Barge terminal for new sand mine receives county approval

It took a few months longer than they had hoped but Mississippi Sand has a barge terminal outside Ottawa.

The La Salle County Board Thursday unanimously approved a special use permit for American River Transportation Company, a part of ADM to ship sand on the Illinois River.  ADM had to agree to several conditions including paving their entrance off Route 71, planting trees and shrubs as a noise barrier, and offering a land value guarantee.  The conditions are because a husband and wife near the proposed terminal are concerned about noise, truck traffic and loss of property value.

Two months ago, the county board denied a zoning change for the sand terminal.  Most board members didn’t like a zoning change since they would have little control over what type of business could use the land after ADM.