Glenwood City (WQOW) - A packed house for a special meeting Monday night about a potential sand mine in Saint Croix County. Vista Sand wants to buy property in the town of Glenwood. A mine there would be subject to the county's mining regulations.
Now, the property owner wants Glenwood City to annex the property, which means the mine would be covered by the city's regulations, which are less defined than the county's. The property owner is Kwik Trip's chief financial officer.
Glenwood City's city council met Monday night to discuss that annexation. And there were plenty of residents who made their concerns known.
The property is currently in the town of Glenwood. That would mean Vista Sand would have to comply by Saint Croix County's mining ordinance rules, which state the mine would have to be smaller than 20 acres. If Glenwood City decides to annex the property, that mine would then fall under Glenwood City's mining ordinance.
"We have a mining ordinance that for this purpose is woefully inadequate. We'd have to revamp our mining ordinance. We certainly hadn't anticipated anything of this magnitude so we'd have to work on that," says Glenwood City Mayor John Larson.
Also at the meeting, there were many residents who spoke out against the proposed mine. They're concerned about the potential impact on roads, air quality, and other environmental issues.
The city council will now have to decide whether to annex the property.
The property owner says Vista Sand is still hopeful something can be worked out with Saint Croix County to serve its needs, but in case that doesn't happen, the company wants a backup plan which would be Glenwood City.
