HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-04-02 City of Carmel
One Civic Square Carmel, IN 46032
NEWS RELEASE
Date: October 4, 2002
Contact: Nancy Heck (317) 571 -2494
Release: Immediate
Carmel Mining Ordinance
To be Discussion of Town Hall Meeting
Carmel, IN The Martin Marietta mining ordinance proposed by Mayor Jim Brainard will not
be heard at the Carmel City Council Meeting on Monday, October 7, 2002. Instead, a Town Hall
Meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, October 30, at 7 p.m. in the Chambers at Carmel
City Hall to allow more time for public comment and feedback from which to draft the final
ordinance.
"We received many calls after the ordinance was first mailed to neighborhoods near the mine.
The best way to gather residents' comments is to invite them to City Hall to discuss the matter in
a Town Hall forum. That way they hear each other's comments and can be better informed about
all aspects of the issue. It also gives us a chance to share our views at one meeting so the
message stays consistent," said Mayor Brainard.
"It has always been our feeling that this ordinance would need a great deal of public input. Any
new changes or improvements to the ordinance resulting from the Town Hall meeting can be
included in the ordinance we submit for consideration instead of making those changes through
amendments to the draft ordinance," said Ron Carter, Council member at large. Carter is co-
sponsor of the ordinance with Council member Bob Battreall, District 3.
"I want to stress that the draft ordinance is just a starting point for our discussions. It needs
improvement and we want to afford everyone impacted by mining operations in our City an
opportunity for input," added Mayor Brainard.
Joining the Mayor at the Town Hall meeting will be Gregory Sovas, Vice President of
Governmental Affairs for Spectra Environmental Group. Sovas has been retained as a consultant
for this project. He has more than 32 years of experience in New York State government with the
Department of Environmental Conservation and the Department of Health in divisions of
Mineral Resources, Air Resources, Lands and Forests and the Executive Office as a Special
Assistant to the commissioner.
Residents living in neighborhoods near the mine have been sent a letter from Mayor Brainard
informing them of the Town Hall meeting designed to collect their feedback and comments on
the draft ordinance.
-30-