Meyer Zoning Board Meeting, Thursday February 11

Thursday night is the night Meyer Material Company will stand in front of the Zoning Board to make their case for a time extension to thoroughly clear the pit of any remaining gravel. Although mining operations were to stop this year, Meyer wants the mining to continue for two years, with one year for "restoration" of the land.

The meeting is being held in at the Holiday Inn in Crystal Lake at 7:30 (February 11, 2016). This is the best opportunity to let the Zoning Board publicly know of your feelings in regard to this matter. The Zoning Board will make a "yes" or "no" recommendation that evening, so your voice is essential.

Here are some key points to consider:

• If Meyer does not get the extension, Cary still gets a lake, an asphalt path around that lake and a small parking lot with access via Klasen Road. The lake will be only slightly smaller than the original plan.
• Many people assume that this land will be like the Three Oaks facility in Crystal Lake. It will not.
• Meyer will continue paying the Village impact fees, but they have not offered anything to the residents of Fox Trails.
• Meyer signed the original deal in 2008 and agreed to hefty monthly penalties if they did not finish mining by 2016.  Meyer does not want to pay these fees, so they simply want to extend the time frame. Should Meyer not pay penalties for breaking the contract? If you or I were to break a contract or not meet a deadline, there would be consequences we would not be able to brush away with a two-year time extension.
• Also, let us not forget that Meyer Material is owned by Aggregate Industries, which is owned by the large Swiss-based multinational Holcim, ltd. They make over $15 billion a year.

The fact is this: the Village likes having Meyer. As was stated at a previous Village Board meeting last summer, Meyer's impact fees make a "significant" part of the Village budget. What has the village been doing with this money? 

If Meyer were to get this extension, we should ask for something in return; something that would particularly benefit the residents of Fox Trails. Now Meyer did pay some of the residents through a homeowner's assistance program. Should that be reinstated?

Think about it.

Let the Zoning Board know. 

Your comments at the Zoning Board will go into the public record and will be available for the Village Board when they make their decision, which will most likely be in March or April.

The meeting begins at 7:30.

Hope to see you there.