Hearing on gravel pit plan resumes

SANDPOINT - Bonner County Planning & Zoning Commissioners are conducting a site visit of a contested gravel pit near the Kootenai County line on Sept. 16.

No testimony will be allowed when commissioners tour the site off Aglin/Roberts Road at 4 p.m.

The public hearing on the surface mining and rock crushing operation resumes at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 23 in the downstairs conference room at the former Federal Building.

The project, located on the east side of U.S. Highway 95, ran into stiff opposition at a hearing last month. More than 40 people testified against the proposal, arguing it will blight the landscape, devalue adjoining properties and bring added traffic and dust to the rural neighborhood.

David Haman is proposing the 110-acre gravel operation to supply material for Panhandle highway and road projects, according to project representative Steve Klatt. Klatt told planning commissioners the development plan has visual buffering and strategies to mitigate dust and noise from the site.

The commission postponed a ruling on the proposal on Aug. 5 so it could visit the site and obtain additional information about soil stability, potential impacts to the underlying aquifer, the use of sonar-activated backup alarms on heavy equipment and the TransCanada pipeline's response to the proposal. The delay also gave the applicant time to submit a revised site plan.

During the continued hearing, the public will be given the opportunity to provide testimony or evidence regarding any new information provided by the applicant.