Monday, Nov. 7, 2005 | 8:44 a.m.
A Henderson blasting ordinance intended to give residents greater notification before detonations has taken effect, but homeowners may have to wait a month or two longer before getting the advance warnings.
By a 3-2 vote, the City Council adopted an ordinance last Tuesday that places more restrictions on contractors. But a voting mistake by two council members means developers, at least temporarily, will not be required to hold neighborhood meetings before most blasting begins.
After the vote was taken, two councilmen said they preferred an ordinance requiring the meetings. By that time, however, the ordinance approved -- which was supported by a blasting contractor, Sanders Construction of Henderson -- could not be amended to include the meeting requirement. That error will require the council to take up the measure again in December to insert the meeting requirement.
Councilman Steven Kirk said Wednesday he inadvertently pushed the "yes" vote button instead of "no" when Councilman Andy Hafen recommended an ordinance that did not require blasters to hold neighborhood meetings. And Councilman Jack Clark said Wednesday he simply misunderstood which resolution was before the council.
The pre-blasting meetings would give residents a chance to learn more about the planned blasting, done in hillside areas to prepare sites for home construction.
"I just accidentally voted with Councilman Hafen," Kirk said. "I want to have more neighborhood meetings, and I think we will get there. We have to make sure everyone is informed. That is better for everyone. We won't get more calls and residents won't feel blasters are hiding anything."
Some contractors have criticized the neighborhood meetings as costly and unnecessary, saying they would result in complaints before any work has begun and demands for damage payments for existing cracks in homes.
The ordinance adopted Tuesday requires blasters to mail notices to property owners a mile away in some cases, within seven and 21 days before any detonations. Under the old ordinance, blasters only had to post notices on the doors of homes within 1,000 feet of detonations, with no set time period.
Until the law can be changed, Henderson Fire Marshal Fulton Cochran said blasters will be encouraged to hold the neighborhood meetings anyway. Some contractors have voluntarily held the meetings in recent months, Cochran said.
The vote mixup came on the same day that the city received its most complaints about blasting in several months, Cochran said. A blast in Crystal Ridge by Sanders Construction is being reviewed to determine whether existing limits were exceeded, he said.
The new ordinance forbids blasting within 100 feet of homes unless residents agree to it. The city also requires inspections on close-range blasting, and residents are entitled to free home surveys before and after blasting to determine whether any damage occurred.
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