History of 609 Scenic Rd

 

 

The picture to the left is a picture of 609 Scenic Rd before it was mined. The only building that isn't on the property anymore is the barn to the far right. That is where the current high wall of loose gravel is.

 

In 1963 the family that owned the farm leased the land to a gravel company to mine it. The Town of Richfield (now Village) gave the gravel company a Conditional Use Permit (CUP). Part of the CUP was to restore the land after the mining operation was over. That CUP was not followed and around 1977 the site was left abandoned.

 

Today, this site has become known as the "kettle" to some residents and the "Scenic Pit" to others. Residents who have lived in the area for over 50 years know this site as a quarry, and some newer residents have referred to it as a natural landscape of the Kettle Moraine.

 

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the redevelopment of the site. The Scenic Pit is an abandoned quarry that needs restoration and has the potential for valuable land use once restored.