Portage Township board refuses special use permit for the site
PORTAGE TOWNSHIP -- There were a few remaining questions after last week's court order to cease operations at the Valley View Quarry.
Last night a number of residents, the Moyles and quarry workers all packed into the township meeting to get their answers.
All parties agreed first that Moyle will be allowed to remove already processed gravel from the quarry site.
Moyle also asked if they could continue discussions about a special use permit for the site - an idea that had been tabled prior to the lawsuit.
The board said agreeing to do so would undermine the entire lawsuit.
“It's not what I expected,” said Andy Moyle, co-owner of the quarry. “I appreciate the township's involvement with prosecuting this case the way they did, but we were going through the process for two years. We just want to go back to where we were before the lawsuit interrupted it.”
“It would've been foolish for the township board to now try to find a way to make legal a quarry, which they spent tens of thousands of dollars to shutdown at our request,” said Steve Pence, attorney for three township residents.
Moyle told the board that the judge's ruling is not only bad for their business, but that it will likely cause problems for local construction.
They plan to appeal the decision.