Latest News
NEW! Mayor Announces Pike, Idexx Compromise
On 20 August 2010 Mayor Colleen Hilton announced that, in closed-door negotiations brokered by the city, Pike and Idexx had reached a compromise on performance standards which would allow both companies to coexist in the Five Star Park. She will present it to the City Council on 30 August for their approval. Read her press release here.
NEW! Pike Sues City of Westbrook (again)
On 7 July 2010 Pike Industries sued the city of Westbrook in Cumberland County Superior Court, asking the court to declare the new Five Star rezoning ordinance null and void, and to issue an injunction to prevent the city from enforcing the ordinance. Pike also wants compensation for the lost use of the quarry, which it says could come to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
NEW! City Council Approves Five Star Rezoning (2nd Reading)
On 7 June 2010 by a 6-0 vote the Westbrook City Council approved the rezoning of the Five Star Industrial Park from Industrial to Light Manufacturing in its second reading. Under the new zoning, quarrying, rock crushing, and asphalt and concrete production are all non-permitted uses. Pike Industries threatened to sue the city.
NEW! City Council Approves Five Star Rezoning (1st Reading)
On 3 May 2010 by a 6-1 vote the Westbrook City Council approved the rezoning of the Five Star Industrial Park from Industrial to Light Manufacturing in its first reading. Read the coverage by the Portland Press Herald.
NEW! Judge to Pike: Quarry isn’t Grandfathered
On 5 April 2010 Judge Thomas Humphrey ruled that Pike Industries’ quarry on Spring St. was not grandfathered, meaning it must conform to current zoning regulations. Read the judgment here.
Judge to Pike: No Means No on Blasting
Judge Thomas Humphrey has denied Pike Industries’ request to amend the original stay order to allow blasting at the Spring St. quarry. In an apparent reversal of their initial reaction to the stay decision, Pike filed a motion on November 25 asking Judge Humphrey to add blasting as an allowed use, in addition to crushing and removing rock. Read the media coverage of Pike’s request and responses by the City of Westbrook and others, and the Court's denial.
Judge to Pike: No Blasting at Spring St. Quarry
Judge Thomas Humphrey issued a response to Pike Industries’ request to operate the Spring St. quarry after hearing arguments from Pike and the City of Westbrook on November 10. In his response, the Judge allows Pike to crush rock and remove rock from the quarry, Monday through Friday, 8 – 5, but tells Pike they cannot do any further blasting at the site while their lawsuit against the City of Westbrook is pending in the courts. Read the judge’s decision here and the media coverage here.
Planning Board Recommends Rezoning to City Council
The Westbrook Planning Board, by a 5-1 vote, forwarded the proposed rezoning change for the Five Star Industrial Park to the City Council. The Planning Board initially considered the proposal to rezone the Five Star Park area from industrial to Light Manufacturing at a February 2009 meeting. After months of deliberation and public input, the zoning language was modified to include warehousing as a permitted use, bringing several nonconforming businesses in the Park into conformance. Mineral extraction, quarrying and asphalt plants remain prohibited uses in the new zone. Read the Portland Press Herald article here.
“Pike has not been a good neighbor to Westbrook”
Spring Street resident Tim Bachelder reacts to Pike Industries’ refusal to comply with the City’s cease and desist order in this letter to the editor of the Portland Press Herald.
Pike Refuses to Comply with City’s Cease & Desist Order
Pike Industries has continued to remove crushed rock from its Spring Street quarry, in direct violation of a cease and desist order given to the company in July by the City of Westbrook. Pike and its attorneys claim that only a judge can stop the company from doing what it wants at the quarry site. Learn more from the newspaper, TV and radio coverage. Read the July 30, 2009 cease and desist order that specifically prohibits Pike from hauling crushed rock from the quarry after August 31, 2009.
Planning Board Hears More Than Four Hours of Testimony – No Decision Made on Rezoning
On October 20, the Westbrook Planning Board heard more than four hours of testimony during a public hearing about the proposed rezoning of the Five Star Industrial Park and then voted to table the issue until November 17. Read the American Journal and Portland Press Herald articles.
Westbrook Receives $225,000 Grant to Improve Five Star Industrial Park
The U.S. Dept. of Commerce has awarded $885,000 to Portland and Westbrook to assist the two communities in attracting more biotech businesses. Westbrook’s share of the grant, $225,000, will be used to install a new turning lane on Saco Street, sidewalks in the Five Star Park and an improved drainage system. Additional funds for the improvements will come from the city’s tax increment financing agreement with IDEXX Laboratories. Read more here.
