The concessions and compromises of a North Salt Lake gravel pit operator have finally begun paying dividends.
Tuesday night, the City Council approved a 60-day extension of the 24-hour noise variance for the Concrete Products Co. gravel pit. The CPC pit is at the city's southern end along Orchard Drive.This is the longest variance granted to CPC since the summer construction season began. On three previous occasions, the variance lasted only 30 days.
Additionally, a representative of the pit will no longer have to appear in front of the council on a regular basis to defend the company. Future variances can be granted by the mayor, without council approval, unless the mayor feels the need to consult with the council.
Loosening restrictions comes after more than a year of haggling between residents who oppose 24-hour operations and CPC, which needs the late-night work for the I-15 reconstruction.
Now, however, the complaints from residents have practically ceased, said Mayor Jim Child.
"Some have even questioned whether CPC is working at night," he said.
If the residents' vocal opposition to the late-night pit work doesn't resurface, the mayor will likely continue to grant the 60-day variance indefinitely.
A primary reason for the elimination of resident's complaints is the many concessions that CPC has made, some of them within the last month. Recent ones include the halting of any job that requires the reverse warning alarms, as well as any dumping that bangs the tailgates of dump trucks.
"Those are all jobs that can be completed during the day," said CPC's gravel pit manager John Burggraf.
One responsibility CPC failed to accomplish was a decibel measure of the pit's activity, Burggraf said. The council, however, looked past this, because they agreed with Burggraf's assertion that the heavy June rains prevented any useful measurements.
"They've complied, and we haven't had any complaints," said Councilman Kay Briggs.
The mayor will review compliance before Sept. 7, when the current variance expires.