The Current Operation

The main building at the Clinton Point facility was constructed in 1929. A primary surge complex was added in 1966 and a five-phase electrical upgrade was initiated in 1998. The facility includes computerized primary, secondary and tertiary crushing operations. It can produce more than 5 million tons per year. Crushing equipment includes an Allis Chalmers 21K gyratory, two 7-foot Symons standard crushers, two 7-foot Symons short-head crushers, a 4000 series Svedala cone crusher and a Metso HP300.

The sand plant operation uses a Barmac 9100 crusher. The two asphalt plants were purchased in early 1999. They include a 1985 CMI SMV 2000 drum plant with wet venturi scrubber, as well as a 250-ton Gencor silo and a 1989 Gencor 6-ton batch plant with an Astec RAP kit.

The 21K gyratory crusher, which has been in continual use since 1912, had previously seen service crushing rock to build the Panama Canal. Since its acquisition, the crusher has undergone two major repairs: one-quarter of the bottom section was replaced in 1973 and the entire bottom section (except for the belly pan) was replaced in 2007. An apron feeder recently was installed to allow better control of incoming feed.

According to Brian Nenni, lead maintenance man, the crusher weighs 280,000 pounds, is 40 feet high and 12 feet wide. It contains only four moving parts, still driven by leather belts. He knows of only one other crusher of this type still in use. As a result, off-the-shelf parts are hard to find. In fact, replacement bearings must be built to order. Tilcon management is considering moving the crusher closer to the working face in order to decrease haul distances (now 1½ miles); a new configuration would then move product through a series of conveyors back to the mill. That option is still being evaluated.

The Tilcon aggregate operation uses a metrics/optimization package from Quarry Tools to identify potential problems and project variations to the norm. “These metrics have brought us up from roughly 60% utilization (or 1,000 tons per hour) at the primary to 88% (or 1,450 tons per hour) over the course of a few years,” Hubbard says. “Predictive and preventative maintenance measurements that utilize oil tripology, orbit analysis, vibration analysis and thermo analysis have decreased our downtime substantially.”

Clinton Points Quarry's two main products are ASTM #57, a ⅝-inch stone, and New York State #2, a ¾-inch stone. The ¾-inch stone is used in hot-mix asphalt, portland cement and as a drainage material. The plant's product mix is held in silos that have a total storage capacity of 142,000 cubic yards. The silos employ two crushers, 72 conveyors and 36 screens, which reportedly give the plant more flexibility to produce larger or smaller fractions of material, depending on demand. Originally designed to load railroad cars, the silos load only trucks. In addition, trucks can be loaded directly from front-end loaders in the quarry. Overall production capacity is 18,000 to 20,000 tons per day.

For shipment of aggregate down the Hudson River, eight to 15 deck barges, which hold 1,000 to 2,000 tons each, are loaded daily. Tugboats are capable of pushing up to 12 fully loaded barges at one time. The trip to NYC, which used to take days, now takes hours. To load these barges efficiently, a tripper-car apparatus, which incorporates a chute to ensure even loading, feeds the main dock. In addition, two stiff-leg derrick docks and a lower dock recently were added. Fed by trucks, the lower dock features a conveyor belt that extends out over the barge to load aggregate.

A Family Affair

The sand plant operation uses a Barmac 9100 crusher. The two asphalt plants were purchased in early 1999. They include a 1985 CMI SMV 2000 drum plant with wet venturi scrubber, as well as a 250-ton Gencor silo and a 1989 Gencor 6-ton batch plant with an Astec RAP kit.

The 21K gyratory crusher, which has been in continual use since 1912, had previously seen service crushing rock to build the Panama Canal. Since its acquisition, the crusher has undergone two major repairs: one-quarter of the bottom section was replaced in 1973 and the entire bottom section (except for the belly pan) was replaced in 2007. An apron feeder recently was installed to allow better control of incoming feed.

Among its 120 union employees and management, there is a strong sense of continuity and pride at work at Clinton Point—a strong sense of family. This can be traced back to the early 1900s, when the town of Camelot (no longer in existence) grew up around the plant. (The remnants of that town’s train platform lie just north of the quarry.) Since then, different generations of families have worked at Clinton Point. Many employees are related or have known each other most of their lives. Employees tend to remain at the facility for their entire careers and encourage their children to join the workforce. Currently, 16 people are either second- or third-generation employees. One employee actually was born in Camelot.

“There is real teamwork here and people seem to enjoy working together,” says Ed Daddona, who recently retired. “Information is passed on from generation to generation, from father to son. Also, besides strong management, we benefit from the experience of our lead operators.” Daddona tells this story, which reflects the generational aspect of Clinton Point. “When I was a youngster, I visited the long tunnels, which extend underneath the silos, where my dad worked. I said, ‘No way will I ever work in a place like this.’ Yet, here I am, having been here for 35 years, and Clinton Point is still a great place to work.” In 1972, Daddona joined the company, working third shift on the dock. He worked his way up and joined management in 1989, later serving as assistant plant manager and plant manager. “I simply followed my father's advice — learn everything you can.”

Brian Nenni, lead maintenance man, is another example. During 22 years at Clinton Point, he has held many positions, which include working as a driller, in the mill, on the dock, shop steward for laborers and miners' representative. As a result, his knowledge of various aspects of the operation and equipment is extensive. During his career, Nenni has benefited from the advice he received from his father, who worked many years at the site before him.

Terry Williams, dock foreman, is another example. Williams, who started at Clinton Point 38 years ago working nights in the storeroom, has held every conceivable position at the plant, including assistant plant manager, mill foreman, safety coordinator and budget analyst.

Brooks also sees Clinton Point as a generational operation. “It has been here for more than 100 years, and will be for many more,” he notes. “I look at my role as that of a steward, here for some period of time, but always aware that our role is to make the quarry better for the people who come after us. We need to make it better in regards to safety, the environment, as well as operationally. Many of the decisions that we make today will affect the miners of tomorrow, much the same way the decisions of the people who built the plant in the 1920s affect us today. We have to be as forward thinking as they were.”