After an hour of deliberation, this past Wednesday Chippewa County Planning and Zoning members voted 6 - 1 to recommend the issuance of a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) that would allow the construction of a four million gallon asphalt facility five miles north of Granite Falls at Asbury.
Approximately 20 citizens present at the meeting lobbied board members to vote in opposition to the permit. Three homes are located within a quarter-mile of the agriculturally zoned site, where Duininck Inc., of Prinsburg, is seeking to construct the 45-foot tall by 130-foot in diameter above ground storage tank. In the future, as many as four like-size tanks could be placed at the site by the construction company, though an additional permit would be required.
Nearby homeowners, neighbors and others have expressed concerns involving diminishing property values, air quality, ground water run-off and other harmful effects that may result from the facility. In the face of those perceived hazards, the Minnesota Pollution Control Citizens Board approved an Environmental Assess-ment Worksheet (EAW) for the project, completed by the company and overseen by the MPCA, on June 22.
“Most of the reasons went back to environmental concerns,” said Land and Resource Management Office of Chippewa County Director, Scott Williams of the citizen commentary during the planning and zoning meeting. “In the end we always have to do things based on fact, not emotion or opinion or speculation. We didn’t see anything that contradicted the environmental assessment that had been done by the MPCA ... we’re going to trust the experts.”
In addition to their recommendation to approve the project, planning and zoning members developed a list of conditions that could be placed on the facility, including the construction of berms, dust control, limits on truck braking and other items.
According to Williams, planning and zoning member Steve Jacobson’s lone dissenting vote hinged on a condition that was not included concerning restrictions on the hours of operation.
Jeff Muhl, who is one of the three residents located closest to the site, said that he was dissatisfied with the decision of the Planning Board. He said that he did not belive that the board gave credence to the effects on property values, ignored any type of operating hours limitations and failed to take into account the effects that 10 - 40 hauling trucks, per day, will have on the homeowners.
The planning and zoning committee recommendations will come before the Chippewa County Board this coming Tuesday. Chippewa commissioners will have the final say on whether to approve the permit and associated conditions.
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After an hour of deliberation, this past Wednesday Chippewa County Planning and Zoning members voted 6 - 1 to recommend the issuance of a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) that would allow the construction of a four million gallon asphalt facility five miles north of Granite Falls at Asbury.
Approximately 20 citizens present at the meeting lobbied board members to vote in opposition to the permit. Three homes are located within a quarter-mile of the agriculturally zoned site, where Duininck Inc., of Prinsburg, is seeking to construct the 45-foot tall by 130-foot in diameter above ground storage tank. In the future, as many as four like-size tanks could be placed at the site by the construction company, though an additional permit would be required.
Nearby homeowners, neighbors and others have expressed concerns involving diminishing property values, air quality, ground water run-off and other harmful effects that may result from the facility. In the face of those perceived hazards, the Minnesota Pollution Control Citizens Board approved an Environmental Assess-ment Worksheet (EAW) for the project, completed by the company and overseen by the MPCA, on June 22.
“Most of the reasons went back to environmental concerns,” said Land and Resource Management Office of Chippewa County Director, Scott Williams of the citizen commentary during the planning and zoning meeting. “In the end we always have to do things based on fact, not emotion or opinion or speculation. We didn’t see anything that contradicted the environmental assessment that had been done by the MPCA ... we’re going to trust the experts.”
In addition to their recommendation to approve the project, planning and zoning members developed a list of conditions that could be placed on the facility, including the construction of berms, dust control, limits on truck braking and other items.
According to Williams, planning and zoning member Steve Jacobson’s lone dissenting vote hinged on a condition that was not included concerning restrictions on the hours of operation.
Jeff Muhl, who is one of the three residents located closest to the site, said that he was dissatisfied with the decision of the Planning Board. He said that he did not belive that the board gave credence to the effects on property values, ignored any type of operating hours limitations and failed to take into account the effects that 10 - 40 hauling trucks, per day, will have on the homeowners.
The planning and zoning committee recommendations will come before the Chippewa County Board this coming Tuesday. Chippewa commissioners will have the final say on whether to approve the permit and associated conditions.
