Birch Grove residents express concerns regarding dust-control suppressant issue

When Beaver County council sent a ‘Local Improvement Tax’ notice to residents of Birch Grove Estates recently, a lot of them were taken aback.

“Many of us in the subdivision are not in favour of the dust-control suppressant, and for various reasons, but we have been given only 30 days to get two-thirds of the signatures required to object to this petition,” said one of the residents, Trisha Brockhurst, who is spearheading the residents’ efforts to negate this decision.

At the moment there are 28 occupied lots of 35 overall in the Birch Grove subdivision, but Brockhurst is facing the mammoth task of getting the required number of signatures within the deadline, which is Friday, March 15.

“We hope more residents come forward and help us to get this objection through, but it’s difficult given the time frame, and also we have no idea how to get in touch with some of the other residents,” Brockhurst explained.

Background

According to Brockhurst, way back in 2016, one of the residents had contacted Beaver County council to consider dust-control suppressant.

However, when the new council came into power in 2017, this issue was brought up again. The council had then decided that they would ask administration to look into it if there was enough interest.

And there was, according to Beaver County councillor, Kevin Smook.

“The owners can formally petition the municipality, but that is not what happened here; they expressed an interest, subject to the costs,” Smook said. “Council has not approved this project, but rather, after receiving an expression of interest from several owners, instructed administration to send the local improvement package, including costs to the owners to gauge their interest. . . . contd.