MAPLETON – The battle surrounding a proposed underground propane storage site near Alma isn’t over yet.
At Mapleton’s Tuesday evening council meeting, mayor Gregg Davidson announced that applicant Core Fuels filed for appeal with the provincial Local Planning and Appeal Tribunal (LPAT).
Council rejected the proposal last month.
Davidson and Mapleton staff couldn't comment further as this appeal is early in the process.
Core Fuels proposed the facility at their site on Wellington Rd. 7 just outside of Alma. The plan was to bury four propane tanks holding nearly 1 million litres of propane in total.
Alma residents are staunchly opposed to this proposal and formed a citizens group called the Concerned Citizens of Alma (CCA) and gathered nearly 210 signatures in a petition against it.
CCA cited concerns over a possible explosion similar to the Sunrise Propane explosion in 2008, which killed two people, the ability for the volunteer fire hall to respond to any fires and the proximity to a residential area as reasons it would not be the right fit for the area.
Mapleton council unanimously voted against the proposal at a Sept. 8 meeting citing the overwhelmingly negative response from Alma residents.
James Core, the owner of Core Fuels, has defended the proposal as completely safe through the process.
A letter by Core to council said that a flyer circulated by CCA had inaccuracies and exaggerations.
He also expressed his complete faith in Mapleton fire chief Rick Richardson and the department’s ability to handle any emergency that could arise.
