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<p>PLAINS TWP. &#8212; Brothers Larry and Gary O&#8217;Malia, in an effort to prevent a proposed topsoil excavating operation from endangering their livelihood, have agreed to purchase the adjacent land themselves.</p><p>The announcement was made Monday at a zoning hearing that is being held in abeyance pending finalization of the purchase by June 30.</p><p>Stell Enterprises was requesting a variance from the Plains Township Zoning Hearing Board for mining operations on 17.5 acres of land adjacent to the O&#8217;Malias&#8217; farm. Stell purchased the land from Martin O&#8217;Malia, a cousin of Larry and Gary O&#8217;Malia, several years ago when Martin was in ill-health and retiring.</p><p>Stell Enterprises land and the adjacent property are located several hundred yards from the Susquehanna River.</p><p>The O&#8217;Malias said potential flooding from the river would likely result in materials from the topsoil mining activities washing onto their property.</p><p>They said spending $80,000 to buy the property from Stell Enterprises is going to be a necessary hardship.</p><p>&#8220;What has kept us going is public support,&#8221; said Gary, &#8220;and we&#8217;re going continue to need that support.&#8221;</p><p>Following the conclusion of the meeting, Robert Stell Sr. approached Gary saying, &#8220;I think this is a good deal.&#8221;</p><p>Gary O&#8217;Malia said, &#8220;You view this as a business deal, I view it in the context of the community as a whole.&#8221;</p><p>The O&#8217;Malias said at a previous hearing that they believed proposed operations from Stell Enterprises would have not only jeopardized the integrity of their farming operations, but would also have adversely affected the quality of life for members of the community.</p><p>&#8220;If anyone has benefited overall from our purchase of the property, it&#8217;s the community,&#8221; Larry O&#8217;Malia said as he left the building with family members and a throng of supporters.</p><p>Attendee Wayne Hughes agreed.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m all for the small farmer,&#8221; he said. &#8220;This family has been producing food for the area for over 80 years.&#8221;</p><p>Hughes, a retired teacher with a degree in agriculture, said his father, now deceased, had been a buyer for six hotels and had purchased plants and produce exclusively from the O&#8217;Malias.</p><p>&#8220;As an avid outdoorsman and sportsman, I&#8217;m glad the O&#8217;Malias could make this purchase, preserving the environment,&#8221; Hughes said.</p><p>The O&#8217;Malias&#8217; attorney, Williams Higgs, said he considered the outcome a win.</p><p>&#8220;I think this was a wise thing to do,&#8221; said Higgs. &#8220;This was their life for the last several months. It was so emotionally draining.&#8221;</p><p>Higgs hopes that the O&#8217;Malias may be able to sell the land to a Native American or conservation organization.</p><p>&#8220;These are sacred grounds to some people,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And they are not often able to purchase them.&#8221;</p><p>Doug George-Kanentiio, an Akwesasne Mohawk, in a written statement said the organization, was committed to &#8220;guarding against desegregation of our burial sites and to stand against those who would bring further harm.&#8221;</p><p>Attendee Lindsay Rowan said she believed the proposed purchase of the property was &#8220;a resolution and not a solution.&#8221;</p><p>Referring to legal fees incurred by the O&#8217;Malias, she said, &#8220;I think they just did this to stop the financial bleeding.&#8221;</p><p>Even as the O&#8217;Malias brokered a deal that they believed would benefit not only the environment and the community, their minds were on the business that defines them.</p><p>&#8220;With Mother&#8217;s Day coming up, it was difficult for us to get out of there today at 6 p.m.,&#8221; said Gary O&#8217;Malia. &#8220;It&#8217;s our busiest time of year.&#8221;</p><p>The O&#8217;Malias will have until June 30 to finalize the sale, or the issue could once again go before the zoning board.</p><p>Neither side sees that happening.</p><p>&#8220;We just had to bite the bullet,&#8221; said Gary O&#8217;Malia. &#8220;We need to keep moving forward.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Larry O&#8217;Malia stands under a sign in his greenhouse store in Plains Township that asks residents for support. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_TTL050316omalia1-4.jpg</photo0><caption0>Larry O&#8217;Malia stands under a sign in his greenhouse store in Plains Township that asks residents for support. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_TTL050316omalia2-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Larry O'Malia points to a property in question that he worries development will disturb his farm. 5/2/2016 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_TTL050316omalia2-4.jpg</photo1><caption1>Larry O'Malia points to a property in question that he worries development will disturb his farm. 5/2/2016 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader</caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_TTL050316omalia01CMYK-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Larry O&#8217;Malia stands under a sign in his greenhouse store in Plains Township that asks residents for support. