By LISA BOWERS

Journal Staff Writer

NEGAUNEE — A request to expand operations at a gravel pit in Negaunee Township seems to have stalled for now, according to the Negaunee Township Planning Commission.

The planning commission has sent two letters to developer A. Lindberg and Sons regarding a Kona Ridge Mining LLC request for a special-use permit that would allow the company to expand operations off Marquette County Road 510 near the McClure Basin.

The company currently operates a 30-acre pit and wants to expand to an adjacent 15-acre parcel where it would blast, extract, grind and wash gravel.

The company’s current activities are limited to extracting gravel from the existing pit and crushing it.

Township officials are requesting the company pay up to $20,000 to conduct an impact assessment related to concerns about hydrological impacts to the local aquifer and wells, and blasting impacts on nearby physical structures.

“Drawing conclusions about potential impacts will require data collection and analysis by experts in fields relating to hydrogeological and seismic modeling,” the letter states.

The commission sought proposals from firms and approved one from SME-USA during a July 9 meeting, the letter states.

“In order for the commission to obtain the impact assessment and continue to review your application in a thorough manner, the commission requests that your organization deposit an escrow fee with the township to cover the Commission’s application review expenses,” the letter states. “In accordance with the Negaunee Township Fee Schedule, the Commission is requesting that you deposit $20,000 into an escrow account, from which the commission may draw to pay for its expenses in relation to evaluating your application.”

At its July 9 meeting, the commission also assigned a working group composed of commissioners, township officials and legal counsel to review all information submitted by A. Lindberg and Sons to the planning commission in relation to the special-use permit.

Negaunee Township Manager Nick Leach said the situation was discussed on Tuesday, but the planning commission took no action on the matter.

Lindberg and Sons filed a Freedom of Information Act request related to the permit application, which the township processed and fulfilled prior to Tuesday’s meeting, but the company has not responded to the letter, Leach said.

The study would address the chief concerns that property owners expressed during public hearings held by the planning commission in May and June.

“We boiled it down (and) the three main factors were potential contamination of well water, damage to the foundations of houses and other structures and changes in property value,” Leach said. “The study would address two of those factors.”

Officials at Upper Peninsula Power Co. initially expressed concern about the proposed blasting operation’s proximity to its McClure and Hoist hydroelectric dams.

The blasting area is roughly 2,000 feet from the McClure Dam and about 8,700 feet from the Hoist Dam. A study was commissioned by Kona Ridge to assess the effects of rock quarry blast vibrations on the two facilities.

The letter indicated UPPCO officials were willing to revise the company’s initial concerns, as long as certain conditions are met — specifically that any blasting permit issued include restrictions that the hole size not exceed 3.5 inches, the explosive weight does not exceed 200 pounds, and a delay time of 8 milliseconds be set as the permitted maximum blast design, the letter states.

Lisa Bowers can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 242. Her email address is lbowers@miningjournal.net.