Economic study finds Pike's plan detrimental to growth
WestbrookWorks recently commissioned PolicyOne Research, an organization with a long history of involvement in Westbrook’s strategic planning process, to study the economic impact of Pike Industries’ proposed expansion plans for the Spring Street quarry. The study concluded that Westbrook’s city administration and elected leaders were maintaining the city’s vision by rezoning the Five Star Industrial Park. The research also concluded that if quarrying and an asphalt plant are permitted, then new business attraction, expansion of targeted businesses, and the city’s vision for economic growth would not be realized to its fullest potential. Read the press release here and full report here.
Pike appeal’s City’s ruling and files motion to stay the decision
As expected, Pike Industries has appealed the City of Westbrook’s recent decision to strip the company of its legal right to operate their Spring Street quarry.
Westbrook's Zoning Board of Appeals ruled last month that Pike has no legal rights to operate the quarry on Spring Street and served Pike with a cease and desist order. According to an article, “Pike appeals Westbrook's quarry decision” which appeared in MaineBiz on Thursday, August 20, Pike has appealed in Cumberland County Superior Court and filed a Motion for Stay of the decision while the court considers its appeal.
In Pike's motion, the company claims that the City of Westbrook has known about and never objected to Pike’s quarry operations, and has granted several permits over the past 40 years, including a 2009 Blasting Permit issued to the company in April. The Zoning Board ruled that Blue Rock, the quarry’s former owner, never met conditions for working the site ordered by a zoning appeals board in 1968.
Concerned citizens and members of WestbrookWorks believe that the Board’s decision is also a long overdue redressing of the complaints and issues that the quarry’s residential neighbors have been voicing for decades. The coalition feels it is in the best interest of all parties that the stay requested by Pike should not be granted while the court’s final ruling is pending.
“At the end of this process everyone will have their day in court, and regardless of the final outcome, we should be comforted that both sides were treated fairly,” says Dick Daigle, Director of Facilities. “We remain confident and optimistic that the courts will reach the appropriate ruling.”
Newest Citizens for Balanced Growth ad takes aim at IDEXX, ignores longstanding resident concerns
A new CBG ad appeared in the Portland Press Herald on August 11, taking aim at IDEXX, but ignores the fact that the Council’s decision is also a long overdue redressing of the complaints and issues that the quarry’s residential neighbors have been voicing for decades. Read the Letters to The Editor of the American Journal from Tim Bachelder, Spring Street resident, and Josephine Peterson, Birdland resident, for the another side of the story.
Westbrook Reactions to ZBA Decisions
While a cartoon in the August 6 issue of the American Journal reflects the Pike point of view, elsewhere on the Editorial page Westbrook resident and quarry neighbor Terry Sprague submits his response to the mass mailing from Ron Usher and the Citizens for Balanced Growth in Letters to the Editor.
Citizens for Balanced Growth release ad questioning fairness
CBG suggests in a recent ad that Westbrook Zoning Board of Appeals ruled unfairly in restricting potential growth and continued operations of Pike Industries. View the ad here.
"Future of Pike in Limbo" says American Journal
Pike Industries is waiting to hear from the city about how the company will be allowed to operate on Spring Street, following last week's Zoning Board decision to remove its right to quarry there. Read more here.
Proposed Zoning Language Posted
A draft of proposed language for Westbrook's Light Manufacturing Zoning Ordinance is available here.
Letter to the American Journal
Terry Sprague of Westbrook congratulates the Zoning Board of Appeals for what he feels is a courageous decision. Read more here.
City says Pike can't mine site of quarry
The city stripped Pike Industries on Wednesday of its right to mine its quarry on Spring Street, the latest action in the 16-month battle over the gravel company's plans to expand the site. Read more here.
Zoning Board Of Appeals Says Pike Cannot Move Asphalt Plant
The Westbrook zoning board of appeals said Wednesday that Pike Industries cannot build a new $5 million asphalt plant at it's Spring Street quarry. Read more here.
Pike Ordered to Cease Mining at Quarry
Pike Industries must halt mining at its quarry on Spring Street in Westbrook, the latest development in the company's battle with the city to expand operations at the site. Read more here.
Board to rule on Pike's rights
After months of hearings and deliberation, the Westbrook Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled to make a ruling Wednesday on whether to uphold or overturn the code enforcement officer’s decision regarding Pike Industries’ right to operate and expand on its Spring Street quarry. Read more here.
