The Sugar Creek Board of Aldermen Monday instructed the city attorney to draft a rough ordinance on whether to allow Lafarge North America to mine a section of Sugar Creek.
The ordinance could be presented at the next board meeting on March 29, where aldermen could vote on the document.
Lafarge wants the 88 acres, which Sugar Creek incorporated two years ago, because it’s rich in Bethany Falls limestone. Last year, they submitted a rezoning request that would have led to a second request for a special use permit for the company to mine the land. However, last December the city’s planning and zoning commission rejected the rezoning request.
Further mining would affect 1,400 homes, three churches, an elementary school and a mental health facility. A group was formed two years ago called Cedar Crest, Swearingen, Farview Concerned Citizens to represent the neighbors and fight Lafarge’s request, saying blasting that is already happening in the area is affecting the quality of life and further blasting would only add misery.
Mayor Stanley Salva addressed the issue, first by reading a prepared statement and commenting after the reading the statement.
Salva did not say if he would vote for or against mining. The mayor only votes in the event of a tie.
The economic benefits from the mining for Sugar Creek would be years, perhaps a decade, from now.
“In looking at the economic impact on the city, we have to look down the road,” Salva said. “Our main revenue sources right now are Lafarge and from the landfill. We already know the landfill (contract) has a sunset and revenues would cease. Down the road, maybe for our children and grandchildren, we’ve got to be concerned about the economic impact on the city.”
About the effect future mining could have on neighbors, Salva said:
“We’re concerned about your quality of life. But we’re also concerned about the residents of Sugar Creek. We have to seek some happy medium. It maybe approving mining with a number of restrictions or it maybe disapproving. I don’t know. It’s going to be this board’s decision to make.”
Salva read a statement. It was his opinion and not that of the board.
The economic benefit to the city for the rock removal activity is short-term and of minor economic value, Salva said in the statement. The real potential of the proposal is the creation of substantial underground industrial space that can provide tax revenues and considerable jobs, the mayor said.
