As Lawrence city officials are working on a new set of regulations to cover blasting activities in the city, construction crews began blasting away again Wednesday in West Lawrence.

Crews with The Pexco Co. began what is expected to be a month’s worth of periodic blasting near Langston Hughes School near where George Williams Way currently ends.

The resumption of blasting activity concerns at least one neighbor of the area. Dan Wilkus, a resident who has lobbied for new blasting regulations, said the fact that crews decided to do the blasting while school was not in session was telling.

“If it is so safe, why do the children need to be gone?” Wilkus asked.

But officials with Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical, the agency that issues blasting permits, said the activity didn’t pose any threat to the school.

Rich Barr, the city’s fire marshal, said the blasting could have easily occurred while students were at the school, but he saw this as an opportunity to eliminate a disruption to students.

“My philosophy is that if we can do it while they’re gone, why wouldn’t we?” Barr said.

Wednesday’s blast — a 100-foot stretch designed to clear rock for a sewer line — was the blast that will be the closest to the school. It was about 700 feet away from the school.

Barr said the company’s blasting permit was valid through Jan. 22. He said several more blasts would be conducted before the permit expired, but said blasting wouldn’t occur on a daily basis.

P.J. Davis gets ready to shoot about 30 holes of explosives Wednesday. The blasting, which is taking place about 700 feet from Langston Hughes School, 1101 George Williams Way, has raised concerns about blasting regulations.

Wilkus said the most recent blasting confirmed to him that contractors were still not required to provide adequate notice to residents within the area.

But Barr said the contractor actually was going beyond what the current code required. Currently, the code only says that residents within 1,500 feet must be notified. It doesn’t spell out how they should be notified.

A proposed code thatcity officials have not yet adopted requires thatresidents within 500 feet of blasting activity be sent a letter via certified mail. Everyone else within 1,500 feet will receive a letter by first-class mail.

Barr said the contractor agreed to follow the proposed rules, even though he wasn’t legally obligated to do so.

Wilkus said everyone within the 1,500-feet area needed to be notified via certified mail.

“A lot of people throw a lot of first-class mail out as junk mail,” Wilkus said.

Explosives ordinance sparks concerns (11-23-04) 6News video: Board finalizes draft ordinance on blasting (10-20-04) Contractors’ use of explosives sparks code revisions (8-03-04) Blasting to continue despite neighbors’ pleas (4-28-04) Construction blasts shake western neighborhood (4-14-04)

Mayor Mike Rundle also said he wanted the new code to include a requirement that all notification be done via certified mail. Rundle said he wanted the city’s Fire Code Board of Appeals, which is drafting the new regulations, toalso consider adding a method for neighbors to appeal a decision by the fire department to issue a blasting permit.

“It seems like if somebody thinks the ordinance isn’t being carried out properly, they should have some means of recourse,” Rundle said.

Russ Pilshaw, owner of The Pexco Co., the blasting company, saidthe possible changes to the code still concerned him. He said they would drive up the cost developers must pay to create new housing lots in the city.

“If they want to add $10,000 to the cost of new lots, I guess it doesn’t matter to me,” Pilshaw said. “It will just add to the cost of future residents.”

Barr said he expected the city’s Fire Code Board of Appeals to discuss new regulations sometime in late January.