REGULATE the Unregulated Construction Debris Dump & Gravel Factory in Wadsworth

Wadsworth IL

Description

*PLEASE SIGN* REGULATE the Unregulated Construction Debris Dump & Gravel Factory in Wadsworth, IL To fellow Agents of Change: My community is dealing with problems emitted from a construction material dump site & gravel factory that the Village of Wadsworth, IL approved in odd fashion in 2014. Residents were first told that this construction company site would be “temporary” but soon after it became a permanent fixture of life in the otherwise residential neighborhood. The Village of Wadsworth was told then and is being told today that there are questions and concerns of the workings at this site; yet has chosen not to do anything more than “discuss” behind closed doors. Village Officials frequently do not respond to residents who contact them with complaints. The Wadsworth’s motto is “a Village of Country Living”, however along its western border, it’s anything but quaint nor quiet. Additionally, consider that this site doesn’t have a sign or an address marker. New buyers or homeowners have no idea what is in their backyards until they start experiencing problems. The site’s owners are Campanella & Sons doing business as River Rock Holdings, LLC. They are a well known Woman Owned Business “WBE” company who have political dealings in Illinois, and has had contracts with the State of Illinois and Village of Wadsworth. Wadsworth’s Village Hall lies next to a field named for Campanella. The company’s owners live in Wadsworth but on the other side of town from the problem site. One would hope that a company that seemingly has a good external reputation would be willing to adjust their practices to make their work less impactful and safely monitored for their neighbors. The problems arising from the site that affect neighbors negatively are 1) safety, and 2) noise & nuisance. Safety: The Illinois EPA will not provide information to the public regarding the body of water on the site that the Village has termed a “quarry”. This is questionable and concerning the residents who live off a private well network of aquifers for drinking water. There’s much debate about private dump sites called clean construction or demolition debris (CCDD) in Illinois. Per the ILEPA website “Clean construction or demolition debris (CCDD) is uncontaminated broken concrete without protruding metal bars, bricks, rock, stone, or reclaimed asphalt pavement generated from construction or demolition activities. When uncontaminated soil is mixed with any of these materials, the uncontaminated soil is also considered CCDD.” This description fits what residents gather as going on at the site. In Illinois, this type of site has been hotly contested and investigated in recent years. See this report from the Better Government Association. The problem is what contaminants may be lying on the CCDD now near our properties. Residents want to know if this is what is literally in our backyards, and if so, how is the CCDD regulated and how do we know our drinking water if safe? It is not known when approving this site if Wadsworth considered the health of the drinking water or noise pollution now emitting from this site. It has not been shared if an environmental impact report or noise pollution study was completed prior Wadsworth approving the site. Other similar companies to Campanella & Sons in the area are not this close to residential neighbors or the materials site was there before the neighborhood. Our neighborhood was here first. The 2014 enabling ordinance for the site doesn’t include a quarry or CCDD. The variety of trucking companies that enter and exit the site do not cover the beds of their dump trucks. This is against the law. It is an unsafe practice that can be extremely dangerous, in addition to littering our roads with debris. The Lake County Sheriff should be involved to act upon these violations and guarantee safer roadways. Noise & Nuisance Wadsworth and Lake County Government have noise and nuisance ordinances. Campanella chooses not to follow these laws; and yet nothing is done to curb their activity. During daylight hours, Campanella has dump trucks, concrete crushers and a variety of other heavy equipment rocking the neighborhood. We are on constant alarm with all of the beeping back up trucks. Talk about high blood pressure, anxiety, migraines, as some of the health conditions affecting residents from this site. Yes, safety alerts at a construction site are required, but knowing that back up beepers are a noise problem and workers become less aware of the beeping when constant, OSHA has issued many alternatives as acceptable practices or alerts that do not similarly affect neighbors and in fact could be safer. The Village to date claims they haven’t heard the noises... Wadsworth’s code and laws on noise include: “4-1-3: NUISANCE PROHIBITED: It shall be unlawful for any person to cause, permit, maintain or allow the creation or maintenance of a nuisance. (Ord. 251, 3-7-1988)”. And “4-1-4: UNNECESSARY NOISE 1 : It shall be unlawful for any person to make, continue or cause to be made any loud, unnecessary or unusual noise or any noise which either annoys, disturbs, injures or endangers the comfort, repose, health, peace or safety of others within the limits of the Village.” And “4-1-2: ILLUSTRATIVE ENUMERATION The maintaining, using, placing, depositing, leaving or permitting to be or remain on any public or private property of any of the following items, conditions or actions is hereby declared to be and constitute a nuisance; provided, however, this enumeration shall not be deemed or construed to be conclusive, limiting or restrictive: D. Noise And Vibrations 1 : All unnecessary or unauthorized noises and annoying vibrations, including animal noises, electronic devices such as but not limited to amplifiers, speakers and loud microphones.” As construed, these ordinances enable the Village to act on the noise and nuisances. We believe there are ways to keep the neighborhood’s peace and residents informed while enabling the site to work. We believe the Village is dragging through this construction season without doing anything actionable. THAT’S WHERE YOU COME IN. Please sign & help make our situation matter to our governments. https://www.change.org/p/village-of-wadsworth-regulate-the-unregulated-construction-debris-dump-gravel-factory-in-wadsworth-il?recruiter=1224574909&recruited_by_id=cc573a40-0d0c-11ec-b5ff-73be70e89478&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial