Homeowners say no thanks to gravel pit

TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) - "To put an industrial I-3 tag out here is going to probably decrease values," said Homeowner Ed Nichols.

Ed Nichols and his wife Beth are residents of the Willowood subdivision in Tippecanoe County. They are just two of nearly a dozen homeowners who got together Thursday afternoon to voice concern about the re-location of Milestone Contractors' gravel pit and asphalt plant.

The issue was recently on the agenda at an Area Plan Commission (APC) Meeting, a meeting the homeowners said they knew little about.

"It's four or five pages long and mostly it's a description of the land. It just says there's going to be a meeting to re-zone it, not for what," said Homeowner Liz Fountain in reference to a notification letter she received in the mail.

Fountain and others feel county authorities are rushing through the process and that the sign along County Road 300 North was too small and the newspaper and mailed notices not descriptive enough.

Area Plan Commission Director Sallie Fahey said the proper notifications were sent out.

"The petitioner did everything correctly," said Fahey.

According to Fahey, her office recommended the Area Plan Commission not approve the re-zoning because of the absence of city sewer and water at the proposed site. Instead, the APC approved the re-zoning 10 to 0.

"As a professional staff making a recommendation to the plan commission, our recommendation was actually against as being premature," said Fahey.

One of the biggest concerns homeowners have is the close proximity of the proposed city well fields they said will be at the intersection of 300N and 400E, with the proposed adjacent gravel pit.

"Possible contaminants coming off the asphalt would percolate down through the soil within a matter of a day and hit our aquifer," said homeowner Sally Mohler.

The issue now heads to the Tippecanoe County Commissioners. Commissioner John Knochel said all the homeowners' concerns will be taken into consideration before voting.

"I'm trying to keep an open mind. Two of the three of us have already voted in favor of it once. We'll have to see whether or not they changed their opinion," said Knochel.

Commissioners will meet Monday August 2 at 10:00 a.m. at the Tippecanoe County Office Building located at 20 North Third Street in Lafayette.

Residents said they're not opposed to the Hoosier Heartland Corridor, just the gravel pit and asphalt plant re-zoning.

Share