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County officials consider changes for soil-mining operation

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By JEAN ORTIZ / Lincoln Journal Star

Tuesday, Oct 02, 2007 - 04:44:14 pm CDT

Lancaster County commissioners are reconsidering their approval last week of a soil-mining operation, though not because of any qualms about the operation or the man behind the plan.

The board signed off last week on a plan to approve the operation on 159 acres along U.S. 77 between Branched Oak and Davey roads. Under the proposal, work would be limited to weekday daylight hours, with access to U.S. 77 prohibited between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

The site, once pegged for a quarter-mile drag strip, is owned by motor sports promoter Greg Sanford.

Story Photo

The board was expected to sign off on a resolution Tuesday to formally approve the permit for the operation, until Sanford’s attorney, Mark Hunzeker, asked for a reconsideration.

A contractor working on a state project is eyeing Sanford’s soil, but needs an OK for night hauling before proceeding, Hunzeker said.

He asked the board to adjust for that and to make that approval contingent on the county receiving a copy of the contract for the soil indicating the contractor’s need for night work.

In an interview following the meeting, Sanford confirmed the talks are serious. Although he felt the regulations put on his soil-mining permit were unfairly restrictive, he said the pending contract, not his feelings, are driving the need for adjustments.

Both he and Hunzeker declined to disclose the name of the contractor. Hunzeker said he doubts the state is directly involved enough to know about the plans.

Any plans involving soil and Sanford are unknown to state officials, said Mary Jo Oie, a spokeswoman with the Nebraska Department of Roads.

In the interest of efficiency and safety, it’s fairly typical to require night work in contracts, especially for interstate projects, Oie said.

Bill Hitzeman, a highway construction supervisor with the department, confirmed there is an existing arrangement taking soil from a mining operation also along U.S. 77 for the Interstate 80 widening project.

Commissioner Larry Hudkins said last week that if it was to the benefit of county, state or governmental projects, he would consider adjustments to the regulations.

Of concern to Hunzeker: Approving the permit as is and trying to adjust it later could mean going through the entire planning process again to make changes.

“That takes us into time where, you know, you can’t move dirt,” he said.

County officials, meanwhile, had some uncertainties about procedure. Deputy County Attorney Tom Fox asked for a week to review rules for special permits. He wants to make sure the board can change the hours of operation despite its decision last week.

“I don’t want to steer you wrong with regard to that,” Fox said.

Board Chairman Bob Workman had concerns about closing the public hearing only to make changes later.

Hunzeker said he understood that and the week would give residents a chance to weigh in as well.

“You know as well as I do that nobody’s had any difficulty communicating with you on this issue outside the public hearings,” Hunzeker said.

The board ultimately voted 3-1 to reconsider last week’s action. Ray Stevens voted against the plan and Deb Schorr was absent.

The board expects to bring the issue back Oct. 9, giving Fox time to research and Hunzeker time to come up with a contract. Commissioners also expect to continue discussion at their staff meeting Thursday.

Reach Jean Ortiz at 473-7107 or jortiz@journalstar.com.


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haha wrote on October 2, 2007 12:52 pm:
" How sneaky can this guy be? "

 Run all night long wrote on October 2, 2007 1:13 pm:
" Funny - the city can see what's in it for them now but could not when Gregg wanted a drag strip. To the neighbors that said "not in my back yard"... I say let him run trucks in and out of that land day and night. "

 Larry wrote on October 2, 2007 1:36 pm:
" Is there any real reason why they just can't leave this poor man alone????? "

 Keep the hours as is wrote on October 2, 2007 1:56 pm:
" Open it back up to a public hearing. Quit the behind the scenes propaganda. Why were the contracts not presented or even discussed before? There was no rebuttal to the opposition's statement that the state has no contracts for this land. How did they come up with contracts after the meeting? "

 Neighbor wrote on October 2, 2007 2:29 pm:
" Why can't Sanford just leave his neighbors alone? Now he wants to keep us up all night with trucks running at night. If he can't have his dragstrip, he wants to punish us somehow. "

 Show us the contracts... wrote on October 2, 2007 2:32 pm:
" The problem with all applications for this land has been negative behind the scenes intentions and a deliberate avoidance to work with the neighbors. It borders on vindictiveness. Hardly something you want for a neighbor. Where were these contracts last week? Are there any? "

 Ummm wrote on October 2, 2007 3:12 pm:
" Larry, regarding "leave this poor man alone", he applied for a soil-mining permit...it was granted...it's his lawyer that wants it changed...what part of this is harrasment of Sanders? "

