Porter County staff advise home-based pavement maintenance franchise to address septic, spill containment and permits

Adam and Audrey Lemire appeared at an informal Porter County zoning review to discuss operating a truck-and-trailer pavement maintenance franchise from their residence at 248–250 South in Valparaiso, Morgan Township.

The Lemires told the panel the business is a franchise operated from trucks and trailers; “it’s predicated on a truck and trailer type business,” Adam Lemire said. They said work is done off‑site and the property is used mainly to store two heavy‑duty trucks, an enclosed trailer, a paint trailer and a sealcoat trailer. The couple said they employ three full‑time staff and a few seasonal high‑school workers; “we only have 3 full time employees,” Audrey Lemire said.

County staff summarized the matters the Board of Zoning Appeals is likely to ask at the formal hearing and flagged public‑health, environmental and traffic questions. Dan Boyd of the health department advised the Lemires to meet at the health department to verify whether the property’s septic systems are sized for commercial use and whether a separate septic system might be required for the barn/office. Boyd said: “they wanna know, like, how many employees you have because they’re using the restrooms,” and explained the state sizes nonresidential septic systems differently than residential systems.

Health staff also raised risks from sealcoat and cleaning materials. Kevin (Health Department staff) cautioned that solvents and sealants can harm septic bacterial action and advised keeping material safety data sheets on site and contacting the Indiana Department of Environmental Management if questions arise. County staff repeatedly recommended containment measures for the on‑site bulk tank, noting it was new from Seal Master but urging secondary containment and spill capture systems: “you’re gonna wanna be able to show a very clear… plan for when something goes wrong,” one staff member said.

Planning and code staff discussed operational impacts: the Lemires said they store only limited quantities of paint (about ten 5‑gallon buckets on site) and that customers do not visit the residence. They estimated the gravel staging area behind their barn at roughly 100 by 100 feet and said their lot is about 10 acres. Staff encouraged confirming driveway and driveway‑culvert permits and checking whether freestanding signage is necessary: staff advised that if a sign is not needed, it is simpler not to have one.

Staff repeatedly framed the hearing as an informal review intended to prepare the applicants for the Board of Zoning Appeals. County planners and health department staff advised the Lemires to collect and present documentation on septic layout, stormwater/driveway permits, spill containment for the sealcoat tank, and product safety data sheets ahead of the formal hearing. No formal action or vote occurred at the informal review.