He contends operation won’t cause the problems opponents fear
By Jennifer Eisenbart
Staff writer
To Asphalt Contractors Inc. owner Bob Kordus, the time for controversy over his asphalt plant setting up operation in Burlington is long past.
In fact, at the first meetings over the process, Kordus saw maybe 15-20 people show up.
“That’s not a lot of people,” he explained.
For all the complaints voiced about Kordus’ plans to place an asphalt plant on the old JW Peters property – a plan that received final approval last week from the Racine County Board of Supervisors – Kordus maintains that the situation will not be anywhere near as bad as some residents are making it out to be.
“If you talk to people who really know this stuff … they’re the ones who think a gravel pit is a good place for it,” Kordus said. “If it was a dangerous product, I’m sure they wouldn’t do it.
“It’s just a common sense thing,” he said about health concerns over being around asphalt. “I’ve been doing it my whole life, and I have no problems with it.”
Kordus talked through a number of different items in a telephone interview Monday evening, saying he is committed to being a good neighbor and making as little impact in the city as possible.
Toward that end, he said, the cherry-scented masking agent he will use at the plant should reduce about 90-95 of any smell from the asphalt.
“We do make every effort,” Kordus said. “The masking agent is inexpensive for what it does.
“It’s cheap insurance,” he added. “You do it to be a good neighbor. I’ve actually experimented with the stuff. It removes the smell.”
And beyond the concerns about health, noise and smell, Kordus said the plant will offer an opportunity for more jobs in the area, though he plans to start small.
He doesn’t have a start date for the plant, because he is still working through the permit process with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
But in addition to that, he wants to create a quality work environment that becomes known for making a quality product.
“I’m looking at the longevity of the thing,” said Kordus, who said he wanted to get the “fly by night” contractors out of business.
Eventually, he hopes to have at least 30-35 people working at the Burlington plant.
“We have over 30 employees here now,” Kordus said of his Union Grove office. “Our idea … is to start that area, to grow that area.”
Of course, the process hasn’t been without some frustration. Kordus said he had seen the police report in the newspaper a few weeks back of someone complaining about the asphalt plant, which hadn’t even begun operating at the site. That made Kordus wonder exactly what operation was making noise.
“Which one did they hear?” he asked.
-
-
-
-
-