DUNTROON - Clearview Township and Walker Industries have reached a settlement regarding the proposed expansion of the Duntroon Quarry.

Michael Wynia, Clearview’s director of planning, announced the settlement Monday night at council.

He said it was approved earlier in the day by council during an in-camera session.

Wynia said staff, at the direction of council, has been working the last couple months to try and reach a settlement with Walker Industries.

Mayor Ken Ferguson and other members of council said the settlement aims to address concerns about the quarry project that were raised during two public meetings last year.

The quarry proposal is currently before the province’s Consolidated Hearings Board, which will decide whether to approve the settlement and grant the conditions that will allow the expansion to go ahead, the mayor said.

Walker wants to open a new 170-acre quarry across the road from its present 116-acre pit, located on County Road 91, west of Duntroon. The company says the existing quarry only has about three years’ worth of aggregate left to mine.

In the settlement, Walker agrees to what’s called an Adaptive Management Plan (AMP) for the new site.

The AMP sets out conditions to protect the natural environment of the property.

The plan must be finalized, in consultation with the township and other review agencies and approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources.

As the project moves ahead, the plan requires that certain markers be met, including the successful planting of trees in an area of the property that’s to be reforested.

The settlement also requires that what’s known as the Miller Pond be relocated on the property to ensure of the pond’s habitat.

Walker also agreed in the settlement that there will be a maximum of 500 trucks per day [one way] out of the quarry, traveling east on County Road 91.

And the company agreed that a maximum of 2-million tonnes of aggregate from the quarry will be shipped easterly along County Road 91 each year.

In connection with that stipulation, Walker agreed that a maximum of 2.5 million tonnes will be shipped annually from the quarry.

The company also agreed that it will not operate an asphalt plant at the site.

Walker also agreed to reduced hours of operation at the property.

The settlement details also note that Walker and the township “will jointly request the county to reduce the maximum posted speed limit to 60 kilometres per hour on County Road 91, between Grey County Road 31 and the westerly urban area of Duntroon.

The two also agreed that they will ask the counties of Grey and Simcoe to “accept the position that Walker should only be required to pay for the reasonable cost of road reconstruction or improvements to Simcoe County Road 91 that are directly related to the projected volumes of truck traffic from the quarry expansion.”

They will also ask the county to avoid any widening of County Road 91.

Walker also agreed to be responsible for the “reasonable cost” of providing a sidewalk on the north side of County Road 91, between the westerly limit of Duntroon and County Road 124.

The company also agreed that at the time the province grants it an extraction licence for the site it will be responsible for the “reasonable cost of the installation” of a crosswalk and/or radar speed sign in front of Duntroon Central Public School, if requested by the township and approved by the county.

Walker has also agreed to pay Clearview a half-cent per tonne of total aggregate it mines from the site. Clearview will use the money to buy land.

As well, Walker agreed to pay Clearview a half-cent per tonne of total aggregate with the money going towards planting trees in the municipality. The first year the money is paid it will go towards trees for the Duntroon area.

Deputy Mayor Alicia Savage said the settlement allows Clearview to be involved in the process, adding the township could have just as easily stood back and let the Consolidated Hearings Board issue a ruling.

The lone member of council to not support the settlement was Ward 4 councillor Thom Paterson.

Paterson said he appreciates the efforts by Walker and the township to reach a settlement but he is concerned about disturbing the natural environment of the site.

Neil Lanz, a Duntroon-area resident and spokesperson for the Clearview Community Coalition (CCC), which is against the quarry expansion, said the CCC is disappointed by the settlement.

“We think taxpayers will be upset when they learn of the details of the settlement that their locally elected officials have made with Walker Industries behind closed doors,” he told The Stayner Sun on Tuesday morning. “The CCC was always concerned about the size of Walker’s proposal. Clearview council is recommending that Walker almost double in size. We feel we weren’t listened to – our input as a group was ignored.”