Board: Pike quarry not established
Pike Industries appears to be losing its battle with the city’s Zoning Board, which has indicated it doesn’t believe the company had a grandfathered right to quarry on Spring Street. Read more here.
Pike Plans Make Land Sale Difficult
Vicki Brown, owner of Lot 5 in the Five Star Industrial Park, lost a potential buyer for her land because of Pike’s desire to expand quarry operations on Spring Street. Read her letter to the editor of the American Journal here.
American Journal Letter
In his letter to the editor of the American Journal, Birdland resident Lucas Theriault explains the reasons why Spring St. is not an appropriate location for a quarry and asphalt plant. Read the letter here.
WestbrookWorks Makes Presentation to Westbrook Chamber of Commerce
Members of WestbrookWorks gave a presentation to the Westbrook Chamber of Commerce about the coalition and purpose and mission. View the presentation here.
Neighbors Weigh in on Blasting at Spring St. Quarry
Questions about the history of blasting and the news that the City of Westbrook granted Pike Industries a permit to blast 25 times in 2009 at the Spring St. quarry prompted several letters to the American Journal from nearby residents. Read the letters here, here, and here.
Zoning Board of Appeals Decision Due in May
After four meetings, the ZBA has said they will resume their deliberations May 6 in an effort to determine whether Code Enforcement Officer Richard Gouzie was correct in concluding that Pike Industries may continue to mine rock from the Spring Street quarry but may not operate an asphalt plant on the property. WestbrookWorks has appealed the decision, asking that Pike not be allowed to quarry at all; Pike Industries has appealed on the grounds that it does have vested rights to quarry and operate an asphalt plant on the site. Read more here.
MPBN Report – Westbrook Quarry Rift Exposes Tensions in Business Community
MPBN’s Tom Porter interviewed WestbrookWorks members Jack Wood of ARTEL and Warren Knight of Smiling Hill Farm for this piece that aired on the radio April 8. Click here to listen.
American Journal Letters
Several Westbrook residents have expressed their displeasure with Pike Industries’ desire to quarry and build an asphalt plant at the Spring St. site, and have also responded to Pike’s “blue collar vs. white collar jobs” argument in letters to the American Journal. Read the letters here, here, and here.
New group backing Pike
Deliberations on Pike Industries’ right to operate and expand its Spring Street quarry have begun, and a group of Westbrook residents has answered the company’s call for support. Read more here.
Pike Industries Files a Lawsuit Against the City of Westbrook – Wants Rezoning Stopped
Pike Industries is suing the City of Westbrook, seeking a ruling to halt the current Five Star Park rezoning process which – if the new zone were to be approved - would prevent Pike from building and operating an asphalt plant at the Spring St. site. Read the American Journal and Portland Press Herald articles. Meanwhile, the Planning Board has scheduled a workshop about the proposed rezoning for April 7.
Council Sends Rezoning to Planning Board
Just a few days after the Westbrook Code Enforcement Officer determines that Pike Industries does not have vested rights to operate a rock crusher, asphalt plant or cement plant at the Spring St. site, the City Council votes 6-0 to send the proposed Five Star Park rezoning to the Planning Board for its consideration. Read the American Journal and Portland Press Herald articles. The Planning Board is expected to discuss the rezoning at its March 3 meeting. Check this site for details.
Westbrook CEO "…Pike does not have vested rights to establish a concrete plant, asphalt plant or concrete operation on this site…"
Rick Gouzie, Westbrook’s Code Enforcement Officer, rules that Pike Industries does have certain, grandfathered rights to operate the existing quarry on Spring St., but cannot add rock crushing, asphalt plant or cement plant operations to that site without applying to the city for special exception usage. Read the entire document here.
Rezoning Could Determine Pike’s Future
Leslie Bridger’s article in the American Journal gives an overview of the Five Star Industrial Park rezoning proposal under consideration and the issue of the legality of the Spring St. quarry operations and how pending decisions could affect Pike’s operation in Westbrook. Pike representatives persist in their claim that the company has every legal right to operate a quarry and asphalt plant at the Spring St. site.
Warren Knight Letter
WestbrookWorks member Warren Knight (Smiling Hill Farm) submitted a letter to Mayor Bruce Chuluda that contains extensive research into the history of the Spring St. quarry site. The letter refutes Pike’s arguments that they have the legal rights to operate a quarry at the site.
