WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — Monday night's Waterford Township board meeting was contentious. One resident after the next explained why they believe a concrete crushing operation is bad business for their neighborhood.
Several residents questioned the township board of trustees and asked why the concrete crusher, owned by Bell Site Development, is allowed to operate without already being in full compliance.
Watch our coverage from earlier in the day about the meeting in the video player below:
Mary Craite and Robin McGregor, who are both running for office, are concerned about noise and air pollution, including silica dust.
"Is there a fugitive dust plan as the silica particles that are as sharp as broken glass can remain in the air 12 days?" Craite asked. "This is all off the EPA site."
Township Supervisor Gary Wall told residents the township board did not make the decision for the concrete crusher to operate.
"This is... a decision the planning commission makes, not the township board. I don't talk to the planning commission people. I don't influence them," Wall told 7 News Detroit.
Only one of the board trustees serves on the planning commission, and that's Anthony Bartolotta.
"They violated their special approval about a year, a year and a half ago. It was brought back in front of us. We revoked it. We basically told them no, you're shut down, which we did. We shut them down," Bartolotta explained.
"They applied again. They didn't come back the way we wanted it. (They applied) one more time and they went above and beyond what we asked them to do, and that's when they got approved."
When asked if residents concerns are valid, Bartolotta replied, "I think some of them are, but you got to understand, they (residents) bought a home next door to an industrial area."
Jeffrey Polkowski, the township's director of development services, explained a performance bond is in place.
Basically, the company must meet a number of conditions and have the project complete within six months or else it will forfeit the $97,000 bond.
Previous story: 'This is not healthy': Waterford residents concerned about proposed concrete crusher
The owner of the company, Mike Reis, attended the meeting. He declined an on-camera interview. However, 7 News Detroit did interview him on the phone earlier in the day.
Reis said, “We’ve addressed everything that everybody was concerned about. Their major concern, obviously, were noise and dust, and we’re making sure that we’re on top of it — all day, every day.”
McGregor said she's asking for a town hall meeting with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to answer all of the questions residents have.
