Churchville to discuss Star of the West mill expansion

A public hearing is scheduled to gather public comment on the draft environmental impact statement submitted on the Star of the West's site plan.

The business, located in the village of Churchville, is looking to expand its existing flourmill through the construction of eight, 110 foot high concrete grain storage silos and a grain receiving facility.

In a letter to the editor, published in Suburban News, January 1, 2006, Jean and Paul Miller voice their concerns on the proposed expansion. They question how Star of the West plans to expand its business but not increase truck traffic in the village; the additional noise from the proposed silos; what will happen when snow and ice accumulate on the top of the silos and similar concerns.

"We have heard and been reassured by the applicant that the above concerns will not be a problem," they wrote, "but what do we, as a community, do if they become problems?"

The Millers, neighbors to the business, ask that village officials urge Star of the West to examine and pursue other designs to reduce the impact to residents.

Diane Pusateri, chairman of the village planning board, said the meeting on January 4 will give residents an opportunity to voice their concerns on the proposed site plan changes. "No action will be taken by the board until the February meeting when all the comments have been received," she said. "In February, we will review the comments and determine what action, if any, will be required by the board regarding the environmental impact statement."

Plans for the project were begun in late 2002 when the Churchville Planning Board voted unanimously to approve Star of the West's four page draft scope for the construction of the additional silos.

According to articles in the Westside News Inc. archives, the first steps in this process were for the planning board to decide whether the Star of the West's proposed addition would impact the environment, to identify that impact, and to issue a positive declaration -- meaning prepare a document stating that the board will require a full environmental impact statement (EIS).

These steps were all completed this spring, when it was decided the project would have a visual and noise impact on the environment.

The next step the board took, "scoping," is not required by SEQR, but is highly recommended by the DEC for all EISs. Scoping is the process by which the issues to be addressed in the draft EIS are identified. It is this draft which was accepted by the board recently.

A height variance for the silos was granted by the zoning board of appeals in March 2002. The village's code has a 50-foot height maximum.

Public comment is invited at the January 4 meeting which begins at 7 p.m. at the village hall.

January 1, 2006