Lake Echo residents not pacified by waste facility open house

An open house held Wednesday night to give Lake Echo area residents a closer look at a proposed construction waste processing facility didn't go far to ease their worries about pollution, dust and noise.

Kiann Management has applied to rezone 14.7 hectares of land to build a construction and demolition waste processing facility off Highway 7.

A citizens group called the Coalition for Safe and Healthy Communities of Preston, Mineville, Lake Echo and Porters Lake is opposed to the possible rezoning. Deb Day, who heads the coalition, attended the open house.

"It doesn't matter which format you use, the citizens and the residents of the four communities are going to be upset. They're going to be concerned, angry and they have so many questions." said Day.

Company says it can control dust and noise

She doesn't believe Kiann Management will be able to control the dust, noise and pollution the facility will kick up.

Lawrence Bellefontaine, the president of Kiann Management and Capital Demolition, saidhis company has been able to control noise and dust effectively in the past.

He points to the job Capital Demolition did while tearing down St. Patrick's High School on Quinpool Road

"Through that entire process we've been now seven or eight months on that project, wehaven't had one complaint with regards to noise," said Bellefontaine.

"We had no complaints whatsoever when we were dealing with dust. That project is really an eye opener for people that are always in a naysayer type of atmosphere."

Rezoning decision could bemonths away

The rezoning application says the proposed facility will be situated 305 metres away from the nearest homes and shouldn't require additional buffering.

It also said the site will include areas for truck unloading, truck scales, sorting, processing, inspection and an office.

"HRM have a good solid control on the recycling industry, they don't simply allow contractors to go in and do as they may and pollute and everything else," said Bellefontaine.

He said the kind of recycling the facility will do helps the environment by reusing materials instead of disposing of them.

Day isn't convinced.

"The residents and the citizens are not buying that, they know the traffic is going to have an impact, they know there's going to be an impact to their water, they know there's going to be an impact to their air," said Day.

According to her, some people in the area are even talking about moving because of the proposal.

Staff with the Halifax Regional Municipality are still collecting public feedback on the proposed rezoning. A spokeswoman from the municipality said it will be weeks or months before a final decision is made about whether or not the area will be rezoned.