The New Hanover Township Board of Supervisors, Township Solicitors, Gibraltar Rock employees, Ban-the-Quarry, and MANY New Hanover Township, Upper Frederick, and Gilbertsville residents, met on Monday, March 16, 2009, at the New Hanover Township Fire House.

Board Chairman, Martin Dyas, thanked Ban-the-Quarry for helping to advertise this meeting so that the residents could hear the township’s presentation on a proposed resolution with Gibraltar Rock, Inc. Robert Brant, Esq. read a summary of the draft resolution. Mr. Brant referred to a map of the proposed quarry, provided by Stephen Harris, attorney for the Silvi Group. According to the map, the proposed quarry has now grown to approx. 300 acres - a far cry from the 163 acres initially desired for quarrying in our township.

Mr. Brant solicited questions from the floor, and many presented questions addressed by Mr. Brant, Mr. Paul Bauer, Board Solicitor, or Mr. Harris. Some of the residents’ concerns were the usual: dry wells, damage from blasting, traffic congestion/accidents, danger to children on school buses and at school bus stops, the threat to clean air for children and adults, declining property values, etc. Several residents requested specifics on water replacement – when, how, where? Were the residents satisfied with the answers? Hardly.

There were two issues that were particularly hard for the residents to accept –
1) that they are not permitted to hear or view the entire stipulation agreement due to “attorney-client privilege” and 2) that our elected officials are not willing to fight . . . but are prepared to give Gibraltar rock a significant 50+ acres partially zoned “residential”.

It appears that area residents are not ready to “roll over” just yet. Stay tuned. . . and plan to attend the next meeting on this matter – on:

Monday, March 30, 2009, 6:30 pm, at the New Hanover Twp Fire House, Swamp Pike, Gilbertsville.