Public Questions Quick Chek Engineer

The public had its chance to question on Thursday night engineering aspects of Quick Chek’s plan for a new store on Route 23 between Boonton and Bartholdi avenues.

At the fourth session of the convenience store's presentation to the Butler Planning Board, Quick Chek Engineer Keith Cahill answered questions about his site plans and testimony given on the engineering details of the proposed site. 

The original plans have been modified to reflect , but many residents in attendance at Thursday's meeting remained opposed to the project because of its close proximity to homes, specifically those on Lafayette Avenue that are adjacent to the site.

Butler resident Josh Jelonek was concerned with pollution and other health hazards due to the large number of cars that would visit the site in question. He asked Cahill, “Has ever looked into the impact this store would have on the environment?”

While Cahill admitted there was no such investigation, he alluded to the large volume of traffic on Route 23 and said that he assumed that any additional pollution from car exahust would be insignificant.

Janice Harper-Young, a resident of Lafayette Avenue, said her backyard ends where Quick Chek's site plan begins. There are mature trees at the rear of her property where Quick Chek plans to construct a retaining wall, she said.

She asked, “Will you damage the tree roots when you build the wall?”

Cahill assured her that it was unlikely because the particular wall specified in his plans requires only one foot of excavation. Additionally, he said there will be a 10-foot buffer from Lafayette Avenue properties and Quick Chek's structures.

Cahill also said that the construction of the proposed Quick Chek would benefit the environment because the property in question is known to have contaminants.

“There’s impacted soil, there’s hydrocarbons, I don’t have all the details—it’s a known contaminated site," he said.

The next meeting will be a special meeting held on May 12 instead of the originally planned date of May 19.