When residents along Valley Drive, Bettendorf, voiced concerns about zoning changes for a cement batch plant along Highway 67, the owners promised an enclosure would be built around the facility to limit any dust from the operations.
Thanks in part to the pledged improvement to the temporarily permitted batch plant, the city's Board of Adjustment approved a permanent special use permit for the facility. And, after making the same promise to the city's Planning and Zoning Commission, the plant's site plan received approval in April 2010.
A year later, the only part of the plant enclosure which has been built is the concrete foundation. City officials say they have been in contact with the owners several times, but the enclosure, estimated to cost $175,000, remains unbuilt.
The redi-mix plant, Pleasant Valley Redi-Mix, obtained a temporary one-year special use permit to operate at the site in February 2009. Co-owners of the facility, Todd Friemel and Ethan Mahler, then sought to make the temporary permit permanent in late 2009.
After a series of meetings and hearings, a permanent special use permit was granted by the Board of Adjustment. The site plan, which included the plant enclosure, was approved by the plan commission in April 2010. The firm obtained a building permit June 28, 2010 and paid the $1,000 building permit fee.
The foundation was installed and inspected last year, according to the city.
The plan commission minutes of April 2010 state the site grading was to be completed in mid- to late-summer with the plant enclosure to be erected soon thereafter.
According to the commission minutes: "Friemel stated that the IDNR (Iowa Department of Natural Resources) does not require a concrete mixing plant to have a central dust collector, adding that he and his partner chose to incorporate one into the project in order to be a good neighbor."
The minutes continued: "Ethan Mahler, co-applicant, state that the plant will be fully enclosed, adding that the silos will not be exposed. He indicated that the only way material could escape would be through the garage door."
CLICK HERE for additional information on the redi-mix plant site plan request before the city plan commission.
Concrete and fill dirt have raised the level of batch cement-mixing plant property just off Highway 67.
