12/17/13 - Following objections by several nearby residents, the Brighton Township Board turned down a request by a mining company for permits needed to begin working at a local gravel pit. In 1987, the township came to an agreement with Sunset Sand and Gravel allowing the company to extract gravel from property on Jacoby Road for 20 years, after which the land was to be restored and made ready for a township park and a condominium development. Those developments never came about, and in July of 2012 the township planning commission recommended approving a revised site plan and fill permits for Clearwater Development LLC to resume mining the land for the next 12 to 24 years. However, that mining operation was never approved, and now more than a year later, the company came forward requesting approval. More than a dozen residents spoke out against the request, citing concerns about groundwater contamination, fears about pollution to the lake, and a desire to see the planned park and condo development take effect. During the meeting, Clearwater claimed that the old joint planned development agreement had expired and no longer applies, so it therefore did not intend to comply with the requirements in that agreement. The township board felt this was unacceptable and rejected its requests, to the applause of the audience. Supervisor Tom Murphy says although the board listens to the concerns of residents, and the fate of the gravel pit affects him personally, the board must act to follow the law and agreements it has made. The township owns the eastern part of the property, which it still plans to turn into a park. (TD)
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