A decision whether to approve a gravel pit ten kilometres west of Penhold was put on hold during a Red Deer County municipal planning commission meeting June 5 to gather more information about traffic on the C&E Trail.Neighbours crowded into council chambers last Tuesday to urge the commission to deny the proposed operations, citing concerns over dust, increased traffic, safety for children and lack of proper sightlines.If approved, it's expected about 122,000 tonnes of gravel will be recovered during the next three to five years from the site with an estimated 40 to 50 trucks hauling per day. Residents had concern with the amount of trucks travelling on the road, saying there are already too many industrial vehicles on the road.Mayor Jim Wood said his biggest concern is safety. The operations department determined that sightlines south on the C&E Trail are not adequate for the proposed access even if the brush was cleared along the right-of-way. The sightline would be 330 metres instead of the required 400 m.“I recognize how important gravel is,” said Wood. “But what I'm trying to say is how can we make this operation work? With concerns to safety and sightlines, until I see that I can't support it.”A representative for the operation said the company would sign off on a road-use agreement to manage dust, would look at the possibility of only turning right to exit the property, and would work with the Westholm Society located nearby to clear the brush and increase sightlines.MPC members were still stuck on the required 400 m sightline and said they wouldn't approve the proposal until a solution is found to allow for the appropriate distance.“Until I know there's 400 m sightline I won't approve,” said Div. 1 Coun. Philip Massier.The commission agreed to postpone a decision to learn more about the traffic and the road, suggesting a traffic impact assessment may be necessary.Div. 6 Coun. George Gehrke pointed out that the C&E Trail is meant to be a market road and already has a lot of industrial vehicles using it on a daily basis.“We look at the C&E road as a market road. It should be able to handle all of the industrial and ag transit. But people there are choking down a lot of dust. We need to look at making the C&E a market road,” he said.Div. 3 Coun. Penny Archibald agreed, saying the road has been a haul road since she was a girl and has been a continuous source of discussion over the years.“I would love to see it done, but I don't think the taxpayers should pay for all of it,” she said.
