PORTAGE TOWNSHIP -- Update: Friday, April 8th, 7:15 p.m.
After nearly two years of controversy - the fate of the Valley View Quarry in Portage Township was sealed with Thursday’s court order to cease operations.
Work at the quarry had just restarted for the season, but Friday all of the equipment remained untouched.
There are piles of gravel ready to haul and plenty of rock left to crush.
Owners say the worst part of losing the lawsuit is that 35 workers are now out of a job.
"I had to call them last night and tell them not to come to work today,” says owner Gary Moyle. “That's a tough thing to do. They rely on this income, they're seasonal workers, and I apologize to them, but there's nothing I can do about it."
Without a doubt, there are some neighbors who are extremely happy about the shutdown and say the quarry should have never been there in the first place.
But not all residents agree.
Some say they don’t care either way, but even say they thought the ruling was a mistake.
Even township officials - who won the case - realize their victory is bittersweet.
"This was a zoning issue and we had to support our zoning plan that's been in place since the summer of 1984,” says Supervisor Bruce Petersen. “I'm not opposed to any business with them, but I don't really feel there is a future for the quarry in the setting that it's in."
Moyle says they do plan to appeal because their workers, their business and their customers depend on it, so they really don't have a choice.
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Update: Friday, April 8th, 2:15 p.m.
Portage Township Supervisor Bruce Petersen says he's pleased that the zoning ordinance was upheld by the court, but realizes there is a downside to the decision - that employees at the quarry could be negatively affected.
Petersen isn't the only one with mixed feelings. The ruling was a hot topic of conversation among residents Friday. While some say they are happy about the shutdown, a few others didn't care. However, another group of neighbors were clearly upset with the decision. One woman says she never heard noise from the site, while another man says "this area was based on mining and a little blasting during the day once in a while never bothered anyone."
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On Thursday, the Houghton County Circuit Court ruled that the quarry in Portage Township, owned and operated by Thomas J. Moyle, had to close due to zoning violations.
We posted a court document about Valley View Quarry being ordered to close and a statement from the attorney representing residents against the quarry. Below we have a statement from Moyle about the quarry closure.
If you'd like to express your opinion on the quarry closure in Portage Township, leave a comment and tell us how you feel. Information on the conflict can be found here.
Statement from Gary A. Moyle:
"What is a proud victory for 3 of the 1800 residents of Portage Township is a very bitter pill for our company, our family, and the 35 families that will be immediately impacted by this shut down. What started out as a cooperative effort by Portage Township to move our gravel operation away from the town of Dodgeville where the population is dense, to our remote location 1 mile into the woods and surrounded by CFA lands, has degraded into a anti-Moyle showdown. No matter your opinion of our company we provide jobs to hundreds of people in the county and they spend their earned money at other businesses. Many of these other businesses are located in Portage Township and many are operating illegally according to the precedent established by our case. I urge any business operator in Portage Township to get a zoning map and a copy of the zoning ordinance and see if the business they are operating is allowed according to zoning. By a survey of only the northern portion of the township I've identified at least 25 non-conforming businesses. And according to this precedent and statements made under oath by the township supervisor, if you are operating in a zoning district that does not specifically allow for your use, then your business is next.
Until July of 2010 our operation was entirely legal as were the other gravel pits in the township. Now that has all changed and as of this moment there is not one pit that is permitted to operate in the township. For the sake of our community I urge you to consider the impact of shutting down businesses and losing jobs at a time when our flailing economy can least afford it, and I urge you to make your voice heard to the board of Portage Township.
We appreciate the support from those who do support what we were doing by moving into an isolated area. And we would appreciate your support as we try to find a solution that is good for the township, the business community, our company and its employees, and the county as a whole." - Gary A. Moyle
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