Noise and vibration issues and other concerns expressed by neighbours will be addressed in a lease before town council approves a zoning amendment to allow a Harriston business to offer monster truck rides.
Council passed a resolution directing staff to revise a draft lease agreement for a town-owned property with the owners of Stones n’ More Landscape Products to address concerns following a public meeting on May 3.
In December, Minto council received a request to lease four acres of vacant industrial park land. The request was submitted by Murray Marquardt of Stones ‘n More, located along Highway 9 in the Harriston Industrial Park.
Marquardt proposed creating a track to offer rides on the land behind his store. Rides would be provided on a monster truck equipped with governors limiting the speed to 15km/h and other safety features.
At the Dec. 15 meeting, council authorized the mayor and clerk to sign an agreement to lease the land pending confirmation it is appropriately zoned.
At the May 3 meeting, a zoning amendment to allow a temporary use of the property for outdoor recreational monster truck rides until May 3, 2019, was on the agenda for consideration.
A draft lease for approximately 4.5 hectares (11 acres) of land in the Harriston Industrial Park of Highway 9 was also on the agenda.
However, during the public meeting, several neighbouring residents objected to the proposal.
John Neilman expressed fears the operation would expand beyond the single-tuck proposed.
“If it was just to give children a ride, like he says it is and I don’t believe him, why would you need 12 acres for that?” asked Neilman.
He said once the truck was operating, he expected the land would be used by other monster truck owners, possibly even for shows and competitions.
“I know that if you’re going to run them you will want crowds to come and see it. It’s going to be on weekends, loudspeakers and all that. It may not start like that, but that’s the way it’s going to turn out.”
CAO Bill White stressed the proposed use was for a single truck to give rides and no other use would be allowed.
“It’s not a monster truck gathering place to run monster trucks all over and I think I let Mr. Neilman know that,” said White.
Mayor George Bridge said, “A monster truck that’s smashing cars and running on nitro is totally different than what this is.”
Speaking on behalf of Don and Dianne Hutchinson, who lives across the road from the proposed facility, Jim Geiger asked how the noise and vibration levels would be monitored.
“Are you going to have a machine out there to read this noise and vibration level? Anything from 100 to 150 decibels is bad for hearing,” said Geiger.
“When you have the smash-up derby (at the arena during the Harriston Fall Fair) you hear it all the way out there and it’s only one day. How often is this going to be happening?”
Geiger also asked why the draft lease was for nearly 12 acres, when Marquardt said he planned to use only six.
White explained the lease is in draft form and subject to revision.
In response to another question from Geiger, Bridge said the lease would specifically limit monster truck operation on the property to “one truck at one time.”
Marquardt stated, “We just want to have this small little monster truck, just for kids … the truck only goes about 10 miles per hour.”
Marquardt said hills on the track would only be built up to a height of about two feet.
“It’s probably a fair question, Murray,” said councillor David Turton. “Everyone pretty well knows you are involved in monster trucks … I can understand people questioning that.”
Marquardt replied, “But it’s not going to fly in the air like Gravedigger does or anything like that. It’s just a small-block Chevy motor – that’s all it is.”
Marquardt said the first thing he plans to do with the property is plant grass to prevent dust from being stirred up and disturbing customers at a food stand on the Stones ‘n More property.
“And if these people think it’s too loud I’ll put mufflers on it, but I didn’t think it was too bad. My Peterbilt’s louder than it is.”
Council instructed staff to revise the lease to address concerns and make the draft publicly available prior to the May 17 meeting, at which the bylaw amendment and lease agreement will be considered.
