The county is paving the way for what some residents are perceiving could be the new “gravel alley” along Big Hill Springs Road.
Rocky View County council gave the green light for a second gravel pit application, made by Summit Aggregates, as well as first and second reading to rezone lands for two more aggregate applications at the July 11 meeting – one by Lafarge Canada and the other by McNair Sand and Gravel, with land owned by Buckley Ranch Aggregate Development.
Third reading for the two additional gravel pits is anticipated at the July 25 meeting. If met with approval, all three pits will seek master site development plans, bringing the total number of gravel pits on the road to four, including the operational Hillstone Aggregates.
Concern remains that three pit applications have been moved ahead of the long-anticipated aggregate resource policy (ARP) – which has been met with resident opposition and remains in the draft stage.
Keith Koebisch, who resides northwest of Big Hill Springs, was one of the presenters opposed to the applications – highlighting the ability of the road to handle that level of commercial gravel haul traffic.
“How can you just add all of these pits when all of the intersections out of here are failing intersections?” said Koebisch – making specific reference to the Lochend Road that would handle much of the hauls to Calgary, with the lack of a controlled intersection where it meets with Highway 1A.
Paul Thebeau, who lives one mile north of the Shell station on highways 567 and 22, hopes that by moving ahead with gravel pit operations in the region would put the pressure on the province to improve the roads and intersections.
Thebeau presented at the June 25 council session in favour of keeping pits together – maintaining “we need gravel and we need to put it somewhere” and that it’s better to keep them together than have them spread out throughout the region.
Watchdog resident group Rocky View Gravel Watch remains firm on its stance that it is bad business for the county to move applications ahead of an ARP and that the county is not looking out for the human, health and safety concerns that are imposed on those living near gravel pits.
Thebeau is concerned that the watchdog group is being unreasonable and its unwillingness to compromise is causing the delay of the ARP.
Couns. Jerry Arshinoff, Liz Breakey and Margaret Bahcheli voted in opposition to the LaFarge application. Arshinoff and Bahcheli also opposed the McNair pit.
If all pits are approved, the master site development plans are anticipated to come back to council sometime in September or early October.
The county received 25 cents per tonne for aggregate, the maximum allowed under provincial law, as well as property taxes and levies.
