Puslinch councillors say a recent public meeting for the proposed Neubauer gravel pit was unsatisfactory and St. Mary’s Cement Inc. will have to host another one.
Councillor Matthew Bulmer said last week councillors, residents, and the township’s consultant were all “dissatisfied” with the June 23 meeting at the Puslinch community centre, which lasted about 95 minutes and was attended by about 20 people.
Bulmer explained there was lots of time for questions during the meeting, but very little in the way of answers from officials with Harrington and McAvan Ltd., the firm representing by St. Mary’s Cement.
Several people at the public meeting expressed concern that none of the applicant’s technical experts were there to answer questions on groundwater, noise, dust, etc.
St. Mary’s Cement has applied to rezone 28.3 hectares (70 acres) from an agricultural designation to an extraction industrial zone and also for an official plan amendment to that effect at the county level.
The extraction area for the site, located immediately east of the existing McNally pit on Concession 1, will be about 24.6 hectares (60acres) in size.
Mayor Brad Whitcombe said the township would schedule another public meeting and also invite officials with the Ministry of Natural Resources to meet with council and explain unanswered questions about the boundary for the Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI) in the area.
