Hell in Kooskia Continues
Posted 04-16-2009 at 01:10 AM by bammie21
Noise goes on
The Idaho County board of commissioners is trying to enter into a private contract with Knife River Corp concerning operating hours and other terms of use on the Martin pit. See below:
Thursday, April 2, 2009
To the Idaho County Commissioners and Idaho County Prosecutor:
We hereby request that you not pursue a private contract with Knife River Corp. concerning the Martin pit. Reasons? What you are proposing to do is unethical, insensitive to our rights and needs, and completely unreasonable and, as we stated at the meeting on April 1, 2009, that contract would devoid us of all our property rights, which YOU are supposed to be protecting, along with protecting and enhancing our health and welfare as citizens of Idaho County. We stated publicly at the April 1, 2009 meeting that the only hours of operation we would be willing to agree to would be 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Since the contract is being initiated because of our complaints along with our neighbors it would not be in our best interests. It could potentially also lock us into another 5 or 10 years of the unrest we've experienced since Feb 20, 2009. We are the ones affected thru health issues and inability to enjoy our outside areas and we don't agree to 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. crushing hours. That "agreement" would also allow them to work from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. doing maintenance which is, in itself, loud and bothersome to all of us. I don't believe you have a right to enter into such a contract because it does not protect our property or personal rights and it is against what we need. All it does is limit the crushing. Nothing said about the moving of aggregate materials which is a horrific noise in itself. Nothing said about compensating us for loss of our rights as homeowners in a subdivision which the County Commissioners approved.
There is only one solution which would be fair to us property owners in Quailwood Estates:
1. A site specific noise ordinance (which you have to power to do), limiting the hours from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday thru Friday with quiet weekends and quiet hours from 4 pm to 7 am Monday thru Friday. This would also allow for due process of the law with public notification and input. The only ones to benefit from your solution (the contract) would be Knife River who would actually be gaining an edge on other rock crushing operations in the county by having a site already approved by the ITD for quality of the aggregate materials. A site specific ordinance would actually protect the local crushers and us. A variance for Knife River of the above hours could be made if Knife River and the residents of affected properties in Quailwood Estates could come to some terms affecting hours and compensation to the affected homeowners.
This would allow the property owner of the pit to make money and allow us to retain at least partial property rights we are due. A fair compromise.
If there had been planning and zoning in place, we wouldn't be in this situation and what we are going thru is completely and entirely the fault of the Commissioners. With planning and zoning in place, there would either be a rock pit here or the subdivision of Quailwood Estates...NOT BOTH! You can't have both and keep everyone happy. We LIVE here; not just making money off the land like the owner of the pit.
The Idaho County board of commissioners is trying to enter into a private contract with Knife River Corp concerning operating hours and other terms of use on the Martin pit. See below:
Thursday, April 2, 2009
To the Idaho County Commissioners and Idaho County Prosecutor:
We hereby request that you not pursue a private contract with Knife River Corp. concerning the Martin pit. Reasons? What you are proposing to do is unethical, insensitive to our rights and needs, and completely unreasonable and, as we stated at the meeting on April 1, 2009, that contract would devoid us of all our property rights, which YOU are supposed to be protecting, along with protecting and enhancing our health and welfare as citizens of Idaho County. We stated publicly at the April 1, 2009 meeting that the only hours of operation we would be willing to agree to would be 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Since the contract is being initiated because of our complaints along with our neighbors it would not be in our best interests. It could potentially also lock us into another 5 or 10 years of the unrest we've experienced since Feb 20, 2009. We are the ones affected thru health issues and inability to enjoy our outside areas and we don't agree to 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. crushing hours. That "agreement" would also allow them to work from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. doing maintenance which is, in itself, loud and bothersome to all of us. I don't believe you have a right to enter into such a contract because it does not protect our property or personal rights and it is against what we need. All it does is limit the crushing. Nothing said about the moving of aggregate materials which is a horrific noise in itself. Nothing said about compensating us for loss of our rights as homeowners in a subdivision which the County Commissioners approved.
There is only one solution which would be fair to us property owners in Quailwood Estates:
1. A site specific noise ordinance (which you have to power to do), limiting the hours from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday thru Friday with quiet weekends and quiet hours from 4 pm to 7 am Monday thru Friday. This would also allow for due process of the law with public notification and input. The only ones to benefit from your solution (the contract) would be Knife River who would actually be gaining an edge on other rock crushing operations in the county by having a site already approved by the ITD for quality of the aggregate materials. A site specific ordinance would actually protect the local crushers and us. A variance for Knife River of the above hours could be made if Knife River and the residents of affected properties in Quailwood Estates could come to some terms affecting hours and compensation to the affected homeowners.
This would allow the property owner of the pit to make money and allow us to retain at least partial property rights we are due. A fair compromise.
If there had been planning and zoning in place, we wouldn't be in this situation and what we are going thru is completely and entirely the fault of the Commissioners. With planning and zoning in place, there would either be a rock pit here or the subdivision of Quailwood Estates...NOT BOTH! You can't have both and keep everyone happy. We LIVE here; not just making money off the land like the owner of the pit.
Total Comments 0
