Shingle recylcing plant controversy in Cary, LITH
A proposal to bring an asphalt shingle recycling plant to Lake in the Hills is causing some friction between the village and neighboring Cary.
A public hearing will take place Monday regarding annexing the so-called Krueger property on the west side of Route 31, about 2,000 feet north of Trinity Drive, to Lake in the Hills.
The Lawrence Krueger Declaration of Trust also is asking for the property, currently in unincorporated McHenry County, to be zoned as a limited manufacturing district and that it be granted a conditional use permit to build the plant.
In May, the property was de-annexed from Cary, whose village board was obligated to grant the petition due to a previous legal agreement. On Tuesday, the Cary village board approved a resolution formally stating its opposition to having the plant at that location.
“The village is concerned about the environmental impact that the facility will have on its residents,” Cary Village President Tom Kierna later said. “We’re also very concerned about the impact it would have on the water table.”
But Lake in the Hills Village President Ed Plaza took issue with that.
“The mere fact that the village of Cary is adopting a resolution to tell us how we should conduct our business bothers me, frankly,” Plaza said at the Lake in the Hills board meeting Tuesday.
What matters to him is whether the project benefits Lake in the Hills, and whether it’s environmentally safe, he added.
Attorney Rich Guerard represents the Lawrence Krueger Declaration of Trust, and Southwind RAS, of Bartlett, the company that would operate the recycling plant.
The plant would occupy 5 of the property’s 18.7 acres, which also holds commercial buildings such as automotive and small engine repair shops, Guerard said. The property is surrounded by manufacturing districts, and two adjacent property owners have submitted letters to the Lake in the Hills planning and zoning commission in support of the plan, he said.
According to Guerard, asphalt shingle recycling plants aren’t know to cause environmental issues.
Shingles commonly used on houses would be transported to the plant, where they would be ground up. The product then would be shipped off-site to be mixed with asphalt and sold, he said.
“There isn’t any known environmental issue with it. No odor. It’s not heated. There is not groundwater runoff,” Guerard said. IEPA permits are needed to ensure no asbestos is taken into the plant, he added.
The Lake in the Hills planning and zoning commission will hold a public hearing at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 12 at Lake in the Hills village hall, 600 Harvest Gate.