Officials approve chipper mill request By DREW WINCHESTER Staff Writer NORTH PORT — City Planning and Zoning Advisory Board members approved a special exception on Thursday for VLC Recycling and Mulching, a North Port Estates-based company, to use an added piece of equipment on the property that the owner said would help aid their business efforts. The special exception for the chipper mill business, located on Joe Jeff Street, was approved 6-1, with new board member Lorenzo Whitehead the lone dissenter. Discussion about the special exception went beyond an hour, as board members attempted to sort out whether they were discussing the request of owner Steve Deans, or reconciling nearly $34,000 owed by Deans to the city for a December mulch fire on the property that lasted nearly four days and taxed the fire department’s services. North Port Fire Rescue Chief Bill Taaffe said fire crews used 4 million gallons of water during their efforts, also using multiple fire trucks and fire personnel on an “overtime basis” to battle the blaze. And, while Deans promised to work out a payment plan with the city, as outlined in the approval of the exception, commissioners agreed that Deans was an asset to the community. “I’ve looked through all the reasons we could turn it down,” Vice Chairman Fred Tower III said. “Mr. Deans has done everything we have asked of him.” According to city staff, a 1996 approval allowed a specific number of pieces of equipment on the property, so Deans was required to come back before the board for the latest approval. Deans was not the owner at the time of the original agreement. Deans said the new equipment is a special screen that allows them to sift through processed material — VLC operates in part as a chipper mill and yard-waste recycler — and will not create any extra noise. A few neighbors voiced their concern about Deans’ request, like Walter Fritz, who said he had been dealing with the difficulties of living near VLC for a decade. Fritz called VLC nothing more than a “dump site,” where more raw material is coming in than processed material is going out. Deans said the new equipment would help to alleviate the buildup of unprocessed materials. Board member Lorenzo Whitehead thought the new screen equipment would motivate Deans to bring in more product and make it “worse for residents” living nearby, the main reason he didn’t support the item. But, with nearly universal approval from the board, Whitehead’s concerns did little to sway his fellow board members from seeing things his way. “We can’t speculate it’s going to bring in more material, we have other people in the city who look at that,” said board member Richard Gortz. “Our function is to approve the new piece, and I see nothing but benefits to this city.” The special exception still has to go in front of city commissioners for final approval. Tower said the item would likely be voted on by the City Commission in two weeks. Email: dwinchester@sun-herald
Posted on: Fri, 07 Jun 2013 19:23:19 +0000
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