Residents who attended an open house at the McDougall Flats Church on Dec. 10 said they are opposed to a West-Can Seal Coating Inc. proposal to renew operations at a former gravel pit located about seven kilometres west of Sundre.Andrew Arnill, project coordinator for West-Can, said the open house was held to gather feedback and input from community members as part of the development application process with Mountain View County.West-Can, a family-owned road construction company, recently purchased the former “Ross” gravel pit, which covers about 130 acres. The company first made the proposal public in mid-August.“West-Can does not own an asphalt plant and we don't intend on owning an asphalt plant. I think there has been a misconception regarding that,” said Arnill.He said to date the company has received about 60 letters outlining concerns from residents.“People are very concerned about the water table affecting them. We had hired a hydrologist to come in and survey the property and water flows and it's been determined to this point that the pit would not affect the community's water,” he said.“We did hire people to come in and do acoustic studies which showed that if every piece of machinery was operating at the pit the noise would not be louder than a conversation within a metre with an individual.”West-Can will consider putting Texas gates at the entrances of the property to knock stones out of the tires in order to prevent loose stones on the road, he added.Arnill said the company also plans to institute dust control measures.Benefits of having the gravel pit resume operations would include the creation of local jobs – starting with at least 10 openings – and tax revenues for the county from all the material leaving the pit, he said.“If we're an integrated company and can supply ourselves, our unit rates can go down and I think that's going to save taxpayers money,” said Arnill.Gravel is an “important part of our everyday lives” by providing building material for future development including highways, sidewalks, new subdivisions and basements, he added.“It is our goal to grow with the community and if approved, we would make this pit a first-class operation. It is in our interest being locals and a part of Mountain View County for this to be successful for everyone and it is important for us to find a way to work together with the community to get this licensed.”Bob Killeleagh, Sundre-area resident for more than 10 years, said he is against this proposal.“Because of the smell, the noise, the fact that it's an industrial site being placed in an agricultural area and the toxic fumes that will come from an asphalt plant,” said Killeleagh.Another resident, who asked not to be named, said she had concerns about air pollution the facility may cause.She said the two gravel pits in the area have already led to too many rocks on the roads, leading, in turn, to her having to replace her vehicle's windshield every year.No one would want to move into the area if a third gravel pit is opened, she said.Lee Dyer, a Sundre-area resident, said he is against the pit because he believes it will negatively impact property values in the area.“I run by that specific property a few times a week, so I'd just rather not have the traffic or the dust there,” said Dyer.Sandra Duke, also a resident of the Sundre area, said she is against having a third gravel pit because of “environmental hazards”.The public feedback gathered at last week's open house is being used as part of the preparation of a revised development application going to Mountain View County, said Arnill.He encourages residents with any further concerns to contact West-Can at 403-335-9137.
