Public Hearing Held For Potential Non-Metallic Mining Operation in Town of Byron

A public hearing was hosted in the Town of Byron on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 6:30 p.m. regarding a potential non-metallic mining operation. The hearing included a presentation by the applicant and then time for the public to make comments. There was no time limit on the public’s comments.

Applicant’s Presentation

The applicant, Fond du Lac Stone Development, had a presentation that detailed how they would be using the land, their phases, blasting process, natural resource concerns and more. There were also some representatives from Michels Corporation to go over things as well.

Their first phase would include stripping the top soil off to get to the buff stone below that they are looking to mine.

The reason behind acquiring a new piece of land is due to them running out of mineable buff stone at their other location.

Blasting, extraction and removal of aggregate materials would mainly be done during phase one and phase one would take a few years to complete.

The work schedule they presented would be from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Drilling would only take place from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. while blasting would be from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Part of their process for blasting would include taking pictures of the houses before any blasting occurs to make sure that none are damaged, and if they are, the extent of that damage. Pre-blast inspections would be done to houses 486 feet or closer to the site. However the applicant said they would do the inspections to houses further out if requested.

The applicant mentioned that the blasts would be felt but they claimed they would not cause damage. The vibration levels that the blasts produce is determined by how close you are to the site. They mentioned that the state sets regulations on blasting and they would follow those regulations.

The project would be 27.6 acres by the end of phase one and berms would be created to block noise. Their reclamation plan includes a 23 acre lake which will utilize the top soil they removed in phase one. No buildings would be built as all the processing would be done at their other location.

For natural resources, wetlands would be avoided to the best of their ability and delineation has been done along with their dust control plan.

Once phase one is complete, they said blasting would go down in both frequency and magnitude.

Public comments

Residents brought up many concerns for this project ranging from safety of cars on the road and houses to preserving the agricultural landscape.

The town’s Comprehensive Plan Update 2040 was brought up several times with the main point being that the land they want to use was not listed as a marked area for non-metallic mining.

A few residents mentioned that important farm land could be lost as a result of this project and that it may make the landscape look less appealing.

There were concerns brought up about the trucks that would be coming in and out of the site and how some residents have had run-ins with the trucks causing dangerous situations due to dust.

Houses being damaged was another talking point. Community members cited that they have been around blasting before and felt the effects heavily in their homes. One resident mentioned they were concerned about property values dropping.

A resident brought up concerns of a geologic manner, he said that he was worried due to the bedrock being permeable sedimentary rocks which could risk contamination. He also claimed that the mining may go below the water table, bringing up further concerns about contamination.

The public comment closed at 9:11 p.m.

Applicant Response and Future Board Meeting

The applicants were then given a chance to respond to the comments they heard from the public.

Their response was that they need to get more information and education out and they would be willing to work with the town to meet conditions deemed important.

As for the Comprehensive Plan, they said that it is a guide not a re-zone.

They mentioned that their dust control plan is in their application as well.

Next the board was able to ask any questions but the board didn’t have any questions to ask the applicant at this time.

The record was kept open until Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 11:59 p.m. for the public to add any comments they wanted the town board to hear concerning the project.

Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 6:30 p.m. is when the next meeting regarding the project will be held. It will not be a public hearing, only a deliberation meeting however the public is welcome to attend.