A Youngstown-based surface mining company has been cited after Hubbard Township trustees forwarded complaints about damage from blasting to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

The department said City Aggregates & Recycling, Inc., of Youngstown, exceeded blast limits at a mining operation along State Route 7 in Brookfield, near the Hubbard Township line.

The complaints came from home and business owners in Brookfield and Hubbard who say blasting at the mine has caused structural damage to their buildings.

Since last April, according to Hubbard Township trustee Fred Hanley, at least 22 home and business owners had complained of structural damage. Only a couple of home and business owners in Brookfield had complained, according to a Brookfield township fire official.

City Aggregates & Recycling, Inc., of Youngstown, which owns City Stone Products on state Route 7 in Brookfield, was given a non-remedial violation for failure to blast in accordance with an approved plan according to DNR. Non-remedial means the violation can not be correct

According to the violation order, 11 of the 20 blasts did "not comply with the scaled distance formula for determining the maximum weight of explosives that can be detonated within any 8-millisecond period." Those blast dates were Jan. 12, 16, and 31; Feb. 27, Mar. 22, April 18; Aug. 27; Dec. 12 and 27 of 2001; and Jan. 17 and 22 of 2002, the order stated.

Blasting also exceeded maximum allowable amounts according to the violation order. Blasting on June 13, Sept. 17 and Oct. 31 also exceeded maximum allowable amounts per seismographic data, the order stated.

The company's blast plan indicates a total weight of explosives per blast of 189 pounds, according to the violation order, but 20 of the blasts by the company were anywhere from 840 pounds to 16,402 pounds according to the company records, the order states.

The order also states that "failure to blast in accordance with an approved plan" may result in the suspension or revocation of their surface mine permit.Alleged structural damage to nearby buildings was not addressed in the violation order.

Company owner John Annichenni said Friday he had no comment until he reviewed information from DNR.

Hubbard Township trustees are still reviewing the information and were giving copies of the information to building owners who claim damage from the blasting, according to Hanley.

In a December letter to Hubbard Township, DNR said the mining company was in the process of changing their blast plan to incorporate a newly passed senate bill.

In March, Senate Bill 83 will go into effect in Ohio. According to DNR Director Sam Speck, the bill "represents the first comprehensive overhaul of the state's industrial mineral law since 1974."

Some of the major points of the bill include increased groundwater protection from mining, increased protection from effects of blasting and increased involvement by the local and state government concerning mining operations in their communities and state.

The company has 30 days to appeal DNR's decision.

Hubbard Press Editor Robin Zambrini contributed to this story.