Modern Drop Forge wins approval for gravel drive in Merrillville

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Updated: February 27, 2012 9:58AM

MERRILLVILLE — Modern Drop Forge received Board of Zoning Appeals approval Wednesday to have a gravel interior access drive, but only after a representative for the company agreed to several provisions that board members believe will safeguard driver safety and road conditions on Colorado Street.

The board’s approval was contingent upon the forging company agreeing to extend the paved portion of the drive to the end of the first turn; maintain Colorado Street regarding any mud, debris, stone or other materials that may come from trucks leaving the facility; and install a truck traffic only sign and a stop sign on the property.

The board also stated that the petition would be reviewed one year after occupancy to ensure the company is adhering to the conditions and wasn’t causing safety problems on Colorado Street.

Modern Drop Forge would create about 250 jobs with the project, company officials have said.

The gravel driveway would be an accessory driveway to access the back of the building at 8757 Colorado St., said Steve DeBold, design engineer for Chester Inc. of Valparaiso and representative for Modern Drop Forge. He said trucks will dump scrap steel into one of several collection bins there and pick up another bin, often dragging bins and tearing up the asphalt in the process.

He also said the heavy trucks hauling scrap steel would tear up a paved driveway.

DeBold said it wasn’t economically feasible to replace a paved driveway every few years.

DeBold said the company expects about 10 trucks a week.

“The driveway isn’t heavily traveled, but it’s an important piece of how the company operates,” he said.

Board president John Minchuk asked how the company could guarantee the trucks won’t drag any of the gravel onto Colorado Street, where it could hit a car window.

“Colorado Street is my main worry,” he said.

Councilman Donald Spann, D-1st, who was in the audience, concurred.

“There needs to be some type of check system,” he said. “Safety first.”

Board members Julie Olthoff and Tim Fortier express concern over what the trucks would do to Colorado Street considering the company’s worry about its own driveway. They asked DeBold to increase the amount of pavement on the interior driveway by 1,200 feet, then 600 feet, before finally getting him to agree on the approved area, which was much less.

“You’re so concerned about what the trucks will do to your own driveway. But what will they do to Colorado Street,” Fortier said.

Olthoff said she is happy that Modern Drop Forge is coming to Merrillville, but she wished the company had brought some statistics on how much the paved driveways cost to maintain versus gravel driveways at its other locations.

DeBold said he wouldn’t feel comfortable agreeing to the larger amounts of paved drive as it wasn’t his money. He said he hoped the company would agree to the smaller amount.

He added the trucks would only drag the bins in the rear of the building, not down the driveway and onto Colorado.

The matter needs to go before the town council for approval.