Members of a committee that worked on gravel mining for a revised Wright County Northwest Quadrant Land Use Plan took issue with its proposals at a public hearing last week. As a result, the Wright County Planning Commission agreed to meet with the aggregate committee and delayed further action on the plan until at least Thursday, Aug. 13. The commission held a mandatory public hearing on the draft plan Thursday night, June 18, in the county courthouse in Buffalo and will ultimately make a recommendation to the county board. The northwest quadrant takes in the cities of Annandale, South Haven, Maple Lake and Clearwater as well as the townships of Corinna, Southside, Albion, French Lake, Clearwater, Silver Creek Maple Lake and Chatham. Among proposed changes is the creation of an aggregate resource area in Southside Township that would be the only place where long-term commercial open-pit gravel mining could be located. The ARA would take in 2,857 acres, or about 41/2 square miles, from west and north of Annandale to between South Haven and Lake Sylvia. Southside is one of the two main areas of the county where gravel is located. Gravel mining outside the ARA would be short-term pits limited to two years and directly related to road projects. They would have to be reclaimed when the job is over. Two Southside Township members of the seven-member aggregate committee told the hearing last week that they’re against the plan’s gravel mining proposals. A third member called for a workshop to air concerns. Phyllis Latour, a Southside Township supervisor, told commissioners the aggregate guidelines in the plan are too vague and asked them to turn down the proposal. In an interview later Latour said she objects to mining outside the ARA and is concerned about the possibility of continual mining there. The committee also discussed keeping gravel mining 1,000 feet away from any lake, she said, but the restriction isn’t in the proposal. Many residents have told her they don’t favor mining outside the ARA, she said, because they’re afraid of having a gravel pit in their back yard. "Environmentally, people are very concerned." Latour said at least four members of the committee are against the proposal. Another member, Thomas Thompson, told the hearing the ARA provision and "the unlimited use of borrow pits provide for unacceptable solutions to the control of responsible mining." "Your board has already approved adequate mining operations, which can supply the need of the county for the foreseeable future." Thompson said gravel mining isn’t a planning problem and should be regulated like a utility. Thompson said later that the ARA has never been tested and needs further research. "They’re not sure that there is gravel in there. We shouldn’t impound anybody’s land unless we’re sure there’s a positive outcome." Borrow pits to provide fill for highway projects can be dug just about anyplace, he said, and the plan would produce "just a whole lot of gravel pits that we don’t need." Ken Scadden, a committee member from Monticello Township, urged commissioners to have a workshop meeting with the group to air the issues. "There’s a lot of concerned people," he said. A letter from the Monticello Township Board said the ARA should be left out of the plan because the agricultural zoning ordinance already protects gravel resources. The township, which also has gravel deposits, is in the northeast quadrant, but it’s expected that an ARA would eventully be added to the plan for that area of the county. A letter from Greater Lake Sylvia Association president Joe Lepley said there’s been no support for protecting lakes from future gravel mining expansion. "We have continually asked that the mining activities (have) at least a 1,000 foot setback from shorelands. It was suggested that it be a part of the study results but was not even considered by the staff." Corinna Township supervisor Dick Naaktgeboren said the township has been getting calls from residents who say they’re just finding out their land is in a proposed resource lands designation. Significant wildlife and natural areas would be protected as resource lands in the revised plan. Naaktgeboren understood the county had agreed in December to contact those landowners, but planning administrator Tom Salkowski said he didn’t recall that and, besides, everyone had been sent a letter in October. Naaktgeboren said the township board would appreciate the county allowing landowners who don’t want the resource lands designation to opt out. Salkowski said he would contact those landowners.
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