MAT Asphalt Open House is a Success

In a reflection of its openness to the community and its commitment to being a good neighbor, MAT Asphalt hosted an open house on Saturday, September 21st.

Co-owner Michael Tadin and general manager Joe Haughey provided tours of the property at 2033 W. Pershing Road, in Chicago’s McKinley Park neighborhood, and answered questions of neighbors who attended.

The asphalt pavement-making facility has been open since July 2018 and Is one of four such operations in Chicago and 3,500 nationally. In that time, it has saved taxpayers about $5 million through competitive bidding while also operating as one of the most environmentally friendly asphalt plants in the nation.

The open house was not the first time that neighbors have had a chance to review the operations. MAT Asphalt previously led over 30 tours of its facility.

Among those who came to the open house was a delegation from Neighbors for Environmental Justice, a local environmental conservation group. Some of the organization’s members had also taken previous tours.

“Based on the questions that I fielded and other remarks on Saturday, it was clear that some people are still operating under inaccuracies and other misinformation,” Tadin said. “So, this was an excellent opportunity to set the record straight on how we meet and exceed environmental health and safety regulations.”

In addition, by offering increased competition MAT Asphalt has lowered street-paving costs to taxpayers. So far, contracts secured by the firm through a sealed-bidding process have come in about $5 million lower than rival bidders.

The plant opened in July 2018 under a one-year temporary permit issued by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. That permit remains valid, pending the IEPA’s determination of whether to issue a five-year permit. A decision on that permit is expected soon.

The $10 million facility produces up to 400 tons of asphalt an hour, and meets strict environmental standards, including capturing dust particles and minimizing emissions.

During the tours, trucks entered and exited the facility amid one of the windiest days in MAT Asphalt’s history. At one point during the tour, Haughey was standing in the middle of three tall piles of limestone aggregate and explaining how it was pre-washed of particulate matter prior to delivery to MAT.

“We were standing in a 16 mile-per-hour wind from the southwest, right in our face, and barely any particulate could be seen in the air,” Haughey noted. “It was such a strong demonstration of what we have told community members from the start of operations here.”

In 2002, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency removed asphalt plants as a major source of air pollution. In addition, air emissions are extremely low -- equivalent or well below emissions from a single bakery operating for about two weeks or from 13 residential fireplaces over a year.

The MAT Asphalt website (www.matasphalt.com) offers background on the asphalt paving products the facility produces, how it operates, and the numerous steps planners took to design and construct the facility to meet and exceed environmental requirements. The website also offers a video that provides a close-up view of its operations and answers questions that members of the community have raised.

The facility operates Monday through Saturday from approximately 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. from the middle of April until early December.

MAT Asphalt was developed by a partnership that includes Buildsmore LLC, owned by Tony Sanchez; McKinley Park LLC, owned by Charles and Dan Gallagher; and MAT Asphalt LLC, owned by Michael Tadin Jr.

To see a video of MAT Asphalt’s operations, visit https://tinyurl.com/MATAsphalt.

If you have questions or wish to schedule a tour, contact Joe Haughey, MAT Asphalt general manager, at jhaughey@matasphalt.com. Online: www.matasphalt.com.