SRM Materials (also known as Hollingshead), the operator of the former Weidle gravel pit, has been granted a permit to expand its operations to farmland at Farmington Road and Butter Street in German Township.
Representatives from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Mineral Resources Management attended the August German Township Trustees meeting to gather community input, a final step in the process.
Map of land included in permit application, provided by ODNR at the August German Township Trustees Meeting
The German Township Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) will meet October 13 to set parameters for the operation of the gravel pit. Due to the results of an Ohio Supreme Court decision in February, the BZA is not permitted to deny the application, but they may set conditions.
SRM paid Weidle Corp. $4.5 million for 42 acres in May 2023. This includes 31 acres off Farmington Road, two acres off Sugar Street and 12 acres off Butter Street.
August German Township Trustees meeting with ODNR supervisor Matthew Lieser (left)
Permit Process
Matthew Leiser and Jami Moore from the ODNR Division of Mineral Resources Management attended the August Trustees meeting to hear final community feedback before taking the permit application from SRM to the chief of the division for approval.
According to the ODNR website, the public meeting is part of the permit process: “When the Division of Mineral Resources Management receives an application for a new industrial minerals (IM) permit or which will significantly change or alter an existing IM permit, the Division notifies various federal, state and local government agencies of the application. A 35-day comment period begins following the mailing of these government agency notices. During the comment period, the Division accepts comments and will meet or conference with interested parties regarding the application if so requested through a government agency.”
During the meeting, Leiser shared that the permit will be for 15 years and can be extended.
Leiser explained aspects of the oversight that ODNR provides: “These sites are required to post a reclamation bond with us. They submit annual maps to show us their progress, what they're doing, and their tonnages. Generally, we watch the site up until the point that they decide to stop and reclaim. A lot of these sites are 50-year-old sites now, so these are long-term, and it's all up to how fast the company wants to go.”
Community Feedback
Carlisle Pike resident, Keith Leigeber pressed the ODNR about water and air testing.
Leiser responded that current state law does not require the testing. “Our law basically says if you're going to withdraw or discharge, we do a hydrologic study prior to it being permitted. If they have proposed not to discharge—and the current operation does not discharge—we don't do a prior study. It doesn't negate the fact that we will do an investigation if there is a water loss or impact to wells. That's the differentiation in our law.”
Community member Rachel Albert asked about the acreage and potential expansion, “If the amended application is for 39.5 acres and they wanted to expand upon that later, what does that process look like?”
“There are two separate issues here,” Trustee James Rowland said. “ODNR looks at the natural resources for the state. The township looks at the zoning for the property. Even though they have 39 acres with the state, their application with the township is only for 30 acres. Our Board of Zoning Appeals is the body that sets the conditional uses for properties as they are used.”
“Currently, the township has a moratorium on mining on agricultural property,” Rowland said, “and we are modifying our zoning codes. There may not be an avenue for new mining on agricultural property once the code is changed.
Legal Case
In a March 2024 decision, the German Township Board of Zoning Appeals denied the company’s planned expansion on 32 acres zoned for agriculture. In the meeting, multiple residents testified in opposition, citing concerns about noise, dust, and significant damage to local roadways from heavy truck traffic.
Tennessee-based SRM Materials sued in the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas to overturn the Zoning Board ruling. The court ruled in favor of German Township.
SRM appealed to the Montgomery County Appeals Court, which issued a ruling in favor of SRM and its planned land expansion on October 3, 2025.
German Township appealed this ruling to the Ohio Supreme Court, which denied jurisdiction in February 2026, ending the appeals process and granting the legal victory to SRM.
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