Letter to the editor

KPB Gravel Pit ordinance altered at last minute

After working on the ordinance for two years, the assembly is bombarded with 11 amendments from the borough mayor. They really seem to be in a hurry to finish the document before the upcoming election.

This ordinance rewrite is not a game, it is serious business. If you have observed the assembly meetings over the past few years, you would think it is a battle between the gravel pits and the residents. It could be perceived that gravel pits are now being given a protective essential status, which will apparently take precedence over the quality of life, property values, safety, and health of residents. If you are a rural resident, you will have even less protection.

Gravel pits can be within 250 feet of a school, clinic or senior citizen center. Hey, anybody out there concerned about the extra dust your kids, your senior citizens or your health care providers will be breathing from a nearby pit? 250 feet is 50 feet shorter than a football field. How about how distractive the noise from heavy equipment operating might be to the children in a classroom?

The word visual is being replaced by the phrase “street level screening.” You have to be a lawyer to figure this one out. A question for the real estate industry: What happens to your profits on view property on the Kenai Peninsula if gravel pits continue to proliferate without proper visual screening? And, did you know only one gravel pit permit has been denied in the last 27 years?

Score for the mayor and assembly in the Homer game: Pits 10, Fish 1, and residents 0. Gravel is a necessary commodity, but it needs to be regulated sensibly, not politically.

William Patrick

Anchor Point