More than 20 Windham residents, citing unbearable noise and a wall of stone dust enveloping their homes, directed state officials to deny a crushing permit for a development site on Ledge Road on Monday night, May 5.

The state Department of Environmental Services held a public hearing to gather input about whether the Air Division should approve a permit for a Lowell, Mass., company to continue crushing stone at its Ledge Road site along Route 111.

While blasting at the Meadowcroft site has prompted criticism from nearby residents who’ve had contaminated wells since last summer, residents are also reporting an unending film of stone dust enveloping their properties from stone crushing on the site nearby.

“We’re prisoners in our own home,” said Greg Kindrat of 61 Haverhill Road. “We can’t go outside with our kids. There’s tons of dust.”

The permit, described by DES Air Resources Division Chairman Craig Wright, would allow Meadowcroft to operate three crushing machines and one large dieselfuel engine at the site with certain fuel and dust output guidelines. Julia Whistle of 55 Haverhill Road said previous conditions have been so bad that she criticized any proposal that would allow the development site to crush rock without supervision.

“I’m sorry you’re understaffed but so are we,” she said. “What are we supposed to do? Suck in the dust all the time?”

Joanne Vignos of 4 Meetinghouse Road said the clouds of dust and noise levels up to 112 decibels have made conditions outside her home unbearable.

“I could not even go outside in my backyard unless I wanted to hear grinding, blasting and crushing,” Vignos said.

Nancy Butcher of 59 Haverhill Road asked if there would be unannounced checks on the operation to make sure the site would be in compliance.

“I think based on what I heard I can commit to that,” replied DES Compliance Bureau Administrator Pamela Monroe.

While Wright said that the Air Division of DES had no authority to weigh noise as a factor in issuing the permit, Vignos said it should be considered in some form as an effect on the environment.

“I think there are other kinds of pollution besides air ... I have no life because of this project at my home,” she said.

Wright said written input on whether to grant the permit could be submitted to the DES Air Division office through 4 p.m. on Friday, May 9.