Asphalt plant plan raises a stink with city residents

But mayor says most of his concerns have been satisfied by owner

By Ed Nadolski

Editor in chief

A proposal for a new asphalt mixing plant on a portion of the former J.W. Peters property is shaping up as a classic NIMBY (not in my backyard) issue – except this time the residents whose backyards are closest to the plant will likely have little representation in the matter.

That’s because the property earmarked for the asphalt facility is on a parcel in the Town of Burlington, while the residents who live closest to the area are in the City of Burlington.

As the debate advances, it adds a whole new dynamic of political representation across municipal lines to the traditional considerations of the economic benefits of the industry vs. aesthetic desires of the residential area.

The matter will go before the Town of Burlington Planning and Zoning Committee Thursday at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Town Hall auditorium, 32288 Bushnell Road.

If Monday’s meeting of the Racine County Economic Development and Land Use Planning Committee is any indication, city residents will be the ones expressing the greatest number of concerns.

Town Administrator Diane Baumeister said Tuesday she anticipates the committee will listen to the concerns regardless of where the residents live. How much credence the committee actually gives to the concerns of non-residents, however, remains to be seen.

Rezoning sought

Property owner Cretex Materials Inc. of Elk River, Minn., and plant operator Asphalt Contractors Inc., of Union Grove, have asked the town and county to rezone a portion of the property at 34215 Market Street from quarry district to heavy industrial district and grant a conditional use permit for an asphalt manufacturing plant.

In addition to the manufacture of asphalt, the permit would allow recycling of pavement, sale of asphalt products, storage of equipment and construction of shop and storage buildings.

According to County Board Supervisor Tom Pringle of Burlington, a member of the county’s Land Use Planning Committee, the permit would allow the plant to operate year-round from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and two Saturdays each month.

After listening to the concerns of a relatively long line of residents, the committee voted 5-2 Monday to recommend approval of both the rezoning and the conditional use permit.

Pringle, who was one of the two members voting against the proposal, said he was concerned about the potential negative impacts the plant could have on city residents, whether they are odor, noise, truck traffic or hours of operation.

“In my estimation, there were just too many ifs,” he said.

Resident concerns

Mary Shepherd, of 101 Kane Street, was one of the residents who spoke at Monday’s meeting. She said she’s most concerned about the odor the plant may generate and the impact that could have on property values and quality of life.

“I feel this would be a detriment to everyone,” she said. “In Burlington, you wake up and smell the chocolate. I don’t want to wake up and smell the asphalt.

“I understand that we need jobs,” she added, “but eight to 30 jobs is not enough to offset the impact on home values and quality of life.”

County Supervisor Mike Dawson, who represents the area where the plant would be built, was at Monday’s meeting to learn more about the proposal. He said several of his neighbors along Kane Street in the city complained to him regarding the potential of adverse impacts.

“They were concerned enough to call me,” he said, adding that he’d rather see the plant proposed at a different location.

“I told the committee my concern is, if we do this, we need to do it right. This is something that could cause problems.”

Pringle said Bob Kordus, the owner of Asphalt Contractors Inc., did his best to allay the concerns of residents and committee members.

According to Pringle, Kordus told the committee an agent would be added to the asphalt emulsifier to mask the “tar” odor, leaving a faint scent of cherry in the air. He also said all trucks leaving the plant would be covered to control odor.

Kordus told those at the meeting the plant would be used to service smaller contracts such as driveways, parking lots and residential streets rather than large highway projects.

A message left for Kordus seeking additional comment was not returned prior to deadline for this story.

Mayor is satisfied

Although City of Burlington officials have no say in the rezoning or conditional use permit, Mayor Bob Miller said Tuesday he is satisfied the asphalt plant will be able to coexist with the neighborhood. Miller said he met with Kordus Tuesday afternoon.

“I had several concerns and he was able to answer each and every one of them,” Miller said. “All they are really doing is taking the stone, mixing it with emulsifier and dumping it in the back of a truck.”

Miller said it is important for residents to know the proposed plant is not a refinery where petroleum chemicals are processed to create the emulsifier.

He said the emulsifier will be trucked into the facility and stored in a tank that is further protected from leaks by a rubber-lined berm.

“The key with this is it’s a batch plant, not a refinery,” Miller said.

As for noise, he said, the plant supposedly operates at approximately 40 decibels from a distance of about 1,500 feet, which is roughly the distance of the closest residence from the mixing plant. He compared that level to ambient household noise.

The mixing plant itself was in operation at another site before being obtained by Kordus, who told officials he planned to refurbish it before putting it to work at the Burlington site. Miller said he understood the plant is approved by the Department of Natural Resources for operation until 2016.

More jobs, more trucks

Miller also said Kordus told him the plant will initially create five new jobs, but that number could grow as high as 50, depending on demand for the plant. Accordingly, the plant will begin operations with five trucks per day leaving the operation but that number could grow to 75 depending on the demand and the season.

Although the mixing plant would be located on town land, the delivery trucks would have to leave the plant on a route that follows Market and McHenry streets within the city.

Miller said he had a “gentleman’s agreement” with Kordus that he would repair any damage caused by his trucks to city streets.

Although he anticipates some resistance from residents living near the plant, Miller said he was confident it would not pose an unreasonable intrusion on the neighborhood.

“Once it gets in and people see it in operation, I hope it assuages any concerns,” he said.

If the town Planning and Zoning Committee recommends approval of the site rezoning the matter would advance to the Town Board before going to the County Board for consideration of final approval.

County Planning Director Julie Anderson said the earliest that would happen is mid June.

“We’re just one piece of the puzzle,” she said of the county’s role, further noting that the township and the DNR will also have a say.