 DR wrote on October 2, 2007 4:15 pm:
" Why are the people in this area not concerned or botherd by the soil minning that is going on with no restrictions right now within a mile of the same location? There will never be a drag strip there with a cemetary across the street. "

 whatever wrote on October 2, 2007 5:10 pm:
" This just plain old hardball business going on right now. Lancaster County and Lincoln is going to be drug into the 21st century kicking and screaming. "

 North vrs South is the battle cry wrote on October 2, 2007 6:08 pm:
" Amazing that these Cprlife Rocky Neighbor group keeps saying in these LJS blogs that they are saving taxpayers dollars if a drag strip was to be built but in reality they are the group that is costing Nebraskans over 20 million dollars in lost revenue and over 200 related jobs because a drag strip cant be built now in Lancaster County, they are now costing taxpayers by preventing soil to be mined for public road building. These people have cost the County millions in government red tape and lost tourism revenue for our city and are now costing the entire state with limiting soil mining for public road building. "

 He can mine...with restrictions wrote on October 2, 2007 10:14 pm:
" Who says we aren't bothered by the soil mining to the south? As usual, false accusations are being flung by the ignorant. Obviously you didn't listen to the complaints voiced about this other site during recent public hearings. Get educated before making more statements. "

 someone who pays taxes wrote on October 2, 2007 10:24 pm:
" Hey, my mom told me life's not fair. Sometimes the rights of an individual have to be superceded by the rights of all of society. If the taxes paid by a soil miner landowner, a dag stipowner or a plain ole' farmer are more important to a community, then they are. Some one has to pay the bills, whether it's the one with the money or the one with the land. "

 More sneaky than you know wrote on October 2, 2007 11:21 pm:
" Any developer has to be sneaky in this hopeless town to get anything accomplished when you have County officials such as our Board Chairman directing staff to throw road blocks and create a hostile place to do business. What is a developer supposed to do? Leave town of course and develope in Omaha. Serious tho, why does local government continue to vote against progress and continue to raise our taxes? Good luck Greg with your drag strip in another county that would appreciate tourism dollars. "

 Nimby go home wrote on October 3, 2007 8:22 am:
" In the interest of public safety on our roadways, suitable soil is needed to provide a good road bed to prevent rough roads and to minimize road maintenance over the life of the pavement. If soil being used now is substandard and Sanford’s site has already been tested for being ideal for road bed construction, then the state wins on this one. In the interest of public safety, soil miner protesters go home. "

 Me wrote on October 3, 2007 9:02 am:
" I think Mr. Sanders should get a real job and leave the people who were there first alone. If Mr. Sander and his legal team really want to race go back to Scribner and re-open that drag-strip, buy out the land around it and show us how racing will save us all.. Or pop in a DVD and watch the movie "Field of Dreams" If we build it they will come... Oh, yeah go to HPT.com and check out the sponsors section to see what kind of action you find at the strip.....Restaurants / Bars Club Orleans Gentlemans Club. After all anything that brings in bling is good. Right??? "

 Hattie wrote on October 3, 2007 9:34 am:
" Get over it! Sanford wants to get his money back from his investment, Pay for the property with the money, and move on to another site that is cooperative and wants a motor sports facility. This is not about satisfying the needs of the Drag Racers, they are the patsy for Greg. "

 look out wrote on October 3, 2007 9:58 am:
" This County board will be steped on and over ruled when the State of Nebraska takes over this land for federaly funded projects. Then the nieghbors will have to deal with the state with there cries. "

 Jim wrote on October 3, 2007 10:00 am:
" What part of this is sneaky and behind the scenes. It seems to me that his lawyer and the county has been pretty open with this change and the initial permit. Will you "good neighbors" ever stop complaining. Being a good neighbor goes both ways, have you ever stopped to think about that, I really doubt it ! "

 Dano wrote on October 3, 2007 10:12 am:
" I have to disagree with vindictive attitudes and noise. No one considered it when the stripped the hill off of west A street when the built the hwy 77 interchange. We lived across the street from it for the entire project. The noise was minimal and they ran whenever they could to get the job done. It is known that traffic is lower at night, thus safer. If the contract is valid and true, then modify the aggreement with an amendment or change now and stop wasting time and money. I don't care what the neighbors say, when we didn't have any say in that matter but we were able to cope. Now, that hill they stripped is a full neighbor hood of new houses. These people need to stop impeding progress and business. They are far fewer in number. Someone just needs to stand up and grease the squeaky wheel. "

 Darren wrote on October 3, 2007 10:23 am:
" I'm so going to laugh when the county moves the dump to this location. The crying and screaming from thses over privaledged neighbors will be classic. It's just a mattere of time before your cheesy little acerages are surrounded by housing developments and you will have to deal with the poor and unworthy. "

