WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — Some residents in Waterford Township are concerned about a proposed concrete and asphalt crusher being given the green light to operate.
Bell Site Development is going through the process with the township planning commission to get approval to use the crusher.
Beth Leventis, a concerned resident, reached out to 7 News Detroit.
“Citizens here took some notes and then we all went to the planning meeting and talked to the commission about our concerns. The majority of them are health related," she explained.
She and other residents are concerned about exposure to silica dust as well as noise from the crushing.
“My beef is with the township, certain township officials, that let this get this far," resident Ryan Webb said. "I mean, how do you not come out here and look at that site and not realize how close it is to these residences, how close it is to Kettering High School?"
"I mean, they just don’t seem like they have the township residents' interest at heart.”
As Webb pointed out, Kettering High School is near to the industrial site. Mary Craite, a longtime Waterford teacher and the teachers union president, said that's unacceptable.
“The bottom line is this is not healthy for our kids. This is not healthy for our community, and our citizens didn’t want it,” Craite said.
The school district superintendent wrote a letter to the planning commission expressing the same concerns.
Despite that, the planning commission recently voted 5-2 allowing the company to take the next step in the process.
Waterford resident Denny Timmerman, who's on oxygen, said “Without this (machine), I cannot breath. So, I’m worried about — we’re worried about it, about the dust."
Both before and after interviewing residents, 7 News Detroit spoke to the owner of Bell Site Development, Mike Reis, on the phone. However, he declined our request for an interview.
Reis said he believes the concerns are unfounded. His company said it's come up with an extravagant landscaping plan that would buffer out any noise and dust concerns and that they’ve met the criteria required of them by the planning commission.
Related: Residents of Detroit's Core City call for city to rezone dust-filled lot
7 News Detroit reached out to the township to find out more. The township's director of development services, Jeffrey Polkowski, said the company had previously started crushing without authorization, was told to stop but eventually came into compliance.
We'll stay on top of this story and let you know what happens.
