Dear Editor,
Mr. Beech’s letter (Merritt Herald Oct. 24) failed to address a number of issues that have been raised regarding the construction of an asphalt plant in Merritt.
I understand that Merritt city council approved the rezoning of a parcel of land to M2 based on the advice of former CAO Matt Noble. He apparently advised council that the building of an asphalt plant could be debated at the development permit stage.
In Merritt, many of us spent many years expecting the shutdown of beehive burners. After being delayed several times, the last beehive burner was finally shut down in 2008. Merritt has banned outdoor burning. Both of these actions have vastly improved the air quality in Merritt. While it may be technically possible for an asphalt plant to have “acceptable” emissions, there is little doubt that those emissions will reduce the air quality in Merritt. Why would we want to take a step backwards?
Finally, Mr. Beech seems to have provided us with many “facts” in his letter but he fails to point out that a big winner in the rezoning of the second parcel of land to M2 will be the real estate industry. I am curious why Mr. Beech, owner of Century 21 in Merritt, did not inform us in his letter that he is the listing agent for the property in question.
Peter Vogt
Merritt