Five Star Industrial Park Rezoning Passes First Hurdle
Westbrook’s Committee of the Whole voted unanimously on January 12 to send a proposal to rezone the Five Star Industrial Park from Industrial to Light Manufacturing on to the full City Council for further action. A dozen residents and business owners spoke in favor of the rezoning proposal, which will be added to the City Council’s February 2 agenda. The council will decide at that meeting whether or not to send the proposal to the Planning Board for its recommendation. Read the American Journal and Portland Press Herald articles.
Legality of Spring St. Quarry Still in Question
While the rezoning process is underway, the city’s Code Enforcement Officer will determine if Pike Industries is operating the Spring St. quarry legally, in response to the challenge put forth by WestbrookWorks last fall. The Code Enforcement Officer has been given a January 31 deadline for a decision. Read Pike’s response to the legal challenge here, and Attorney Bill Plouffe’s rebuttal letter here.
IMPORTANT MEETING!
Westbrook’s Committee of the Whole will meet on Monday, January 12 at 6 p.m. in Room 114 at Westbrook High School to discuss REZONING the Five Star Industrial Park from Industrial to a zone geared toward light manufacturing. The public is invited and encouraged to attend! Click here for details.
Read the article in the American Journal about the upcoming meeting here.
ARTEL, WPXT/WPME are Among
Businesses Looking for Pike’s Response
WestbrookWorks coalition businesses are waiting for Pike’s response to the legal analysis challenging the legality of the Spring Street quarry operation, and are also looking to the city for answers. Read the American Journal article here and Portland Press Herald article here.
Pike’s Spring Street Quarry Lacks City Permits
A legal analysis concludes former owner Blue Rock began quarrying at Pike’s Spring Street location in 1968 without permission from the City of Westbrook, and the quarrying operation has never been permitted by the City. Read the articles in the Portland Press Herald and American Journal.
Letter and Petition Delivered to Mayor of Westbrook
A letter and the first wave of petitions - containing 115 signatures - were delivered to Mayor Bruce Chuluda, Administrator Jerre Bryant, Economic Development Director Keith Luke and members of the City Council on October 29. The petition states Westbrook residents’ concerns and opposition to Pike Industries’ intent to expand quarry operations on Spring St. and asks city officials to take the petition into consideration as they determine what steps the city must take to ensure a stronger, cleaner city. The letter and pettition can be viewed here.
Petition
Join your fellow Westbrook residents in signing the petition opposing Pike’s Spring St. quarry expansion. Click here to print the petition. Ask family members, friends and neighbors to sign their names, too. Mail signed petitions to WestbrookWorks, P.O. Box 707, Westbrook, ME 04098. All petitions will be submitted to city officials at a future date.
Westbrook Strategic Economic Plan
Read about the City of Westbrook’s vision and goals for the future (pgs. 6 & 17) in the 2007 Westbrook Strategic Economic Plan. The entire document can be accessed here.
Letter to the Editor
American Journal
8.21.08
Birdland resident Josephine Peterson writes that Pike’s proposed quarry expansion and asphalt plant are too close to her residential neighborhood. more
Letter to the Editor
American Journal
08.07.08
John Flumerfelt is the director for government and regulatory affairs at Calpine Corp. The company’s Westbrook Energy Center is located next to Pike’s Spring St. quarry. Calpine has joined the group of businesses opposing Pike’s proposed quarry expansion and asphalt plant and urges city planners to listen to the valid concerns of businesses and residents. more
Revised Pike plan has few fans
Americal Journal
07.24.2008
Westbrook Works, “the group of businesses and residents that organized to oppose Pike Industries' expansion on Spring Street,” plans meeting to discuss Pike’s revised quarry plans, expresses doubt that “latest changes to its plan would be a better fit for the area.” more
Letter to the Editor
American Journal
07.24.2008
Westbrook resident George Rodrigues is the Senior Scientific Manager at Artel. He writes to express his view about the positive changes in the city of Westbrook and the negative impacts Pike's proposal would bring to the area. more
Letter to the Editor
Portland Press Herald
07.21.2008
Citizen voices concern about how the City of Westbrook is handling this issue more
Pike drops quarry plan but keeps asphalt plant
Portland Press Herald
07.19.2008
“Neighboring Westbrook businesses say test blasts for a quarry expansion are affecting their operations.” more
