Gravel pit, junkyard works on compliance

PALMER — The Mat-Su Borough says that B&E Sand and Gravel off of Pittman Road, which has been operating a gravel pit and junkyard without permits for either function, is working toward getting the needed permits to be in compliance.

“What we like to do is get people into compliance. That’s our goal here and they’re doing everything that it takes to get into compliance. They’re going through the steps,” said the borough’s Development Services Manager Alex Strawn.

Strawn said last week that the first complaint about the pit operating a junkyard taking in construction debris came in 2011 but enforcement of that complaint fell through the cracks.

In April the borough re-started that enforcement and went out to the property. After an inspection, it issued an enforcement order after finding construction debris in a quantity that “far exceeded” the amount that would trigger a borough permit requirement. In addition to the debris, Strawn said he found car parts, “a lot of tires,” small-engine machines, like snowblowers and lawnmowers, and appliances, like hot water heaters and at least one freezer.

He said there also was some household trash in the mix, but not so much as to emit foul odors or attract birds.

“We basically said a few different things, first of all you can’t do this, you can’t bury anything, you can’t bring in anymore trash and you have to either clean it up or have to apply for a permit within 30 days and 30 days went by and that’s when (borough code compliance) officer (Pam) Ness went out there to see if they had started cleaning up or if they had got a permit or anything like that,” Strawn said.

On that visit, Ness saw gravel trucks hauling out material for use on the borough’s Machen Road project. A check of the property found that the company’s permit to extract gravel expired years ago.

The borough is working to fast-track the gravel permit to get it back in operation. Strawn said that since he’s running so fast trying to get that permit done he hasn’t had time to review the other permit the company submitted to operate a junkyard.

“Certainly in the next couple of weeks we’ll have that permit reviewed and I know that we are going to have additional questions for them,” he said.

Strawn said that the borough has taken the position that the two permits are separate issues.

“They’re in the process of getting a conditional use permit for the junkyard so we do not see a purpose for holding up the gravel permit because there’s trash on there,” he said.

After all, he said, the goal is compliance.

Contact Andrew Wellner at 352-2270 or andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com.