Date: Fri 30-Apr-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

P&Z-Sand-Gravel-Newtown

Full Text:

Clean-Up Progresses At Sandy Hook Gravel Mine

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

The owners of Newtown Sand & Gravel Company, Inc, who were issued another town

order April 22 to correct zoning violations at their 11 Toddy Hill Road

property, have been making strides to correct the problems, according to

Zoning Enforcement Officer Gary Frenette.

Mr Frenette said a Wednesday inspection of the gravel mine showed "They have

made quite a clean-up of stuff."

On April 15, Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members endorsed a crackdown

on the company in light of various land use rule violations. P&Z members

approved allowing Mr Frenette to revoke the company's gravel mining permit,

call its $25,000 bond, and seek court-imposed fines in light of violations at

the surface mine.

The mine's owners said the zoning violations on the site will be corrected by

Thursday, Mr Frenette said Wednesday. "They are cooperating. They have made a

sincere and honest effort," he said.

There is no evidence that motor vehicles have been buried in the gravel mine

as had been alleged, Mr Frenette said.

Mr Frenette said if the clean-up work is done well, he will lift the

cease-and-desist order which was issued to the gravel mine April 22. Under

that order, the operators have 10 days to comply with the zoning rules or face

closure and fines.

In a January inspection of the gravel mine, Mr Frenette had found numerous

zoning violations, including the deposition of abandoned motor vehicles,

trailers, boats, assorted debris, trucks, one school bus and large piles of

cut trees and mulch. Mr Frenette issued a January 28 cease-and-desist order to

the property's owners, Peter A. Horelick, Jr, and Laura Lee Lawhon. Mr

Horelick then told Mr Frenette the problems would be corrected within one

month.

In ensuing inspections of the property, Mr Frenette found that a great deal of

debris and a number of vehicles had been removed from the property, but

violations remained.

In an April 12 inspection of the gravel mine, Mr Frenette found items

including tires, plastic piping, a truck nose, two large trailers, a box

trailer, a pickup truck bed, several car bodies, several dumpsters and

numerous auto parts, leaving the owners in violation of several zoning

regulations, according to Mr Frenette.

After that inspection, Mr Frenette went to the April 15 P&Z meeting for

guidance on how to handle the case. P&Z members then gave him a go-ahead for

stepped-up enforcement.

Of Mr Horelick's response to the April 22 cease-and-desist order, Mr Frenette

said "He is doing a wonderful job. He is very cooperative."