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_TTL050316omalia01CMYK-4.jpg</photo2><caption2>Larry O&#8217;Malia stands under a sign in his greenhouse store in Plains Township that asks residents for support. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_TTL050316omalia02CMYK-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Larry O'Malia points to a property in question that he worries development will disturb his farm. 5/2/2016 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_TTL050316omalia02CMYK-4.jpg</photo3><caption3>Larry O'Malia points to a property in question that he worries development will disturb his farm. 5/2/2016 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader</caption3><photoCredit3>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_TTL050316OMaliavariance1-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Attorney William Higgs points at attorney Jack Dean during a zoning hearing regarding land owned by Stell Enterprises and adjacent to brothers Larry and Gary O&#8217;Malia&#8217;s farmland in Plains Township on Monday. Dean holds a topographical map of the land in question. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_TTL050316OMaliavariance1-4.jpg</photo4><caption4>Attorney William Higgs points at attorney Jack Dean during a zoning hearing regarding land owned by Stell Enterprises and adjacent to brothers Larry and Gary O&#8217;Malia&#8217;s farmland in Plains Township on Monday. Dean holds a topographical map of the land in question. </caption4><photoCredit4>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_TTL050316OMaliavariance2-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Larry o&#8217;Malia, left, and brother Gary O&#8217;Maila settle a zoning dispute with Stella Enterprises after a five-minute recess of the Plains Township Zoning Hearing Board hearing on Monday. On Monday afternoon, Larry O&#8217;Malia points to a property on a map that he worried would be used for top soil mining, which he contends would harm his farm. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_TTL050316OMaliavariance2-4.jpg</photo5><caption5>Larry o&#8217;Malia, left, and brother Gary O&#8217;Maila settle a zoning dispute with Stella Enterprises after a five-minute recess of the Plains Township Zoning Hearing Board hearing on Monday. On Monday afternoon, Larry O&#8217;Malia points to a property on a map that he worried would be used for top soil mining, which he contends would harm his farm. </caption5><photoCredit5>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit5></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_TTL050316OMaliavarianceCMYK1-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Attorney William Higgs points at attorney Jack Dean during a zoning hearing regarding land owned by Stell Enterprises and adjacent to brothers Larry and Gary O&#8217;Malia&#8217;s farmland in Plains Township on Monday. Dean holds a topographical map of the land in question. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo6>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_TTL050316OMaliavarianceCMYK1-4.jpg</photo6><caption6>Attorney William Higgs points at attorney Jack Dean during a zoning hearing regarding land owned by Stell Enterprises and adjacent to brothers Larry and Gary O&#8217;Malia&#8217;s farmland in Plains Township on Monday. Dean holds a topographical map of the land in question. </caption6><photoCredit6>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit6></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_TTL050316OMaliavariancecmyk2-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Larry o&#8217;Malia, left, and brother Gary O&#8217;Maila settle a zoning dispute with Stella Enterprises after a five-minute recess of the Plains Township Zoning Hearing Board hearing on Monday. On Monday afternoon, Larry O&#8217;Malia points to a property on a map that he worried would be used for top soil mining, which he contends would harm his farm. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo7>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_TTL050316OMaliavariancecmyk2-4.jpg</photo7><caption7>Larry o&#8217;Malia, left, and brother Gary O&#8217;Maila settle a zoning dispute with Stella Enterprises after a five-minute recess of the Plains Township Zoning Hearing Board hearing on Monday. On Monday afternoon, Larry O&#8217;Malia points to a property on a map that he worried would be used for top soil mining, which he contends would harm his farm. </caption7><photoCredit7>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit7></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Brothers to buy adjacent land from Stell Enterprises</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>ggibbons@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Geri Gibbonsat 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLggibbons.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

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O’Malias settle zoning dispute with Stell Enterprises, agree to buy land adjacent to their farm