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.

What is GR 2?

Note: In GR2, Mr. Stephen Harris, attorney for Gibraltar Rock is introducing witnesses who have already testified in GR1.  He is basically introducing their GR1 testimony into GR2 and allowing the opposing attorneys to cross examine the witness on their previous testimony.  This is in an attempt to speed up the hearings.

The witness for this meeting was John Richards, Ph.D., PE President, Air Control Techniques, PC. Mr. Richards is a registered chemical engineer specializing in air pollution control.

This meeting began with Mr. Lawrence Sager, an attorney for a local business, explaining that he hadn’t had enough time to read the transcripts.  When pressed by Harris and the zoning board’s attorney, Sagar began a long rambling extemporaneous cross-examination, which was made up as he went along.  Sagar’s questions were so poorly executed that we will only list some of the more interesting ones.

Sagar noted that in Richard’s report that the hours of operation are listed as 12 hours per day.

When asked if the equipment in the plant will be inspected each year, Richards said that the PA Dept. can inspect once or twice a year, but that it could also be only inspected once in a two year period.

When Sagar asked how many trips/day vehicles would make into and out of the proposed quarry, Richards said 13.33 trips per hour or 12,000 trips per year.

Sagar asked Richards what types of controls the operation would have. Richards said there would be the following: wet suppression for the dust, covers on conveyers, short haul distances for intra-plant movement of raw materials, wheel washers for trucks, filters for concrete and asphalt.  Richards said that this is assuming that all of these measures are in place.