MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY — A number of McDougal Flats residents say a company’s planned public meetings about a proposed gravel pit scheduled for Feb. 10 and Feb. 13 should be postponed primarily because of the pandemic.
When gravel pit expansions or new project proposals are presented, the area’s landowners frequently express concerns pertaining to, for example, a saturation of existing operations in the immediate vicinity, dust control, air as well as water quality, noise, truck traffic and reduced property values.
But they are in this instance above and beyond those issues also requesting the pre-application consultation period by West-Can Seal Coating Inc. be postponed until a town hall can be held in-person to ensure maximum public engagement.
“The timing for fair input on this issue is not appropriate for McDougal Flats residents and needs to be postponed largely because of the current COVID pandemic situation,” wrote Marlow Currie, McDougal Flats resident, in a Feb. 3 email to the company that he also CC’d The Albertan.
Through conversations with other locals in the area, Currie explained that people have said they want to participate in the hearing process through a website the company provided, but that many lack the means to do so.
“These meetings should be rescheduled to later in the year when the health and mental stress of the pandemic have subsided and would allow for local people to respond and provide input,” he wrote.
“I suggest we wait until a public gathering can be arranged at our local hall and the people who do not have internet connections can assemble and discuss your plans.”
Robin Tudor, South McDougal Flats Area Protection Society president, said the company’s open house for public consultation is in preparation for a third application to Mountain View County seeking the redesignation of a parcel of land to gravel extraction from agricultural.
County council turned down a previous redesignation application in a 2015 decision.
“They felt there are already enough gravel pits in this immediate area,” Tudor wrote in an email to The Albertan.
“All concerns are amplified due to the cumulative effects of the five gravel pits within a one-mile radius and seven within the valley,” he said.
Additionally, due to the nature of the virtual open houses, he added, “Some of the residents of the area don’t have the proper equipment/software or the knowledge to participate.”
The company replied to Marlow’s concerns in an unsigned email dated Feb. 4, stating that while they are optimistic about the vaccine’s rollout, there remains no clear indication that daily routines are about to return to a semblance of pre-pandemic normal any time soon.
“As our world has shifted, so has West-Can. We would like to point out digital meetings are being conducted worldwide. This includes at federal, provincial and municipal levels,” the correspondence reads in part.
“As such, West-Can will be moving forward using three COVID-19-friendly virtual open houses.”
However, the company added it recognizes the importance of including everyone who is interested in participating, and offered to send a digital document prior to the meeting to people who do not have a strong connection to the internet, and that they would in turn need to call into the meeting over the phone to follow along that way.
The company has also offered to provide technical support to assist anyone who does not know how to use Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
