Quikrete dustup: Planners approve application – with conditions

By Jan Jackson

About 80 Silverton residents attended the City of Silverton Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 19, where commissioners approved a conditional-use application to allow Quikrete to establish a packaged concrete manufacturing facility at 1204 Mill St. The site is the former Champion Homes manufacturing facility adjacent to Mark Twain Junior High School athletic fields.
Some of the residents had come to protest the siting, demonstrating with signs outside the Community Center before the meeting began. Among them was Michael Sharrar who said, “This garden city doesn’t need silica dust pumped over our school .”

During the meeting’s PowerPoint presentation it was explained that the company will not perform silica dust-producing activities like cutting, breaking, crushing, drilling, grinding or any abrasive blasting.

”
The proposed operation will be limited to mixing, packaging and sacking dry materials that include sand, gravel, aggregate, cement and fly ash only. The materials will either be stored on site or bagged for delivery.

Because a number of citizens identified air quality as a concern during the public hearing, Silverton Community Development Director Linda Sarnoff, reported that:

• Production would be primarily within an enclosed structure with emission controls and filters to limit emissions.

• The amount of emissions resulting from 54 hours of operations a week is 1.6 tons (equal to approximately 10 residential fireplaces burning for approximately eight hours per day) of PM/PM10 a year which is below the Oregon DEQ standard of 24 tons.

• Occupational exposure is regulated by the Oregon Occupational Health and Safety Administration.

Prior to the meeting, written comments in opposition were filed. Among them, Pam Altree wrote:
“Quikrete has no business establishing a business in Silverton. The area sought after is zoned for light industry and a concrete manufactory/distributing company does not meet that criteria. The Industrial Park is located in the middle of residential zones on the west, south and north as well as a school bordering on the south side. There are several adverse factors that affect nearby residents. Noise levels from front end loaders, conveyor belts, expected 20 – 60 delivery trucks a day as well as general factory noise attributed to this type of business.”

Following the session, she said “I will get a copy of what the commission has decided to do and I will withhold my comments until I see what they have come up with.”

Still to be reconciled between Quikrete and the City of Silverton are many condition issues including storm-water discharge, noise, lighting, truck traffic, hours of operation, the city’s role in monitoring the operation and other livability issues. The conditions that the commission will work on are a matter of public record and are available from the City of Silverton.

Quikrete, which manufactures and bags in 86 manufacturing facilities in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and South America, is America’s only national brand of packaged concrete products.

Quikrete concrete is used in building and refurbishing commercial projects all around the United States in diverse projects that include the Georgia Aquarium; Frank Lloyd Wright House in Buffalo, NY; Coors Field in Denver and Fenway Park in Boston.

The City of Salem accepted a similar application from Quikrete, filed with the Department of Environmental Quality on March 13.

“The Silverton site was a better site for us and we chose it over Salem even though Salem accepted our application,” John Rodriguez, manager of engineering for Quikrete’s Corona, Calif., office said.

“Initially, the operation will employ approximately 25 full-time employees, in three to five years that would increase to 50 and in 10 years increase to between 100 and 125.”