The Frac Sand Mining Impact Assessment Committee (FSMIAC) for the Town of Rock had their second meeting where they took comments from the public.
The committee started the meeting with a presentation laying out the information they had, the laws they have to follow, and what concerns had been raised so far. You can watch that presentation and the rest of the meeting here.
During the presentation, the issue of the financial benefit to the town came up.
“There is no place in there that identifies compensation, Doug Schmidt, CEO of Coulee Frac Sand Mining, told me specifically at the last meeting, I said ‘is there any additional compensation the Town of Rock?,’ he shook his head and said ‘no’,” said Jim Schmidt, Chair of the FSMIAC. “I said ‘any additional compensation for the County of Wood?,’ he shook his head and said ‘no’.”
“That is all up to conditional use,” said Pete Winistorfer, Chair of the Town of Rock. “You know objectives as it’s stated, that is all to be determined as things are presented to the potential profits for tonnage [of sand] that’s taken out of the property.”
The discussion then turned to legal representation for the town.
“On our next agenda there will be the discussion as far as securing legal counsel,” said Winistorfer. “I have all of the information ready to go with a very experienced attorney that specializes in conditional use permits.”
That meeting will be held on Thursday, September 14that 7:00 PM at the Rock Town Hall.
The final point of contention was on the timeline and process for approving the Conditional Use Permits. Several members of the public asked about delaying the decision past the 60 days, and other questions about changing the way the Conditional Use Process works.
“We still have to follow the parameters of government. Is it frustrating? Yes, it is, but that is where we’re at, period,” said Winistorfer. “This is a governmental body and [state law] has to be adhered to otherwise the State will come down on us, the County will come down on us, and none of this will matter because it will all be for naught due to the simple fact that procedure wasn’t followed.”
The FSMIAC has three more meetings scheduled for September 10th, 12th, and 17thall at 7:00 PM at the Rock Town Hall. The committee may not hold all meetings if they are able to complete their work sooner. The final decision will be made at the October 12th Rock Town Board Meeting at 7:00 PM at the Rock Town Hall.
