FARMINGTON — The Maine Land Use Planning Commission on Wednesday unanimously approved the application for a fiercely-contested Madrid Township gravel pit.

The commissioners, who have ultimate responsibility for unorganized territory rules, disputes decisions, policies and administrative actions, met Wednesday at the University of Maine at Farmington.

Earlier this year, Rangeley businessman Mark Beauregard requested a permit to crush rock on his land in Madrid Township and truck the gravel over the Reeds Mill Road, which runs west through the township to Route 4 and east to the Phillips section of the road.

Beauregard will use loaders, trucks and screens, and commissioners have required him to show measures to prevent possible contamination and disturbance to the land and the aquifer.

Commissioners had declined the option, at previous meetings, to hold a public hearing on the application. Instead, they directed their staff members to review any conditions that would modify a standard permit for excavation, including an expiration date for the proposed permit.

Jean Flannery, LUPC’s permitting and compliance manager, and Sara Brusila, regional representative for the Franklin County project, have gathered information for commissioners over the past month, including current practices of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the permit conditions set by other towns in the area.

The commission historically does not have a standard permit duration for gravel pits, evaluating each application on a case-by-case basis. Beauregard’s gravel pit would be located, in large part, over an aquifer. Also, Orbeton Stream, which runs along his property, has been recognized as habitat for Atlantic salmon. Toothaker Pond and Meadow Brook also are nearby.

“Concerned landowners understandably want to ensure that, if permitted, the gravel pit operates in accordance with the commission’s rules and any permit conditions,” Brusila reported to commissioners.

Staff recommendations noted scenic resources and specified that a vegetated buffer would be maintained for the entire width of the separation distance from the Reeds Mill Road to the pit footprint.

Addressing scenic preservation concerns, Brusila said the vegetated buffer will contain trees that are at least four inches in diameter at breast height. Stormwater runoff and erosion control were important issues, she noted.

“We’ve also added the condition of periodic inspection be done of the roads and the pit area,” she said.

Beauregard can operate the pit from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, and from. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. The pit will be closed Sundays.

Brusila said rock crushing operations could be permitted for a total of 38 days each season. Beauregard also has agreed to provide documentation certifying that at least 75 percent of the material extracted over three years has been used for road purposes.

At their July 17 meeting, commissioners discussed the possibility of requiring more frequent re-permitting if the commissioners had concerns about how the operation was run. They agreed unanimously  Wednesday that they could address future noncompliance issues through existing rules and enforcement options at any time over the next 10 years.

Staff reports noted the example of a gravel pit in Dallas Plantation that is over a public water supply for Rangeley. Although the commission originally permitted this pit for two years, it subsequently agreed to a 10-year permit, because it was reassured that the gravel pit could be safely operated.

Beauregard’s operation would not be in such a sensitive location.

“Unlike this Dallas Plantation gravel pit, the gravel pit proposed by Mark Beauregard, Inc. would not be located over a public water supply,” the staff report noted.

Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection reports that more than 58 percent of the licensed gravel pits are on mapped sand and gravel aquifers.

Beauregard, also a licensed forester, said he was pleased with the unanimous ruling. He reiterated that he expected to be a “good neighbor,” and he looks forward to starting the project. He’ll have to address drainage issues, mark boundary lines, and do a lot of work to prepare the site. He expects that work to occupy the fall months, and gravel excavation could begin next spring.

“My oldest son moved to Texas for work during the recession, but he and his wife really miss Maine and home,” he said. “He will be able to move back near us to help run this operation, and my wife and I are very happy they’ll be coming home.”

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