Hard choice on rock place
Portland Press Herald
07.14.2008
"City officials here are faced with a dilemma: Can the useful but unglamorous business of crushing rocks and making asphalt co-exist with the community's ambitions to become a prosperous high-tech hub?" Local businesses, including IDEXX Laboratories, WPTX-TV, and Artel, take issue with Pike's proposals." more
State overrides local law for I-295 project trucks
Portland Press Herald
07.09.2008
State overrides local ordinances for highway project deemed "in the public interest." Pike plans to operate asphalt pit from 4:30 a.m. to approximately 9 p.m., states keeping site open "at potentially all hours" is an option. more
Letter to MAI Environmental
from Smiling Hill Farm
07.09.2008
Dairy farm owner's concerns with Pike proposals include stress-causing effects of blasting on livestock; potential disruption of "sensitive and environmentally precarious" sub-surface conditions; heavy traffic on congested roadways not designed for heavy equipment; interruption of ecological balance of Clark Brook wildlife corridor; potential damage to equipment caused by flying debris; negative visual impact of industrial equipment; and blasting exceeding city noise ordinances. more
Pike, Idexx fail to reach expansion agreement
American Journal
07.03.2008
"As Pike resubmitted its original expansion plans [for a new gravel pit and asphalt plant], a chorus of representatives from nearby companies joined Idexx in testifying to the detrimental effect blasting at Pike has on their businesses." City Council's Committee of the Whole tables mayor's proposal to rezone Five Star Industrial Park from industrial to light manufacturing. more
Letter to Westbrook Planning Board
from Dick Daigle, Facilities Director
for IDEXX Laboratories
07.01.2008
Daigle explains why IDEXX Laboratories, the city’s largest employer, opposes Pike’s expansion plans in the Five Star Industrial Park. more
Powerhouses spar in Westbrook
MaineBiz
04.07.2008
Idexx Laboratories halts construction of 200,000 square-foot corporate headquarters due to concerns with "noise, fumes, and dust" generated by Pike quarry expansion. more
City, Idexx, Pike seek compromise on expansion
American Journal
04.03.2008
"Negotiations among Idexx Laboratories, Pike Industries, and the city of Westbrook are continuing this week, as the City Council tries to find a way for both companies to expand." more
Compromise best path for city, IDEXX
American Journal
04.02.2008
Editorial, citing plans for $165 million investment and creation of 600+ "highest quality" jobs, says "Idexx is extremely important to the future of Westbrook;" notes "the quarries run by Pike Industry have been in Westbrook for decades;" calls for compromise on Five Star Industrial Park rezoning. more
Westbrook wants Pike, Idexx dispute settled
Portland Press Herald
03.28.2008
"The City Council's Committee of the Whole declined to take action … on the administration's proposal to create a new light manufacturing district in the industrial park, the Westbrook Heights Business Park and the surrounding industrial areas. The companies were asked to try to resolve their differences." more
Proposal pits Idexx against Pike
American Journal
03.27.2008
"The Westbrook City Council is trying to find a compromise that will satisfy two of the city's biggest taxpayers and employers – Idexx and Pike Industries – as the companies attempt to expand." more
City faces dueling expansion proposals
Portland Press Herald
03.21.2008
Pike's plans for rock crushing operation and quarry expansion seen as not compatible with Westbrook's plans for "attracting high-tech and light manufacturing businesses." more
How to contact city officials, the Dept. of Environmental Protection and the media:
CITY OFFICIALS:
City Council
Ward 1:
Brendan Rielly
(207) 775-7271
brielly@westbrook.me.us
Ward 2:
Victor Chau
(207) 518-8887
vchau@westbrook.me.us
Ward 3:
Paul Emery
(207) 831-9899
pemery@westbrook.me.us
Ward 4:
Dotty Aube
(207) 854-2632
daube@westbrook.me.us
Ward 5:
Michael Sanphy
(207) 878-5531
msanphy@westbrook.me.us
At-large:
John O’Hara
(207) 854-9309
johara@westbrook.me.us
At-large:
Mike Foley
(207) 807-2115
mfoley@westbrook.me.us
Town Planner
Molly Just
(207) 854-0638
mjust@westbrook.me.us
MAINE DEPT. OF
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION
Mark Stebbins
Oversight of Quarry Operations
(207) 822-6367
mark.n.stebbins@maine.gov
MEDIA
American Journal
Ben Bragdon, Managing Editor
Mail: P.O. Box 840
Westbrook, ME 04098
Phone: (207) 854-2577
Fax: (207) 854-0018
bbragdon@keepmecurrent.com
Portland Press Herald
Mail: Letters to the Editor
P.O. Box 1460
Portland, ME 04104-5009
Fax: (207) 828-8154
letterstotheeditor@pressherald.com
Online Form: www.pressherald.com