It costs him an extra $3000 a year to keep his cars presentable. The cars need to be washed every few days whereas they could go weeks between washings before Meyer extended the pit.
During the extension debate back in 2007-08, Meyer publicly claimed that they would do good to their neighbors, that they would be "ethical." They even offered to compensate Darren and other small businesses for any negative impact the pit would have on their businesses.
So far, that hasn't happened. After numerous letters and even three meetings with Meyer officials, Meyer has refused to live up to what they promised. They even claim that the dust is not from them, even though Darren and others have seen the billows of dust blowing across Route 31.
Darren recently spoke at the Zoning Board meeting and had this letter published in the Northwest Herald:
Re: Meyer Material’s request for a mining extension:
As all are aware, the Cary Zoning, Planning and Appeals Board rose to the occasion for its residents. It rightfully voted against Meyer’s requested extension. I attended the meeting, as I own The Trinity Auto Center facility across the street from the mining site.
Back in 2008, there were several meetings about concerns about the damage caused by Meyer’s mining in this area. People at the meeting last night complained of mud being created from large amounts of dust from the site, forming mud in their pools and clogged furnace filters.
My facility is much closer than these homes are to the site, and the repercussions of Meyer mining here has cost me many thousands of dollars. I expressed my concerns two years ago to Tom Kierna and the village, and wrote several letters. They had promised that the village and Meyer would be good neighbors, and small businesses and neighbors would be compensated for damage.
The old regime failed to do so. Meyer has been to my site several times only to prolong and dance around the subject. With the new Cary trustees in place and new team members who seem sincere and dedicated, perhaps we can duplicate the efforts made at the meeting.
Let’s get Meyer to step up and pay for their long overdue responsibilities. Meyer is two years behind on what they owe for compensation to my facility. Please correct this situation in a timely manner.
Darren Rivchin
Lake in the Hills
The point here is that Meyer's operations are not just impacting home owners. This is not something we should forget. Meyer claims to be "a good neighbor," yet fails to live up to obligations promised when they wined and dined the village into getting them the right to mine within Village boundaries.
Now, they want to mine longer and avoid paying the fine. They certainly don't want to pay the $6000 they owe Trinity Auto Center for the extra detail work on their cars. And their refusal to do so should be an indication as to how sincere they are in regard to their "ethical" responsibilities.
They need to live up to their promises to businesses like Trinity Auto Center. We need to remain vigilant. Even though they received a unanimous "no" from the Zoning Board, that vote was merely a "recommendation." The Village Trustees will soon be holding public hearings on this and you can bet Meyer will double down on their efforts to extend their time without paying the fine.
And homeowners in Fox Trails, remember this: they haven't even started mining yet near the subdivision. They are currently extracting from cells close to Route 31. Consider Darren's words a warning as to what will come when they move closer to Fox Trails.
Stay tuned. This is not over.
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