 Hattie wrote on October 3, 2007 11:14 am:
" There were only 2 or 3 acreage owners that Owned Mr. Workman and got their way. The rest of us out here on our "cheesy acreages wanted it and would have supported in in any way, shape, or form. It now appears that there was more to this than we thought. Sanford really intends to profit from the mining of the soil, and never really intended to put the strip in. His real agenda was to strip mine the dirt, pay for his investment, than get out and still sell the property for what he paid PLUS. How is that for supporting the wrong guy. "

 Davey dude wrote on October 3, 2007 11:39 am:
" I can not believe I live around these hatefull people. The winners have opened a can of worms for the County. As far as getting educated before posting. The video on channel 5 city tv is available to the public. Mike Dekalb from planning was asked by the board if there have been any complaints with soil mining in Lancaster County. Answer was NO. Why do these neighbors insist on making anything going on at this location only a problem? I will buy the land from the current owner and have it mined to benefit our state and federal Hwy's. "

 Dump wrote on October 3, 2007 12:02 pm:
" About the landfill 56th and I80 interchange is being anexed by the city. Development will happen there. I believe the land fill will be moved further north. Lincoln will grow. Just like 48th and Superior land fill moved there operation north. Look out complainers the city is comming. How much is property worth within a mile of the current landfill? It smells pretty high in value to me. "

 yoshiki wrote on October 3, 2007 2:04 pm:
" To "Me": 'leave the people who were there first alone?' If memory recalls, that would be the Native Americans, not the current inhabitants... but that doesn't quite work out now, does it? "

 J wrote on October 3, 2007 2:30 pm:
" Let the neighbors buy the property at whatever price Mr. Sanford wants for it if they are going to cry so much.. Leave this guy alone, talk about bad neighbors, some of these that cry at every turn, make sure and protest, and be at every meeting to talk bad about the guy. Good job! "

 Not a race fan wrote on October 3, 2007 3:45 pm:
" I was going to let this one slide until I saw a comment about "let the neighbors buy the property". It seems to me I've read where early on, the neighbors wanted to do just that, but Greg wouldn't sell. Also, show me where it's proposed to expand the dump. If you're going to make a statement about it, you should have the facts to back it up, otherwise, it's just blah, blah, blah. "

 to all the people complaining wrote on October 3, 2007 4:11 pm:
" about noise. *News flash* The city of Lincoln is growing! Your going to have to deal with it sometime! You just creating more problems, wait til the State of Nebraska takes over! Get over it "

 Minner wrote on October 3, 2007 4:16 pm:
" If you do not own this land. Mine your own business. "

 A race fan wrote on October 3, 2007 5:57 pm:
" Who said expand the dump? Having a drag strip would protect the area from becoming a landfill. Here is a little info from our goverment website. After two years of public meetings and hearings, construction of the new landfill began in November of 1987. The Bluff Road Landfill is now expected to last until the year 2022. Then what? Read for yourself lancaster.ne.gov. By the way no one tried to buy this land. "

 Mining is not a right wrote on October 3, 2007 6:51 pm:
" Mining is allowed only by SPECIAL PERMIT, not something you just do because you own the land. The only additional revenue the county gets off this is when the mining starts and the mined land is taxed at fair market value instead of ag value. Go for it and bring in the dozers. All mining sites in the county, not just this one, will have the assessors office removing greenbelt exemptions instead of slipping through the cracks. More money out of the developers hands to provide tax revenue for the county! "

 Dirt Dummy wrote on October 3, 2007 8:52 pm:
" I admit, I'm not in the dirt business, but was it this much of a hassle for the other dirt mining permit that is taking place on the west side of 77 within a mile or so of this site? It seems to me this one is taking place for longer hours and even weekends and I don't see a problem. "

 Joe Dirt wrote on October 3, 2007 11:14 pm:
" Geesh, with all the crying and bawling over moving a little dirt out north, Kernal "Sanders" better put some grass cover over his open soil pit mine, dem tears will cause huge erosion problems. News Flash people, soil and dirt has been moved for years and years all over Lincoln without problems according to Building and Safety, there is no way in Bob Workmans green earth a drag strip or anything related to Motorsports will be built there. The County Board made sure of it with passing the most restrictive Motorsports regulations in the nation. MOTORSPORTS WONT HAPPEN IN LANCASTER COUNTY, PERIOD.END OF STORY. Let the state of Nebraska have the dirt please and then everything will go back to normal until Sam Walmart comes knocking in your neighborhood. "

 Building & Safety failures wrote on October 6, 2007 12:14 am:
" Dirt has NOT been moved for years and years all over Lincoln without problems. Building and Safety has not done their job, has stated it's not their problem and refer people elsewhere (state) to complain. So guess what..no complaints on file. The system is broke, but we are going to fix it going forward. Get ready Building & Safety, there's lots of work ahead that we will spoonfeed you. "

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