Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties

Wakefield planners delay decision on rock quarry

By P.J. GLISSON

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Wakefield — A Wakefield rock quarry remains in limbo after the city’s Planning Commission voted last week to table action on a related site plan until more information is received.

City Clerk Sue Ahonen reported the news by phone on Monday.

The March 12 vote occurred after a related public hearing regarding a Feb. 13 site plan by Thomas Smiljanich, owner of Smily’s Excavating and Trucking in Wakefield.

“At this point, there isn’t any access into the property,” said Ahonen.

She added that Smiljanich would need to purchase an adjacent plot in order to facilitate the needed access.

That may be possible, she said, as the needed property is expected to be for sale soon.

Smiljanich’s property, which is zoned industrial, is directly off of South County Road 519 and M-28.

According to the site plan, it contains a rock quarry that has not been not used for 60 to 70 years. Smiljanich’s plan notes that he would like to reopen it.

In a separate meeting on March 13, the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board worked toward resubmitting an application for a grant that, if issued, could help to fund an extension of the Eddy Park Campground.

“We just went over the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund application,” said Board member Ashley Tarro.

The city applied for the grant last year, but the state rejected it.

Tarro said that the City Council is expected to address the resubmission at its next regular meeting on Monday at 5:30 p.m.

The Planning Commission will meet next on April 9 at 5:30 p.m.

The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board will meet on April 10 at 5 p.m. Tarro said that the board has changed its meeting time, which used to be at 6:30 p.m.

The meetings are held at the municipal building.