Cary residents air views on Sage, Meyer’s plans

Adela Crandall Durkee for Chronicle Media

 

 More than 100 people attended an Oct. 4 meeting at the Holiday Inn in Crystal Lake. (Photo by Adela Crandell Durkee/for Chronicle Media

More than 100 people attended an Oct. 4 meeting at the Holiday Inn in Crystal Lake. (Photo by Adela Crandell Durkee/for Chronicle Media

Cary residents had their say on two proposed projects, during an Oct. 4 meeting at the  Holiday Inn in Crystal Lake.

Residents had a chance to speak on details to Sage Products’s expansion and Meyer Mining’s request to petition for extended mining operations.

Sage Products has been part of the McHenry County landscape for the past 42 years and in Cary since 2001.

Scott Brown, President of Sage Products explained their expansion plans. They added 60 new jobs this year, with 40 more yet to be filled. Their manufacturing operation benefits 200 local vendors, and employees patronize local businesses for shopping and meals. The expansion plans extend across the Sage Parkway, necessitating Sage’s buyback of the land, and closing the Parkway.

Sage donated the property to the Village when the Parkway was built, and has agreed to buy it back at market value. Non-Sage traffic will divert to Georgetown Drive and New Haven Drive.

Many of the residents objected to closing the Parkway. Despite the traffic studies and feasibility data, many people in the crowd voiced safety concerns. In an effort to listen to concerns, Brown held a neighborhood meeting prior to the Council meeting.

“We had 164 people express concerns at the neighborhood meeting,” said Brown. “Sage operates 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. We did not know about the added stress of weekend soccer games.”

As each concerned citizen stepped to the microphone to express concerns, it became clear that Sage is considered a good neighbor and the neighbors support all the community work Sage has done.

The berms and screening around the facility go a long way to hiding the manufacturing. Yet, the traffic, parking, school buses, and the increased congestion due to soccer games on the alternate streets, stimulated Forrester Faia to circulate a petition requesting Sage to find an access route other than the existing streets. Several residents queued to speak wanted additional traffic studies.

Village Trustee Ellen McAlpine responded to the safety concerns.

“Safety concerns for New Haven Drive and Georgetown Drive are the responsibility of the village,” she said. “Those are issues that need to be addressed aside from Sage’s request.”

“For the safety and efficiency of our employees, it makes sense to connect the buildings,” Brown sai. “We don’t want foot traffic and forklifts going back and forth across Sage Parkway.”

The Council voted unanimously to sell the property back to Sage and allow them to close the Parkway. Sage may proceed with the expansion.

An equal number of citizens voiced objection to Meyer Materials petition to present an amendment to their conditional use permit. The conversation became heated as citizens and Council members alike got sidetracked by the contents of the amendment and lost focus on the petition.

Meyer requested an extension on its mining project in May, which the village denied. Since that time, the bulk of operation has been spent on restoration efforts, rather than mining.

According to a Meyer’s spokesperson it was a business decision because of fines levied ($100,000 per month). If the petition is accepted, Meyer plans to submit an amendment that would expand its operation hours, and eliminate the majority of dust and noise.

Citizens addressing the village expressed concerns and called for operations shut-down. Trustee David Chapman said, addressing the crowd,

“You’ve put us in adversarial position,” Chapman said. “In May, we heard your concerns about dust and noise. We want to address them, and now you object to that. Meyer is within their rights to present a significantly different proposal. It’s the law.” Chapman went on to say, “We as a Village Council have a responsibility to look after every part of Cary. The people want a lake similar to the one in Crystal Lake. We put it in the Comprehensive Plan. The end product of the Meyer’s operation will be that lake.”

Mayor Mark Kownick split the tied vote to allow Meyer to proceed to the next step of presenting the amendment to the Zoning Board.