authority to lift the stop work order, and the Planning Board is scheduled to receive a formal update at its February 24 meeting.