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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1977 09-01 Council raises concerns about chemical plant ST. PAUL DISPATCH Council raises „concerns about chemical plant By SCOTT CARLSON .; Staff Writer MOplewood• • <.'.. Construction of a proposed Maplewood Council expressed chemical distribution plant in hesitancy in taking any action. White Bear Lake has raised' And,if fact,Maplewood Mana- some concerns among Maple- ger Michael Miller recommend- wood City Council members. ed that the city take no action. THE MAPLEWOOD Council "It is the staff's opinion that last week unanimously passed a the city of White Bear Lake is resolution stating it would be taking all reasonable steps to in- concerned about vehicles carry- sure that the facility will not be ing chemicals to and from Van a nuisance or danger to the resi- Waters and Rogers,Inc.The dents and businesses of White plant's proposed location is north Bear Lake or Maplewood,"Mil- of I-694 and east of the Burling- ler said.Maplewood land borders ton Northern tracks.In addition, south just off I-694. the council fears that a possible chemical spill along a nearby Miller added,"It(the plant) county ditch could filter through will be regulated and monitored the community's chain of lakes. by the PCA(Pollution Control Agency)for pollution." Currently,Van Waters and •Rogers,Inc.operates a plant out MAYOR BURTON Murdock of the Midway district in St. told the Citizens,"Our hands are Paul.According to company of fitied.We can send them(White cials,they want to move out to Bear Lake)a negative resolution the 20-acre site in White Bear but the people who are involved Lake for more room. are the ones who should put the The White Bear Lake City pressure on the council." Council is planning to take ac- tion on the company's special lie added,"We assume the city use permit request on'Sept.13. fathers in White Bear Lake are City Planner Steve Gatlin and competent."Murdock also con- the town's planning commission tended that a formal resolution have recommended approval of from Maplewood might"step on the permit. the toes"of White Bear Lake and Initially,some members of the See Plant,Page 2(E( 2 (E) St. Paul Dispatch Thurs., Sept. 1, '77 Plant Continued from Page 1 Agency funds for lake improve- ment might be jeopardized. irritate its council members. Another citizen. Christopher But the Maplewood Council Drake, suggested that the coun- did admit it could express its ` cil register its concerns to the concerns about the proposed Environmental Quality Council facility. And in the minds of (EQC). some citizens, there were legiti- He added, "I see no reason for mate reasons to be concerned. moving in all this pollution. If "This thing scares me,"Don they (Van Waters and Rogers) Watson,a director for the Kohl- are going to move it this way man-Gervais-Keller Lakes Im then why don't they move it an- provement Association, said. other 20 miles north?" WATSON BASED his opposi- Then he continued, `'they(Van tion to the proposed plant on Waters and Rogers)could have grounds that possible truck tank ste20acres to fool around with in spills near County Ditch 18 could stead of moving it into what is seep into the water stream and supposed to be the hub of our travel throughout the chain of whole area." lakes. Added Bill Howard, "It(the proposed plant)is isolated from According to Gatlin's report. downtown White Bear but it's not "this site plan doesn't give any isolated from the commercial specific treatment to site drain- and residential area across I-694. age,"Watson continued. "Well, we (our lakes)are the "I don't think there is any drainage,"he added. that question but what an operation Noting of this type is going to decrease Kohlman Lake is already"a the value of property in Maple- mess,"Watson said, "A chemical wood materially,"Howard con- plant coming on top of it isn't tended. going to help anything." Watson also concluded that if In passing its resolution, the a chemical spill into the water itMaplewood Council stressed that stream occurs, $1 million in F wos- w was nothether thee plant shoulgd on or sible Environmental Protection should not be approved.