Sand company near Utica clears big hurdle

After nearly three hours of questions and confusion, the La Salle County Board Tuesday night awarded a special use permit for a pipeline and sand drying facility west of Ottawa.

All but five board members gave Northern White Sand the go ahead to build a pipeline from their sand pit near Utica south of Route 6 to the proposed drying facility close to the county landfill. The board put in some stipulations like the sand company having to install at least three dust monitors on their property.

Despite a letter turned in just before the meeting by nearby landowners, the board didn’t approve a request that they get property protection agreements in case the sand devalues their property. Most board members said they were concerned about loss in property values but the letter from homeowners was pushed on them at the last minute.

The last piece to the puzzle for Northern White Sand is to work out a lease with the county board to ship out their sand on barges near the county nursing home.