Florida

Volusia County Council members tabled a controversial decision on an aggregates stockyard and asphalt batch plant because two council members were absent from the meeting. The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports that Martin Marietta Aggregates is planning the endeavor on a 60-acre site adjacent to a CSX railroad line. Although the land is designated for industrial use to allow an aggregate distribution yard, part of it is also designated for agricultural use. Allen Watts, Martin Marietta’s attorney, requested the delay to allow “full council to weigh in on the application.” A hearing is scheduled for Nov. 11 at 2 p.m.

Kentucky

Attorney Dwight Preston said he plans to appeal a Hardin County Planning Commission recommendation to impose an Interstate and Highway Overlay Zone near a Glendale site on behalf of landowners affected by the proposal. According to The News-Enterprise, the overlay zone would bar 11 business uses — including crushed stone, sand, and gravel operations; asphalt manufacturing; and ready-mix and/or concrete plants — from the site. Preston called the process a “smoke-and-mirrors” act by the Hardin County Planning and Development Commission because it was the entity that submitted the proposal and placed its staff in position to argue on the zone’s behalf. Hardin County Commissioner Garry King also questioned the overlay zone, saying it appears to be a “case of government flexing its muscles unnecessarily.”

Maine

Peter Busque’s Windham quarry received approval from the Windham Planning Board to operate year-round, www.keepmecurrent.com reports. The seven-member board allowed a May-to-October restriction to drop. In addition, it granted the removal of about 7,000 feet of perimeter fencing and the adoption of less stringent vibration standards. Busque is a councilor in the community and said that the restrictions — originally approved in 2008 — were politically motivated and singled him out for greater restrictions than other aggregate businesses in the area. A community group that opposed the operation in 2008 complained that the conditions were being removed “one by one.”

Missouri

Developers with Heartland Materials LLC told the Southeast Missourian that its proposed quarry can be a safe and responsible neighbor to Saxony Lutheran High School. In early October, the company filed an open pit mining application with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Land Reclamation Program. A Heartland Materials spokesman said the company could exceed the 100-foot setback requirement and keep its boundary 1,200 feet from the main road. It would also landscape the area and make an effort not to blast during school hours. Seismographs would be set up to monitor blasts. He added that roads in front of the mine property would be paved and that gravel roads would have sprinkler systems for dust control.

Ohio

Before successfully navigating the mergers and acquisitions market, third generation family members leading the Phillips Cos. made long-term business strategy a regular part of its business. According to the Dayton Business Journal, the company began to hold monthly meetings and annual retreats to focus on its vision. The company also hired a consultant to help it work through its growing pains. When the consultant suggested an acquisition, the company began targeting acquisitions, but came up short. It then hosted an acquisition roundtable to meet with business leaders who had acquired other businesses. By asking experienced business buyers why they bought a company, how they went about it, what they did right, and what they did wrong, the family members were able to develop a road map that eventually led to its successful acquisition of Miller Bros. Gravel.