Illinois Quarry in Question
Two months after Robbins, Ill., trustees essentially voided a contract with a developer planning a limestone quarry and mine in the village, residents say they’re uncertain where those plans now stand. A trustee said no new talks have been held with ALM Resources since the village board’s vote in late June, according to the Southtown Star. That vote came months after Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart questioned whether the project, approved more than a year ago under a prior village administration, was in the best interest of residents.
Dart’s office also has been attempting to clarify the status of the quarry/mine project. Letters from his office in June and July sought a meeting with Robbins officials to discuss the project, but it was not clear whether Dart’s office has received a reply. Trustee Lenny Johnson said that village officials are “waiting to see” what ALM plans to do.
Kentucky Quarry Permit Under Scrutiny
The Franklin-Simpson, Ky., Zoning Board of Adjustments plans to meet to discuss findings of reported violations committed at the site of a rock quarry, according to the Park City Daily News. The board is expected to consider whether the rock quarry, owned by Drakes Creek Holding, has failed to comply with conditions of the conditional use permit the board issued to the company in 2012.
That permit opened the way for work to begin on constructing the mining operation on a 169-acre parcel at the site owned by Drakes Creek Holding. Only a portion of the parcel is permitted for the quarry. Charles Deweese of Deweese Construction, a sister company to Drakes Creek Holding, had sought a rock quarry that would enable his firm to be more competitive for highway projects and provide agricultural lime for area farmers.
The board previously directed Joe Perry, building inspector for the Franklin-Simpson Planning and Zoning Commission, to inspect allegations that the conditional use permit had been violated.
Wisconsin Quarry Opposed
Homeowners in the town of Windsor, Wis., are balking at the idea of a quarry in their backyards, according to WKOW news. A proposed quarry for farm land near Highway C and Happy Valley Road also came up several years ago, but failed to get necessary approvals.
Residents are concerned about increased truck traffic, the impact of any quarry waste on the area’s watershed, and the potential for blasting to damage home foundations as well as septic systems.
Windsor Planning Coordinator Amy Anderson Schweppe said since Waunakee-based Yahara Hills Inc.’s earlier, failed quarry proposal, Windsor has adopted mineral extraction siting standards patterned after the state. Schweppe said Windsor’s planning commission voted unanimously to recommend the project receive a conditional use permit. She said the proposal meets all the town’s minimum standards for operation, including requirements for dust collection, distance from other properties, and reimbursement to owners for any property value loss.
Conveyor Project Facing Opposition
Approximately 200 people turned out at an open house on a proposal to build a four-mile-long conveyor belt and a 998-ft. pier on the Hood Canal in Port Ludlow, Wash., to move gravel from a quarry to ships, according to the Penninsula Daily News.
Some carried signs against the Thorndyke Resources project, known as “pit-to-pier,” at the open house on a draft environmental impact statement at the Port Ludlow Bay Club. The “overwhelming majority” of those that attended the event opposed it, according to a report.
The volunteer leader of the Hood Canal Coalition, who said he gathered 125 signatures on a petition against it, said Native American tribes, the Navy and the state Department of Natural Resources all have serious concerns.
Not all who attended were against the plan. At least once person noted that, if you think globally, you will understand how important this project is.