Note: The following is not a verbatim transcript of the Zoning Hearing Board meeting; it is simply one person’s summary of the major points made by those involved in the hearing process.  For that reason, quotation marks are not used unless a direct quote was recorded.  For information about obtaining an official ZHB transcript, contact the New Hanover Township office.

Attorney Lawrence Sager, of Sager & Sager Associates, Pottstown continued his cross-examination of Uday M. Patankar, formerly independent consultant turned Silvi Vice-President/director.  Mr. Sager represents Louis Farrell of Atomic International, a company that borders the proposed site.

During the two and a half hours of cross-examination, Sager examined the facts surrounding the economic study performed by GRI’s consultants. Sager asked Patankar a series of questions about the township’s responsibility to conduct an economic assessment of the HI (heavy industrial) area prior to marking it as HI.  Sager asked Patankar if it was the township’s responsibility to have a core sample study done to determine if the area contained rock that was economically important. Patankar said the township should have reviewed maps, but doing a core sample wasn’t necessary.  

Sager also spent time asking Patankar about the time period around which GRI submitted their original application.  Sager wanted to know why GRI’s owners (John and Lawrence Silvi) would spend $3,000,000 to purchase the land prior to conducting a study to assess the economic viability of the area.  Under cross-examination Patankar said that the original applications were all submitted prior to any testing taking place.  He also admitted that he was hired before he knew that, as it stood, the HI area set aside for mining did not contain the best stone available.  

All during the cross-examination Mr. Stephen Harris, attorney for GRI, repeatedly objected to Sager’s line of questioning, stating that it was outside the intent of the GR 2 hearings and that Sager was only on a “fishing trip.”  Rebecca Bell, attorney for the zoning board overruled Harris about 75% of the time.

The last 10 minutes were spent with Sager explaining why he needed to see the invoices and bills of GRI’s external consultants, and Harris explaining why this was part of Sager’s fishing trip.  Ms. Bell said she would rule on that issue between this meeting and the next.

The hearing was adjourned.

See Also:
Summary of the previous Gibraltar 2 meeting (May 29, 2003)