The Adams County Planning and Zoning Committee on Tuesday approved a conditional use permit allowing Milestone Materials to expand nonmetallic mining on parcels owned by Chris Riley, with conditions intended to limit environmental and neighborhood impacts.

Committee members approved the permit after discussion of groundwater and wetland risks, discrepancies in the application’s stated acreage, and earlier permitting language that had described the original operation as nonrenewable for 10 years. The permit passed in a roll-call vote with one member opposed.

The application seeks continued operation and an eastward expansion of an existing sand-and-gravel pit on three parcels in Section 19, Town 14 North, Range 7 East (Del Prairie township). Dusty, speaking for county staff, summarized the application and submitted correspondence including a lengthy objection letter from resident Alan Barood that questioned the application’s acreage figures and urged an environmental impact review because of undelineated wetlands and a shallower groundwater table in proposed expansion areas.

Milestone Materials’ geologist, Bob Jewell, told the committee the company intends to avoid wetlands and would work with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for any wetland delineation. "If there’s wetlands out there and Chris doesn't want us to mess with them, we won't mess with them," Jewell said. He also said the firm follows standard spill-prevention and stormwater procedures and that nonmetallic mining does not introduce chemicals into groundwater.

Barood’s letter asserted the application understates the amount of nonmined land included in the request, flagged a discrepancy between acreage listed in different parts of the application (88.03 acres vs. 88.08 acres vs. a 22-acre mineral lease), and warned that mapped pit extents would leave as little as 60 feet of separation between lowest excavation levels and groundwater in some locations.

Committee members and members of the public pressed staff and Milestone on several points: the completeness of the county file (including whether a deed restriction required by an earlier conditional use was ever recorded), whether reclamation would return forested land rather than grassland, and whether outside sales would be permitted. The Del Prairie town participation form did not object but recommended a 400-foot eastern setback, an updated road maintenance agreement and removal of the prior prohibition on outside sales.

The committee added and approved a list of conditions before voting on the permit. Key conditions adopted include:
- Do not disturb wetlands; wetland delineation and avoidance as required by state/federal law.
- Hours of operation: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday–Friday; truck hauling limited to 7 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Friday.
- No asphalt or concrete plant on site during operations.
- Site screening and noise reduction via berms or temporary soil berms; maintenance of screening.
- Slopes to be regraded at the end of crushing/extraction periods to improve safety.
- Requirement to file and implement the full NR 135-compliant reclamation plan and to obtain necessary DNR approvals.
- Requirement to update the road maintenance agreement as suggested by the town.

Jerry moved to accept the conditions (seconded by Bruce); that motion passed on roll call. John moved to approve the conditional use request with the listed conditions (seconded by Bruce); the conditional use request passed on roll call with Creviglio recorded as a no vote and other members voting yes.

Dusty noted the county’s land-and-water office must approve the full reclamation plan under NR 135 standards and that the short reclamation paragraph in the application packet does not substitute for that detailed plan. Milestone said it has reclaimed roughly 15–20 acres on the west side of the pit over the summer and estimated that, once recently reclaimed acreage is certified by the county, the area remaining in active mining would be reduced toward earlier permitted extents.

The committee discussed but declined at this meeting to impose a deed restriction preventing future conditional use applications; staff explained a future committee could remove or alter deed restrictions when issuing a new permit. Public comment included written opposition from Alan Barood and an in-person comment from a neighbor, Alan Bridal (address given), who described noise impacts and cited the earlier 10-year nonrenewable permit language as a concern.

The conditional use approval does not require further review by the full county board.

The committee record shows the permit was approved with the specified conditions; the final reclamation and wetland protections will be subject to separate, NR 135-driven reviews by county land-and-water staff and state agencies.