Chairman White, Commissioners Young, Valentino, Robinson and Whitehead:
I have read the supposed “agreement” that Mr. Touart promised would provide a definitive timeline for the Hillock pit project. (roads-inc-ltr-8-28-07.pdf)
Quotes from the WEAR news story: July 16, 2007
“Now, this afternoon, County Administrator George Touart told me… He is going to instruct his engineering department to sit down with the company next week to hammer out a definitive timeline on the catfish pond. Touart says he’s purposely taken himself out of the proceedings up to this point, because his son works for Roads, Incorporated.”
It took over a month and a half for Bob McLaughlin (not the engineering department as stated) to come up with a lame letter that pretty much pats Roads Inc. on the back and gives them an ‘out’ to draw this unpermited borrow pit activity on for as long as they want to.
Mr. McLaughlin offers a time extension in the very letter that was supposed to be a definitive time limit! There is no agreement as this is merely an advisory letter to Roads Inc. And Mr. McLaughlin seemed pleased to have Mr. Rawson’s assessment of the “neighborhood situation” but seems unwilling to speak to the many neighbors that this is effecting directly.
Commissioners, we have had enough! There is no reason that the Board of County Commissioners should allow Roads Inc. to continue its Borrow Pit/Clay Pit/Dirt Mining activities one day longer! Almost every county official, every reporter, every citizen, that has gone to the site, (even many of Roads’ own truck drivers), all agree that this operation is a Borrow Pit.
Everyone knows that a lake or pond is one of the reclamation options of a borrow pit. He has had 20 months to construct a pond or a lake. He wasn’t interested in doing so. His primary usage is as a borrow pit. We have supplied to your office and the County Attorney’s office a list of other contracting trucks that are removing the dirt and taking it to non-Roads Inc. projects, including one company that sold the dirt here in the neighborhood! That is a clay pit. Pure and simple. [Come take a look at it, please!]
We know all about Mr. Touart’s family connections to this company and we have heard from several reliable sources about his repeated hunting trips with Roads Inc. principals. We also know that the County Administrator used the same county-contracted attorney that served as the Magistrate in the Roads Inc. hearing (G. Thomas Smith, June 2006) as his personal agent for a real estate transaction several months later (Sept. 2006; check Clerk of Court records online) Has he disclosed that yet?
Given the recent revelations that are currently being expressed about other possible conflict of interests, do you still refuse to take an independent (independent of the Administrator or Assistant Administrator’s involvement) review of the stormwater permit that was issued and why it was issued after the County Code Enforcement department had already cited the operation as an unpermitted borrow pit? And why the County Administrator and his Assistant repeatedly lied to the neighbors here intially telling us there were NO permits issued, and that none were necessary? Can the BCC not direct the administration to revoke this stormwater permit, since it was represented on the application that a mere “catfish pond” was to be constructed?
I realize that the County awards many contracts for projects to Roads Inc. The County also has been totally ignoring the fact that, by both the State law, and the newly enacted Nuisance ordinance (Jan 2007), Roads Inc. is violating the fencing laws by refusing to fence in the massive pit they are excavating. We have noticed you several times to this effect. It would be unconscionable for the County to continue to allow Roads Inc. to bypass it’s own ordinances when there is a perceived benefit to the County. (ie. Roads Inc. has less costs to mine clay and sand for their projects due to averting proper permitting/safeguards; thus they can come in at a lower bidding price on county projects.)
Please, please, Commissioners! We are counting on someone to stop the lack of application of common sense in this and many of the situations in the county that we are reading about. This problem has been a nightmare for our neighborhood and we have long suspected that it may be just the tip of the iceberg of problems that exist with questionable dealings in this county. We are hoping there is someone who will stand up and do the right thing.
Sincerely,
Jacqueline Rogers
Knollwood Neighborhood