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By DARLA L. PICKETT
Staff Writer Tuesday, July 31, 2007

enlarge Staff photo by Jim Evans

IT’S STILL THERE: A truck-load of chicken manure that sprayed Richard White’s property last week in Norridgewock has been partially cleaned up, and White is unhappy that the job is not complete. The driver of the accident on Walker Road was not cited for any driving violations.

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It was hanging from his mailbox, sloshed all over his snowmobile, lying next to his well and dried on his garage door more than 30 feet across the yard. Two vehicles parked nearby looked like they had been through a very sloppy and thick mud run.

"There's stuff still 20 feet up the tree," White said, pointing. "It was like a tsunami wave of hot chicken (manure)."

The pungent odor of the nitrogen-concentrated chicken excrement still hung in the air at White's 441 Walker Road home, where shortly after 3 p.m. last Thursday an 18-wheel tractor-trailer rolled over and dumped 24 tons of the stuff in his front yard.

Two used vehicles up for sale were destroyed. A 1997 Eagle Vision TSI was spun around by the impact of the manure and landed in front of his doorstep, White said. A 1987 Suburban Silverado with a plow package also was splattered with the manure and turned sideways. It even blew up under the vehicle and into the motor, he said.

White remained frustrated Monday because, except for the initial cleanup of the excess manure, he said he was still living with a stinky mess.

"There are still so many flies; I hate flies," White said. "My other, three-quarter-ton truck was covered. The one I drive. It took me four hours and $40 and some change to clean it at the car wash. It was nasty. I'm sure the owner (of the car wash) is not happy with me, but I didn't want to wash it in my yard."

White said his 22-year-old son "vacated the premises," and White, himself, said he only returned Sunday night: "The odor was intense."

The driver of the tractor-trailer, Robert Mosher, 25, of Farmington, was extricated from the vehicle by emergency workers and continues to recover from internal injuries and broken ribs, according to police.

The tractor-trailer's owner, Maine Contract Farming of Turner, took responsibility for the mess.

Bruce Ames, supervisor for the company -- which he said used to be a division of Decoster Egg Farm -- has been negotiating with White on the cleanup.

"We're trying to make everything right for the man. We don't need any trouble," Ames said Monday. "We deliver a lot of manure, up to 70 loads a week in central Maine -- some in southern Maine in the springtime."

Ames said Thursday's delivery was headed to Anthony Shusta's fields nearby. He said he found out very late in the day abut the accident. He said Shusta's hired hand went over to White's with a front loader, but it became too dark to do anything.

"Elroy Chartrand of Norridgewock and four men went over the next day with two dump trucks and a loader," Ames said. He said they cleaned up the basic pile of manure and filled in the area with dirt: "There's a nice lawn there now."

Matthew T. Randall, compliance supervisor with the Department of Agriculture, said he had been informed of the problem.

"The carrier of the manure takes the lead," Randall said. "Because they have ownership of the material, it is their responsibility. They began that process Thursday night and worked on it Friday. I am not aware of what happened over the weekend."

White said nothing happened over the weekend and that upset him: "I asked him: 'What would your wife want you to do?' "

Randall said he and Ames are planning to meet this afternoon to look at the cleanup effort. He said payment of damages will be negotiated between White and Ames without involvement from his department.

"In terms of the well, I'll make inquiries about that tomorrow as part of my visit," Randall said.

White, who said he is mostly in the "recycled car" business, said he had talked with Ames about purchasing the two cars and cleaning up the rest of the mess, but became impatient because no one seemed to be paying attention.

"They think I'm a hick and don't matter. But my life didn't smell like this before, why should it now? I'd rather have five gallons of oil dumped on me, than the flies crawling on me last night. At least I know what chemicals are in the oil."

Darla L. Pickett -- 474-9534, Ext. 341

dpickett@centralmaine.com

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