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Planning Commission Meeting Minutes <br /> December 18,2001 <br /> Page 4 <br /> 1 Solie continued that Levitus, owner of Essenco,needed to move out of his existing space, <br /> 2 so he moved all of his equipment over to the Village North location. Solie indicated that <br /> 3 the entire thing has dragged on for two-months. <br /> 4 <br /> 5 - Levitus came forward to address the,question of why they prematurely began operations. <br /> 6 He continued that it was a misunderstanding with what the City Council had granted. <br /> 7 Subsequently,he realized that they were in the wrong, and stopped operations <br /> 8 immediately. <br /> 9 <br /> 10 Chair Melsha asked for the specific dates that they had been running. Levitus did not <br /> 11 have specific dates. He suggested that thy probably ceased operating ten days ago. <br /> 12 <br /> 13 Levitus stated that Solie had done some research on the intemet and provided Levitus <br /> 14 with a list of the fifteen residents that lived nearest the location. He added that he spoke <br /> 15 with several of them, all of whom were not concerned with the odor, nor had they noticed <br /> 16 any odor being omitted. He stated*that the only resident that voiced any disconcertion <br /> 17 was a member of the family who placed the original complaint to the City. <br /> 18 <br /> 19 Levitus continued that he had not received any return phone-calls from residents where <br /> 20 he left detailed messages and his phone number for the purpose of voicing any <br /> 21 complaints regarding the operation. <br /> 22 <br /> 23 Chair Melsha asked Levitus to briefly explain his operation. <br /> 24 <br /> 25 Levitus indicated that he spoke with St. Croix Sensory for the purpose of diluting the <br /> 26 fragrance with extra air. If they were to work with them,he suggested that the odor <br /> 27 should be eliminated by the time it would get across the street. <br /> 28 <br /> 29 Vice Chair Stille asked about hours of operation. Levitus indicated that they typically <br /> 30 work one shift, home and that production start time was between 6:00 am. and 7:00 a.m. <br /> 31 He indicated that the shift lasts until 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Levitus stated that <br /> 32 occasionally,based on seasonal needs,the shift might be extended a couple of hours. He <br /> 33 concluded by stating that August and September are the busiest time for them, and the <br /> 34 quietest are summer months. <br /> 35 <br /> 36 Thomas asked if Levitus was operating at the last Planning Commission meeting of <br /> 37 November 20, 2002. Levitus indicated that they were not. <br /> 38 <br /> 39 Commissioner Thomas asked about the twenty-five production employees that he <br /> 40 intended to hire, and if they were going to be receiving a living wage. Levitus stated.that <br /> 41 he would pay them $7.50 an hour for an entry-level position. <br /> 42 Chair Melsha asked for a more concrete schedule from Levitus in terms of when they <br /> 43 would likely extend their hours. Levitus stated that August, September, October and first <br /> 44 part of November are the busiest time of year. <br /> 45 <br /> 46 Solie stated that they did come across some specific terminology on how to quantify <br /> 47 odor. He reviewed a few scenarios with the Commission: appoint three neutral people to <br />