Gravel pit near Marengo gets county board approved, but ready-mix plant rejected

Over objections from nearby residents, the McHenry County Board approved a gravel pit near Marengo late Tuesday. But it won’t have a ready-mix plant on-site.

A conditional use permit that was originally granted for the gravel operation 20 years ago, but never used, was up for renewal but the proprietors also wanted to add a ready-mix plant to the site.

In an 11-6 vote, the County Board Tuesday said yes to the gravel pit after tweaking the conditions for the plant as proposed by board member Michael Skala. Among the conditions are a higher berm height, a shortened window for work on Saturdays and a home value guarantee for a property off Maple Street that’s surrounded on three sides by the gravel pit property.

Board members Pamela Althoff, Carolyn Campbell, John Collins, Joe Gottemoller, Terri Greeno, Carl Kamienski, Deena Krieger, Brian Sager, Mike Shorten, Paul Thomas and Tracie Von Bergen voted yes.

Board members Eric Hendricks, Jim Kearns, Matt Kunkle, Pat Sullivan, Gloria Van Hof and Skala voted no on the pit. County Board member Larry Smith was absent.

The ready-mix plant was rejected on a closer vote of 8-9, with the same conditions. Campbell, Collins, Greeno, Kamienski, Krieger, Sager, Shorten and Thomas voted in favor of the ready-mix plant, while Althoff, Gottemoller, Hendricks, Kearns, Kunkle, Skala, Sullivan, Van Hof and Von Bergen voted no.

The permit for the pit was first issued in 2003, but Maple Valley Materials lawyers said last week that economic conditions are the reason why the permit has never been put to use.

Having the ready-mix plant on-site would, among other things, have cut down on truck traffic, the proprietors previously said. The property is off Maple Street near the Coral Road intersection near Marengo.

The site, which is currently used as farmland, backs up to an Ozinga operation to the west that’s off Route 23 and residences to the east and north.

The neighbors have been vocal in their opposition to the plant, citing truck traffic, noise and other concerns. In recent county meetings, they spoke against the gravel operation and the ready-mix plant, and urged the board to vote it down.

Mobilization efforts against the plant also spread to the digital environment, with a change.org petition called, “We need your help! Stop the ready mix plant on Maple St in Marengo,” which garnered more than 900 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon. The petition declared victory after the batch plant was voted down and 902 people signed it in the end.

Members of the public attended the meeting Tuesday but didn’t get the chance to weigh in on the proposal before the vote.

Some board members had been clear last week they were a no on the ready-mix plant but were less clear about their stance on the gravel pit. It isn’t clear when the gravel pit will start operating or if the split vote will change anything at the site. Neither the property owner nor his attorney could be reached for comment after Tuesday evening’s vote.

Theresa Kyriazes, one of the neighbors who lives near the site and who has been vocally against the operation, said she was proud of the community coming together on the issue. She said she was glad the batch plant wasn’t happening.

“We’re very proud” to be part of the community, she said.

Russell Polnow, whose property is the one with the home value guarantee, said he was “happy” the condition was put in place, adding he appreciated it.

Polnow told the Northwest Herald Wednesday he appreciated the neighbors coming together. He also thanked the board for listening and “voting our way on one use,” adding it would have been nice if the gravel permit also got voted down but stopping it was an uphill battle.

“So for now we will take the one win,” Polnow said.