It will likely be April before Whistler residents who bought homes at the new Cheakamus Crossing neighbourhood hear any news about progress toward moving the nearby asphalt plant.

Municipal officials also indicated this week that the feasibility of relocating the Whistler Aggregates plant by council’s deadline of June 1 is under “review.”

According to a statement issued by the Resort Municipality of Whistler on Monday (Feb. 1), “an assessment is required to find a suitable location for the asphalt plant, and to review the feasibility of relocating the plant by June 2010.”

The results of a third-party analysis of the alternatives will be presented to council in a closed meeting in March, and an update will be posted to whistler.ca in the spring, the statement says. Mayor Ken Melamed was not available for an interview this week.

Plant owner Frank Silveri said Monday that it’s “highly improbable” that a suitable new location will even be identified by June. It’s “pie in the sky” to suggest the plant could be fully moved by council’s deadline, he said.

Silveri said if council decides on a new site and agrees to pay the moving costs, he would still have to agree to move the plant. Depending on the condition of the new site — for example, if trees need to be cleared — it could take a year or longer to move the operation, he said.

“It depends on how much the municipality has got to spend,” Silveri said. “They have to find something and compensate me accordingly.”

The asphalt plant has been operating in its current location for about 15 years, has all its permits up to date and meets or exceeds provincial environmental standards, Silveri said. Improvements are made each year and Silveri said he built a berm and is planting trees so the Cheakamus Crossing residents won’t even be able to see the plant.

“Every year we spend money to upgrade,” he said. “I think I’ve been a good corporate citizen.”

When the plant’s operation in close proximity to Whistler’s newest neighbourhood came under public scrutiny in November, Melamed said the plant moved to its current location at the request of the municipality. Though the zoning was not updated to include asphalt operations, the owner has “de facto” permission to operate and the municipality would be legally responsible to pay for the plant’s relocation, Melamed said at the time.

He estimated the cost to move the plant at more than $2 million.

Silveri said the third-party analysis commissioned by the municipality on alternative plant locations basically amounts to a study to find out how much it will cost the municipality to relocate the plant.

“It’s not going to be cheap, I’ll tell you that,” he said.

After Cheakamus Crossing buyers attended council meetings en masse to express concerns and ask questions, and signed a petition to have the plant moved, the majority of council voted on Nov. 24 to relocate the plant by June 1. Melamed voted against the motion, saying later that he didn’t want to make promises he can’t keep.

According to posts on the Cheakamus Crossing Facebook page, Melamed has recently met with at least two of the neighbourhood’s future residents. On Jan. 13 he posted an update saying that a “team of consultants have been at work evaluating various site locations, and upgrades to the plant’s environmental standards.”

He also wrote that representatives from Whistler Aggregates and the Lil’wat Nation had directly discussed possibilities at the Rutherford Quarry. However, Silveri said he hasn’t been in discussions with Lil’wat members.

“That was one of the municipality’s suggestions,” he said.

Melamed’s most recent post on the Facebook site on Jan. 28 says it will be his last message until after the Olympic Games.