Park County commissioners cleared the way for a planned gravel pit south of Powell on Tuesday, against the wishes of nearby residents.However, the commission approved the permit for the pit — located at 640 Lane 11 — on the condition that crushing operations run only from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The applicant, Capstone Construction, will be allowed an extra hour in the morning (7 a.m. to 8 a.m.) and evening (5 p.m. to 6 p.m.) to prepare and shut down the equipment.

Three homes are located within a half-mile of the pit, sited on the property of Ron and Janis Adams.

Thirty-eight residents in the area signed a petition opposing the permit, citing concerns with increased traffic, dust, and lowered property values.

“I have a hard time ignoring 38 signatures,” said Commissioner Dave Burke, but after suggesting the five-day, nine-hour restriction, he joined a 4-0 vote in approving the gravel pit.

“There is a need, especially in the Powell area, for a gravel pit,” said Capstone's Tye Whitlock.

Last June, the county rejected a request from Capstone to start a pit west of Ralston. That was due to concerns raised by a number of nearby residents.

This time around, the company made an effort to find a site that had “as little impact as we thought there could be in a gravel pit,” said Whitlock.

He said no site is perfect.

“It doesn't matter where you go, anywhere in the county you're going to run into residents,” Whitlock said.

Commissioner Jill Shockley Siggins said that the county's comprehensive land-use plan allows for that kind of commercial development in that area.

Those allowed uses, she said, were based on the input of the residents living there.

On Tuesday, however, area residents were not in favor of the proposed use of the land.

“None of you want to live next to a gravel pit; nobody wants to live next to a gravel pit,” neighbor Bob England told commissioners.

Commissioner Tim French, while noting the difficulty of the situation, said a pit borders his property toward Heart Mountain.

“I don't see the horribleness of it,” he said.

England's home sits about 1,800 feet from the planned Lane 11 pit, and he said he was concerned about his property losing value.

“It's real money to me. How can I protect it?” he asked. “I didn't build that house ... to look at a gravel pit. I would have built it somewhere else.”

“We'd like to kind of keep our residential areas down there intact,” said resident Dale Jensvold, who lives about two miles northeast of the site on Road 6.

Some of Road 6 is a dirt road, and Jensvold said he was concerned about what would happen if Capstone accessed the pit via the road.

“I have mixed feelings, because I certainly support local business and the need for local jobs, particularly in this economy,” said resident Laurel Vrendenberg. But, she said she didn't think Lane 11 was wide enough to support the increased truck traffic — particularly with continuing residential development in the area.

England also said he generally supported gravel pits.

“I just would like to see it in a more remote place. They say it's remote, but it's not remote,” he said.

“It's going to be quite a big operation,” said Larry Davis, whose property borders the pit to the east. “It's going to hurt the property value. There's no doubt.”

Whitlock said the operation — including an asphalt and concrete mix plant at the site — would be used only on an as-needed basis. He said they would not go in and strip and crush 10 acres at once.

“We only open up what we need at the time,” Whitlock said.

Historically, he said, Capstone has performed crushing operations two to three times a year, for no more than a month and a half at one time. He said neighbors may be envisioning something worse than the reality of the operation.

In March, the Park County Planning and Zoning Commission similarly supported the pit, though limiting operations to six days a week from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

In voting unanimously to approve the pit with additional restrictions, commissioners said the need for gravel and the need to protect neighbors are tough to juggle.

“Everybody wants gravel, so how do we put gravel pits in an area that's residential?” Commissioner French asked Whitlock.

There was pause before Commission Chair Bill Brewer interrupted, noting that the question was rhetorical.

“You can't answer that,” Brewer said.