Quarry rezoning request OK’d

After six months of public comment and debate, the final decision on rezoning land for a stone quarry expansion was quiet and quick.

Portland City Council on Monday voted unanimously to approve rezoning about 108 acres of land west of the city to allow for the expansion of U.S. Aggregates’ stone quarry operation.

The council vote is the second-to-last step in the approval process for the company, which now must seek a special exception from Portland Board of Zoning Appeals to allow mining.

U.S. Aggregates had requested 108 acres of land between county road 100 South and Tyson Road, east of county road 200 West, be rezoned to industrial from agricultural in order to expand its stone quarry operation. (Company officials have said the current site at 2228 W. 125 South has about three to five years worth of material left and that the new area would extend the life of the facility by an estimated 30 years.) The issue had been discussed and debated at a series of public meetings beginning in February, with Portland Plan Commission first giving a negative recommendation in April and then, after modifications, recommending approval of the request in July.

As part of the approval process, the company negotiated an agreement with council that includes providing compensation for adjacent homeowners for loss in home value attributed to the quarry, providing a remedy for those who have water well issues attributed to the quarry, constructing a berm, conducting seismic monitoring and setting allowed hours for operation and blasting.

Other than city attorney Bill Hinkle explaining some final details of the commitment document agreed upon by the city and U.S. Aggregates, there was no comment on the issue Monday. Council members Kent McClung, Janet Powers, Don Gillespie, Michele Brewster, Matt Goldsworthy, Dave Golden and Mike Aker voted unanimously for approval.

Golden later thanked everyone who was involved in the process.

“Democracy works,” he said.

A decision on raises — 65 cents per hour — for full-time city employees also passed quietly after being discussed by council for more than two months. It applies to all full-time city employees and elected officials except Portland City Court Judge Donald Gillespie, who said he would not accept a raise.

Portland Mayor John Boggs initially requested a $1 raise during council’s June 7 meeting. Some council members balked at that large of a raise, instead suggesting 50 cents. After failing to pass a proposal and tabling the issue multiple times, council voted 4-3 on first reading for the 65-cent raise on Aug. 2. (Goldsworthy, Brewster and Aker cast the dissenting votes, having argued for a larger raise.)

On Monday, council members unanimously approved the 65-cent raise on second reading.

“Finally,” Mayor John Boggs said after the vote.

Council members were also given notice of Portland Plan Commission’s approval of preliminary plans for a condominium development on the south side of county road 75 South just west of Indiana 67. CB Development is seeking rezoning to planned development residential from the current agricultural/residential for a 35-unit condo development. The next step is for council to vote on the preliminary plans, after which CB Development would then return with final plans for approval from plan commission and rezoning by council.

A special meeting was set for 5:30 p.m. Sept. 2 in council chambers for public comment. Council then plans to take action on the preliminary plans at its Sept. 7 regular meeting.

Boggs also reminded residents that Tri-State Gas Engine and Tractor Association’s Antique Engine and Tractor Show runs Aug. 25 through 28. The event typically brings tens of thousands of visitors to the city.

“Along with those visitors comes the traffic,” the mayor said. “So please be careful. Plan on getting through town taking just a little bit longer this next week and a half. Be safe out there.”

In other business, council:

•Referred a request from FR Holdings for a seven-year tax abatement of a $3.6 million new 46,000-square-foot warehouse and office addition at Priority Plastics to the city’s tax abatement advisory committee. (The company leases the land from FR Holdings.) The abatement is estimated to save the company $369,000 in taxes.

•Gave initial approval to adding a crosswalk on Walnut Street to connect the Performing Arts Center and the new Hudson Center for the Visual Arts on the Jay County Campus of Arts Place. City attorney Bill Hinkle will look into whether the crosswalk requires an ordinance. Council also approved closing the half block of Walnut Street at the Arts Place campus from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Oct. 9 for the dedication of its new and renovated facilities from and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 16 for an open house.

•Agreed to allow for a section of sidewalk on Baker St., adjacent to Bollenbacher and Associates, 915 N. Meridian St., to be removed to allow for more parking.

•Heard Aker thank the mayor for the street department’s removal of tree limbs that were blocking stops signs at the intersection of Main and Pleasant streets. He had brought up the issue at a previous meeting.