Brewster v. Highway Materials Inc.

7 Pa. D. & C.5th 514
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Montgomery County
DecidedMarch 17, 2009
Docketnos. 08-09940, 08-09353
StatusPublished

This text of 7 Pa. D. & C.5th 514 (Brewster v. Highway Materials Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Montgomery County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brewster v. Highway Materials Inc., 7 Pa. D. & C.5th 514 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2009).

Opinion

ROGERS, J.,

I. INTRODUCTION

Appellants, Herbert J. Brewster and Barbara L. Brewster, h/w appealed to the Superior Court of Penn[516]*516sylvania1 from our order granting appellee, Highway Materials Inc.’s petition for preliminary injunction.2 The two captioned matters were consolidated for purposes of the hearings and the court’s determination. For the [517]*517following reasons, we believe our order was proper and should be affirmed.

II. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Highway Materials is a Pennsylvania corporation with its principal place of business at 1750 Walton Road, Blue Bell, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Highway Materials owns and operates a quarry located in Marlborough Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania known as the Perkiomenville Quarry. The quarry was formerly owned by R. K. Kibblehouse Quarries and consisted of 181.3 acres located in Marlborough Township and bisected by the Unami Creek and Crusher Road.3 Kibblehouse Quarries is a wholly owned subsidiary of Highway Materials. (N.T. hearing 5/20/08, p. 85.) The portion of the subject property northeast of Unami Creek and Crusher Road is identified as the “north side”, and the portion of the subj ect property southwest of the creek and road is identified as the “south side”.4 The Brewsters reside at 2098 Perkiomenville Road, Green Lane, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The Brewsters live immediately adjacent to the Perkiomenville Quarry.

[518]*518Recently, Highway Materials commenced preparation for excavating stone on the north side of the Quarry adjacent to the Brewsters’ property. As part of the preparation for excavating, Highway Materials removed the berm and excavated to bedrock. The Brewsters protested these actions to the township stating that Highway Materials should not be permitted to excavate stone closer than 100 feet from the Brewster property line. Highway Materials advised the township that its nonconforming use status permitted it to conduct surface mining on the entire north side of the property. Additionally, in accordance with its Non-Coal Surface Mining Permit (exhibit HM3), and the Non-Coal Surface Mining Regulations found at 25 Pa. Code §77.572(b),5 Highway Materials was entitled to excavate stone within 25 feet of the side lot line.

[519]*519During February and March 2008, the township board of supervisors held a series of meetings to decide the appropriate setback distance for mining and blasting activities at the Perkiomenville Quarry. On April 9,2008, the board announced its decision at a public meeting that the 100-foot setback described in section 825 of the township zoning ordinances did not apply because the quarry is a lawful nonconforming use. The board found that the setback distance for mining and blasting activities is 25 feet from the property line. (N.T. hearing 5/16/08, p. 51.)

Flighway Materials was prepared to move forward immediately with its blasting plan. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) had already approved the plan which Fran Callery, superintendent of Flighway Materials, submitted to them. The plan was to mine across the top part of the quarry, 25 feet from the Brewster property.

Callery testified that the final reclamation plan was to backfill the “benches” on a slope in accordance with the approved permit at the completion of the project for safety reasons. (N.T. hearing 5/16/08, p. 44.) Additionally, Callery informed DEP that once the blasting was finished across the northeast and north face, the berm would be rebuilt, seeded, and trees planted. (Exhibit HM 13.)

On April 10, 2008, Flighway Materials commenced blasting by using blasters from Maurer and Scott Sales Inc. The blasters loaded explosives into the holes they had drilled previously in preparation for blasting. (N.T. hearing 5/16/08, p. 49.) When the blasters were near completion of the preparation of the shot, Mr. Brewster [520]*520appeared on the comer of his property, preventing Highway Materials from setting off the blast. (N.T. hearing 5/16/08, p. 52.) Present at the site were Mr. Callery of Highway Materials; John Melick, a representative from Maurer and Scott; Aimee Bollinger, DEP field representative; and Mike Duke, the District DEP blasting supervisor.

The two representatives of DEP approached Mr. Brewster and explained to him the safety aspects of standing at the location. (N.T. hearing 5/16/08, p. 48.) Mr. Brewster was next asked to step back from the area by John Melick. Mr. Brewster refused. Finally, the local police requested Mr. Brewster to move. Mr. Brewster remained on the property line refusing to move. (N.T. hearing 5/16/08, pp. 49-53.) Mr. Brewster stood at the location videotaping the events. Id. Discussion ensued among the blasters, the DEP representatives, and Highway Materials. A determination was made that the blast could be safely ignited despite Mr. Brewster’s presence, and the blasters proceeded to set off the blast. (N.T. hearing 5/16/08, p. 50.)

As a result of the events on April 10, 2008, Highway Materials was asked by Michael Menghini, Environmental Group Manager of DEP, to prepare a further blasting plan to mine adjacent to the Brewster property. (N.T. hearing 5/16/08, p. 51.)

On April 14,2008, Highway Materials commenced a civil action against the Brewsters and petitioned the court for a preliminary injunction against appellants in the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas. The express purpose of the preliminary injunction was to enjoin appellants from placing themselves in a position of per[521]*521sonal danger by trying to prevent blasting for lawful mining on the Highway Materials property.

On April 18,2008, four days after Highway Materials filed their complaint and a petition for a preliminary injunction, appellants filed a complaint and a petition for preliminary injunction against Highway Materials Inc., Marlborough Township and Marlborough Township Board of Supervisors in the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas. Appellants sought to halt all surface mining activities of Highway Materials to within 100 feet of the rear of appellants’ property and to terminate all surface mining activities of Highway Materials on the five-acre lot adjacent to appellants’ property.

On April 18, 2008, Highway Materials submitted a proposed plan by fax to Michael Menghini to review an “interim blast plan safety measures” resulting from the April 10, 2008 blast. (Exhibit HM 15.) DEP approved the interim blast measures with the following conditions:

“(1) All blasts in the area within 500 feet of the Brewster property were to be designed and conducted in accordance with the plan, specifications and details contained in the April 18, 2008 fax;
“(2) No blasting could be conducted within 150 feet of the Brewster property; and
“(3) The approval and plan was to be considered a ‘temporary measure’ and DEP reserved the right to rescind and/or modify the approval at its discretion.” Id.

On April 22, 2008, Highway Materials submitted a letter to DEP as a supplement to its April 18,2008 letter, which proposed an increase in the blasting distance of [522]

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7 Pa. D. & C.5th 514, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brewster-v-highway-materials-inc-pactcomplmontgo-2009.