As Pike Industries prepares to face the Zoning Board in its continued fight for the right to expand operations on its Spring Street quarry, the company has ramped up its efforts to make its case to the community.
Pike has hired Savvy Inc., a Portland public relations firm, and taken out an advertisement in which Christian Zimmermann, Pike president, touts the company’s history as a good neighbor, prominent taxpayer and valuable employer in Westbrook – and points out what the company considers the unfairness of the city’s attempt to rezone the land in favor of light manufacturing businesses.
The advertisement follows weeks after an announcement that Pike is suing the city – a move Zimmermann says it made reluctantly and only after attempts to compromise with surrounding businesses were rejected.
Dennis Bailey, president of Savvy, said Pike “just wanted to state their case” about why they decided to file the lawsuit.
Bailey, who is a former journalist, has recently represented political campaign CasinosNO! and Stroudwater Place, the high-end retail development proposed in Westbrook.
In its announcement of the lawsuit, Pike emphasized the number of jobs the company will create when rebuilding the northbound lanes of Interstate 295 this spring, as well as the employees it will be able to retain if allowed to expand on Spring Street.
Those jobs, Pike says, are blue-collar jobs and the company feels because of that, it has lost its preference with the city.
“They sort of feel unloved and unwanted,” Bailey said.
Next week, Pike will go head-to-head with Westbrook Works, the group of neighboring business and residents opposed to Pike’s expansion, in front of the city’s Zoning Board.
Both parties are appealing a ruling by Code Enforcement Officer Rick Gouzie regarding what rights Pike has to expand its Spring Street quarry.
Gouzie ruled in January that Pike has the right to continue operating its quarry on Spring Street, but cannot add rock-crushing, concrete or asphalt plants without a special exception from the city.
Pike is appealing Gouzie’s decision in order to allow for rock-crushing, concrete and asphalt plants. At the same time, Westbrook Works is appealing the part of the ruling that allows Pike to continue operating its quarry.
Dick Daigle, director of facilities management for Idexx, one of the businesses in Westbrook Works, said the group hopes Gouzie will “confirm some of the vagueness” in his decision – namely, to what extent he believes Pike should be able to continue to operate.
Gouzie was charged with interpreting Pike’s property rights after Westbrook Works came forward with evidence that the excavating company was never permitted to quarry rock on Spring Street.
Through the debate, opponents of Pike’s expansion have said they weren’t disturbed by the blasting on Spring Street until this past year, when they felt the number and intensity of blasts increased.
Daigle said neither Idexx nor Westbrook Works are planning to reach out to the community any more than they have, as the hearings grow nearer, no matter what efforts Pike is making.
“What they’re doing doesn’t change the course we’re on,” Daigle said. “We haven’t changed our approach from the beginning.”
The Zoning Board hearings are scheduled for next week, on Tuesday and Thursday, as well as Tuesday, March 31. All hearings will be held at 7 p.m. in Room 114 at Westbrook High School.
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