Selux expands again, Servpro will build

There is going to be more light industry in the town of Lloyd, some of it quite literally “light.” Last Thursday, Lloyd’s planning board approved the lighting company Selux Corp.’s expansion plans for after a public hearing. The board also scheduled a hearing on an application to build warehouse and office space for Servpro, an emergency response cleanup service. Both sites are on Lumen Lane, in the GB zone.

Board chairman Scott Saso and vice chairman Brad Scott, Sr., were not present at the meeting, leaving member Dave Plavchak to chair the proceedings.

The Selux application calls for two additions to the existing facility at 5 Lumen Lane: Selux South will expand the plant southward with 8800 square feet of space for product assembly and warehouse space with a loading dock, and  northward  with 5980 square feet for a showroom and offices. Construction will be phased, with construction on the southern portion to begin right away. Construction on he first floor of the northern wing is scheduled to start some time this autumn, with the second floor of that section to be scheduled thereafter.

Selux has been steadily expanding its local labor force over the years. The firm, which sells high-quality architectural light fixtures, has about 170 Highland employees, according to vice-president of manufacturing Brenda Shaffer,  and will have 60,000 square feet of space in Highland. Worldwide, the German-based company has in all about 500 employees.

Somewhat ironically, one of the details missing from the application, board alternate member Peter Brooks noted, was a lighting plan. According to architect David Toder, the oversight was largely because the area outside the plant is already chock full of demo fixtures. Minimal new lighting will be needed to keep the lot sufficiently lighted, he said.

While this expansion is not large enough to trigger a full storm water pollution prevention plan, or SWPPP, board members pressed for more information on drainage, because together with the company’s prior additions, the cumulative impact could be significant. Toder advised that the engineering firm Barton & Loguidice was working on completing a plan to keep all runoff on-site, as the law requires. Board member Fred Pizzuto wanted to know more about the soils on the site, saying that the maps he’d reviewed suggested heavy clay, and thus poor drainage.

“We found good soils on some parts of the site,” Toder said. “There are areas that are fairly sandy.”

According to code enforcement officer Shari Riley, the town building department staff will be able to ensure that the stormwater and lighting plans are put into place as specified, should the planning board agree to make site-plan approval conditional. After opening the public hearing, and quickly closing it following no comment whatsoever, that was exactly what the board agreed to do.

The Servpro application for 10 Lumen Lane seeks a permit to build 2700 square feet of office space and a 15,000-square-foot warehouse. As the company’s work is to clean up damage from water, fire, and mold at the customer’s property, most of the work will not be done at this location. However, part of the warehouse will be used to clean, deodorize, organize, and store customer’s belongings and carpets, and a portion will be reserved for the storage of cleaning products and equipment. Servpro is a franchise operation with over 1650 locations nationwide.

While the proposed lighting plan for this site could theoretically produce some glare, the site’s elevation and location make it unlikely to be a problem. The site is quite low, and there are no residential buildings nearby. The site is also not in a flood plain, nor are there any wetlands. Board members found very little that might impact the environment negatively.

The plan also calls for an on-site wastewater treatment plant, for which county health department approval is required. To that end, the board agreed to conduct a coordinated review, and to circulate a notice of intent to declare itself lead agency. The health department and other agencies have 30 days to respond, after which the planning board can move forward with a public hearing and site-plan review.