BROWN COUNTY — After considerable discussion, the Brown County Planning Commission unanimously approved a conditional use permit (CUP) application by Duininck, Inc., to renew an existing CUP in Section 29, North Star Township Tuesday.

A recommendation to the Brown County Board of Commissioners at its April 16 meeting, the motion by Commissioner John Rolloff, seconded by Commissioner Anita Mohr, with three additional conditions, will continue to allow a one year gravel mine operation to include extraction and processing (crushing) equipment and a portable hot mix asphalt plant all in the A-1 Agricultural Protection Zoning District.

The additional conditions include leaving township roads like they found them, condition approval by township supervisors and reducing the permit from three years to one.

Jason Ver Steeg of Duininck, Inc. said his company would meet with a township supervisor about road conditions before going into the site.

North Star Township Supervisor Rich Groebner said township roads disintegrate during heavy gravel mining truck traffic and that a $0.10 per cubic yard tax for all gravel hauled out of the Groebner and Scheffler mines that helps pay for road maintenance and dust control often falls short of what is needed to maintain the roads.

“It’s the stuff they haul back in. It just isn’t working,” Groebner said. “They haul in a lot of reclaimed tar and mix it with red rock. The gravel is just a small portion of the hauling.”

Ver Steeg said his company will continue to work with the township, helping maintain roads as it hauls on, and watering and grading roads.

Other permit conditions include a speed limit of no more than 35 mph, applying magnesium chloride twice a year, gravel hauling hours 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to noon Saturdays, no Sunday hauling. In addition, the only roads gravel trucks may use to exit pits are 440th Avenue to access Highway 14 and 170th Street in North Star Township and 110th Street in Redwood County to access Highway 71.

Commissioners unanimously approved:

• A Brown County Highway Department 18.32 acre parcel in Section 3, Stark Township to allow continued use of an existing gravel mine to include gravel screening, processing and a hot mix plant all in the A-1 zone, motion by Rolloff, second by Commissioner Tony Berg.

• Re-zoning application filed by Brad Berkner on property owned by Carole, Bryan and Belinda Berkner, Section 31, Home Township, rezoning about 20 acres of land from the I-1 to A-1, motion by Berg, second by Mohr.

• Final plat application filed by Dennis Potter, Section 14, North Star Township, to split house from remaining farmstead, motion by Mohr, second by Rolloff.

• Final plat application filed by Nate Gieseke of Central Region Coop, known as Central Region Essig Addition, Milford Township, all in the I-1 Limited Industry Zoning District. Parcels being platted are a reorganization of existing platted lots to facilitate an impending sale, motion by Berg, second by Mohr.

Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.