Construction Recycling Center Clears First Hurdle

A at a quarry on 119th Street just west of Plainfield East High School has cleared its first hurdle.

The Wheatland Township Planning Commission unanimously voted Tuesday night to recommend approval for special permits that will allow E. F. Heil to build in the floodplain and to store uncontained bulk material outdoors, commission chairwoman Laurie McPhillips said in an e-mail.

The commission also recommended approval for zoning variances that will allow the company to recycle and store wood outdoors, reduce the 8-foot fence requirement by two feet and use 85 percent of the site for storage, rather than 50 percent, McPhillips said.

The commission meeting was attended by township Supervisor Todd Morse and highway commissioner Dayton Jarnigan, both of whom skipped at which residents were deciding the fate of a new township hall.

The Wheatland Township Board will vote on the facility at tonight's board meeting. Heil doesn’t need Wheatland Township approval, but a township endorsement would give the project a boost when it goes before the Will County Planning and Zoning Commission and, ultimately the Will County Board.

If it's approved by the county, Heil would need to obtain a permit from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

The county ommission, which is reviewing the project simultaneous to the township, has attached 18 conditions to its recommendations. Among them, hazardous wastes must be stored separately and a plan on how “nonconforming wastes,” including asbestos, tires, treated or painted wood, oil or oil containers, contaminated soil, and painted concrete or asphalt, will be handled, according to a July 28 county staff report.

The Wheatland plan commission also added a condition to limit the hours during which materials can be ground or processed to 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, McPhillips said.

“The facility would be required to comply with all local zoning ordinances and new requirements concerning the operation of construction and demolition recycling facilities, as well as drainage requirements, and get approval of the IEPA as well,” McPhillips said.

The next public hearing on recycling center will be at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 16 at the Will County Planning and Zoning Commission meeting being held at the Will County Office Building, 302 N. Chicago St., Joliet.

From there, it goes to the county board's Land Use Committee and then to the full board on Sept. 15.