Monday, December 7, 2009
BY TERESA EDMOND
The Record
STAFF WRITER
RINGWOOD — The Borough Council has voted to allow Saddle Mountain LP to continue mining below the quarry's controversial 370-foot level and to extend its temporary license another 60 days to Feb. 2.
At a recent meeting on the quarry's relicensing, Councilman William Marsala warned that if the borough curbed operations, the quarry would take the borough to court, a situation taxpayers could not afford.
Marsala voted to let Saddle Mountain excavate below 370 feet, the level of West Brook Road.
"I know it's hard to do unpopular things, and this would be an unpopular decision, but there are too many concerns," Marsala said. "If this passes, we'd immediately be in court and have legal fees. We do have to watch our pennies."
Councilwoman Linda Schaefer voted to suspend excavation below 370 feet above see level, saying she has "an obligation to the residents."
Three voted for the extension and two were against. Scott Conley was absent and John Speer abstained.
The next quarry relicensing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 2 at 8 p.m. in Borough Hall.
Ringwood-based Saddle Mountain purchased the quarry from Van Orden Sand & Gravel in 1990 and operates the quarry as Van Orden in name only. The quarry is located on West Brook Road in Ringwood's Stonetown section.
Controversy has surrounded the 370-foot mark in the quarry, the limit imposed on digging. Residents say that digging below that would pollute local waters.
During the relicensing hearing, residents said that besides polluting the water, the operation has disrupted their lives with rush-hour blasting and that heavy trucks are damaging the West Brook Road Bridge. Last month, more than 60 Stonetown residents petitioned the Borough Council to regulate quarry operations.
Louisa Flaningam and her husband, who live in Wanaque on Lily Road — a street that runs parallel to West Brook Road — also spoke up at the meeting, saying that truck traffic and well-water pollution were affecting them.
Quarry attorney Jerome Vogel has threatened legal action against the borough if quarry operations below 370 feet are suspended. But Flaningam said she and others would raise money for Ringwood Borough's legal defenses if Saddle Mountain took Ringwood to court.
"We're willing to write a check right now to the borough of Ringwood for $1,000 toward your legal fund, if it means getting the quarry to comply and make this neighborhood safe environmentally and with traffic," she said.
Councilman Ted Taukus suggested that the council extend the quarry's temporary license another 60 days.
"It's not my intent to put the quarry out of business, but I don't want to see any more excavating in areas below 370 feet," he said.
The 60-day extension gives Saddle Mountain more time to gather documents for relicensing, even though Vogel contends the quarry filed necessary paperwork as far back as 2004, the last time the quarry was up for relicensing. The council has asked the quarry to document why it needs to mine below 370 feet.
Saddle Mountain's license expired last June, but the Borough Council has granted temporary extensions.
Vogel said Saddle Mountain meets regulations, and there have been no complaint filed with the borough since 2004.
The quarry is "careful about what [to] do" to abide by regulations, including having dust and noise control measures and having a state representative visit the quarry site "every time there's a blasting," Vogel said.
"For anyone to paint us as being some monolithic operation that [flouts] the law or [flouts] the regulations which attempt to regulate the quarry, I don't think there's real substance to that," he said.
Vogel said a 1996 consent order allows the quarry to dig below 370 feet.
The quarry has a call list so residents can be notified of quarry blastings about an hour before they occur, said Saddle Mountain owner Scott Braen. He said anyone can call the quarry to be included on the list.
E-mail: edmond@northjersey.com
RINGWOOD — The Borough Council has voted to allow Saddle Mountain LP to continue mining below the quarry's controversial 370-foot level and to extend its temporary license another 60 days to Feb. 2.
At a recent meeting on the quarry's relicensing, Councilman William Marsala warned that if the borough curbed operations, the quarry would take the borough to court, a situation taxpayers could not afford.
Marsala voted to let Saddle Mountain excavate below 370 feet, the level of West Brook Road.
"I know it's hard to do unpopular things, and this would be an unpopular decision, but there are too many concerns," Marsala said. "If this passes, we'd immediately be in court and have legal fees. We do have to watch our pennies."
Councilwoman Linda Schaefer voted to suspend excavation below 370 feet above see level, saying she has "an obligation to the residents."
Three voted for the extension and two were against. Scott Conley was absent and John Speer abstained.
The next quarry relicensing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 2 at 8 p.m. in Borough Hall.
Ringwood-based Saddle Mountain purchased the quarry from Van Orden Sand & Gravel in 1990 and operates the quarry as Van Orden in name only. The quarry is located on West Brook Road in Ringwood's Stonetown section.
Controversy has surrounded the 370-foot mark in the quarry, the limit imposed on digging. Residents say that digging below that would pollute local waters.
During the relicensing hearing, residents said that besides polluting the water, the operation has disrupted their lives with rush-hour blasting and that heavy trucks are damaging the West Brook Road Bridge. Last month, more than 60 Stonetown residents petitioned the Borough Council to regulate quarry operations.
Louisa Flaningam and her husband, who live in Wanaque on Lily Road — a street that runs parallel to West Brook Road — also spoke up at the meeting, saying that truck traffic and well-water pollution were affecting them.
Quarry attorney Jerome Vogel has threatened legal action against the borough if quarry operations below 370 feet are suspended. But Flaningam said she and others would raise money for Ringwood Borough's legal defenses if Saddle Mountain took Ringwood to court.
"We're willing to write a check right now to the borough of Ringwood for $1,000 toward your legal fund, if it means getting the quarry to comply and make this neighborhood safe environmentally and with traffic," she said.
Councilman Ted Taukus suggested that the council extend the quarry's temporary license another 60 days.
"It's not my intent to put the quarry out of business, but I don't want to see any more excavating in areas below 370 feet," he said.
The 60-day extension gives Saddle Mountain more time to gather documents for relicensing, even though Vogel contends the quarry filed necessary paperwork as far back as 2004, the last time the quarry was up for relicensing. The council has asked the quarry to document why it needs to mine below 370 feet.
Saddle Mountain's license expired last June, but the Borough Council has granted temporary extensions.
Vogel said Saddle Mountain meets regulations, and there have been no complaint filed with the borough since 2004.
The quarry is "careful about what [to] do" to abide by regulations, including having dust and noise control measures and having a state representative visit the quarry site "every time there's a blasting," Vogel said.
"For anyone to paint us as being some monolithic operation that [flouts] the law or [flouts] the regulations which attempt to regulate the quarry, I don't think there's real substance to that," he said.
Vogel said a 1996 consent order allows the quarry to dig below 370 feet.
The quarry has a call list so residents can be notified of quarry blastings about an hour before they occur, said Saddle Mountain owner Scott Braen. He said anyone can call the quarry to be included on the list.
E-mail: edmond@northjersey.com