But still, there are barriers blocking the entrance to the parking lot. No one can use the site or the pathway that exists around the lake.
As it turns out, Meyer did not finish on time and the transfer of property to the Village of Cary has not yet occured.
Here is what has happened: Last week, at the Village of Cary Board meeting, Meyer was getting ready to transfer the land to Cary ownership. But there were some "snags," to use the words of Randy Willey, the "Permits Manager" for Meyer Material.
Meyer missed the deadline for finishing the reclamation. Why? Here is the list of excuses used by Randy Willey...and let me say, this is not surprising as we have heard excuses before. Remember: Meyer Material Company is not some mom and pop company. They are owned by one of the largest mining companies IN THE WORLD. Back in 2016, Meyer complained that the economy prevented them from extracting the gravel in a timely manner. Now, they have a fresh list of excuses:
A) The Americans With Disabilities Act prevented them from finishing on time. He acted like this was a new law and that they haven't had to deal with these provisions before.
B) Dealing with storm drainage issues
C) Construction work
D) Rain. In Randy's words: It was "wet and cold" and "really wet;" "record setting wet." Yep. He said that.
So, they missed the deadline. As it was outlined in the agreement, Meyer should be paying the Village fines. After all, if you miss your water bill or electrical bill, you need to pay fines. But not Meyer Material Company. They feel like they shouldn't have to pay these fines because we should feel sorry for them because it rained. Give me a break. They are a multi-national corporation that spends its time screwing over small communities. Just ask McHenry how they feel about Meyer Material Company.
As of now, Meyer has not paid the fines that THEY AGREED TO.
That's not all. They have some "reservations" before agreeing to transferring the deed of the land into Cary's possession.
Get this: Meyer wants "future" mining rights for the land! NEVER was this brought up in the ten years as a condition for deed transfer.
They want the right to mine in the future up to 200 feet below the surface. Details were not made on how this is to be done. This is the most confounding thing. Meyer has removed all equipment. The dredge was removed. Did they find more minerals? Why is this coming up now? Does this mean that, if approved, Meyer can come in 10, 20 years in the future and start mining again? This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Yet, people on the village board seemed more than willing to give this away. Trustee McAlpine fawned over Meyer Material, proclaiming that "you guys have done a great job...Thank you."
Luckily, they tabled this vote until further discussions could be made. But Cary does not have to accept these conditions. Let the Trustees know that Meyer needs to cede the land as agreed!
Let's be clear: Meyer is very good at getting what they want. They play the victim. They have lawyers and money. They sell "what could be" to the community to gain support.
And then they screw them over.
They are doing it in Cary. McHenry. Hartland, Wisconsin. And who knows where else?
Also, for all of you who believe that this land is going to become something like Three Oaks, you've been duped. Take a look at this map:
Half of this property is in Algonquin. Although Cary and Algonquin have been in talks, there is no guarantee that Algonquin will actually cede this land to Cary. Sorry, but the more valuable areas of the property, including the entrance and parking lot, are located in Algonquin.
Let's see how this turns out. But I can tell you this: every time we see a light at the end of the tunnel, Meyer throws a curve ball. And they have been in this game a long time. They know exactly what they are doing.
They are con artists. And small communities, with the promise of money and amenities, buy into it.
And end up not getting what was sold.
