| State & Province News |
July 2007
State & Province News
by , Executive Editor
California
Granite Construction’s efforts to build and operate the Liberty Quarry in Temecula hit a minor roadblock in late April. According to The San Diego Union-Tribune, the directors of the Rainbow Municipal Water District turned down a request to sell water to Granite Construction. Gary Nolan, the company’s senior project manager, told the newspaper that the board’s action would have no effect on its plans because Granite Construction already has an agreement with a water department in Riverside County. The company was interested in discussions with Rainbow, however, because Rainbow owns a pipeline that runs near the quarry’s proposed location. The quarry is projected to have a 75-year lifespan and to produce approximately 5 million tons of aggregate per year.
California
A closed-course off-road track being built by developer Jim Baldwin in Chula Vista is generating speculation about its future use. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the site — at a quarry — may lead to greater use than just that of the new home for the Championship Off-Road Racing tour. The course, built with the guidance of project manager Rick Johnson, a former national Supercross and motocross champion, was scheduled to open June 9.
Florida
State lawmakers are considering legislation that could limit or prevent local governments from regulating aggregates mining. The Associated Press reports that two bills address the issue. A Senate bill would require local boards to address how land use or permit decisions on mining proposals would impact rock supply for the local area, region, or state. The stronger House version would block counties or municipalities from action that prohibits or prevents operation or greenfield construction of aggregates operations on land zoned or designated for mining. Both bills would create a task force to evaluate mining, analyze applicable land uses, and study whether materials are becoming more difficult to access. The legislation comes on the heels of a study by the Florida Department of Transportation that predicts road and construction demands will outstrip aggregate supplies within five to 10 years.
Hawaii
The state opened two roads in the Mauna Kea Forest Reserve on the Big Island to all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes, the state Department of Land and Natural announced. Conversely, the agency will prohibit off-highway vehicles from using old gravel quarries within the forest reserve. Traffic on unauthorized trails has degraded the quality of the native forest, officials said.
Illinois
Hall Farms Trust’s petition for a gravel pit in southwest Bloomington has been at least temporarily withdrawn. The Pantagraph reports that an attorney for the trust filed a notice with the city to withdraw the petition pending before the city’s planning commission and zoning board. The trust had been seeking permission to allow Rowe Construction to mine gravel on its 44-acre plot. According to the attorney, the applicants will be doing some homework, including studying noise and traffic, before resubmitting its application to the city — likely at the end of the summer or early fall.
Kansas
Neighbors of Kansas Sand & Concrete’s operation in Topeka tried to get the site closed, claiming that it created an imminent danger to public safety. According to the Topeka Capital-Journal, one neighborhood resident showed commissioners a video showing a semi trailer going left of center to avoid a deteriorating section of roadway near the operation. An attorney for Kansas Sand explained that it had no control over road conditions. The operation’s permit does require it to pay for any road repairs attributable to the operation, and the commissioners stressed that they expect the company to pay for road damages.
Massachusetts
An 18-year-old Suffield girl was in a coma in Springfield after falling 40 feet off a cliff at an aggregates operation on the Agawam-Southwick line, according to The Republican. A second girl, a 19-year-old from Feeding Hills, was treated for minor injuries she received while trying to help her friend. The accident occurred on May 11, following what was believed to be a party at the quarry attended by at least 10 people ranging in age from 16 to 21. A police detective told the newspaper that alcohol was found at the scene.
Michigan
The Alamo Township Zoning Board voiced concerns about the impact of a proposed aggregates operation on surrounding property values, the Kalamazoo Gazette reports. Contradicting reports have been made to the board. Todd Schaal, CEO of Great Lakes Appraisal Co. and a consultant for Aggregates Industries, told the board that the operation wouldn’t negatively impact property values. George Erickcek, a senior regional analyst at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, sent a letter to the board that disputed Schaal’s claims. At Aggregates Manager’s press time, the board had not issued a decision on the operation, however, Board Chairman Belden Smith told the newspaper that he believes the industrial application is “far too intense for that area.”
Minnesota
In early May, the House and Senate transportation leaders agreed on a plan to raise the state’s gas tax by 5 cents per gallon on Sept. 1. The increase would be the first since 1988, according to the Associated Press. It would pay for improvements to the state’s highways, bridges, and roads. However, Gov. Tim Pawlenty has said that he would prefer to fund road construction projects via construction bonds and has vowed to veto a gas tax. Rep. Neil Peterson (R-Bloomington) told the news service that he was committed to pursuing the gas tax.
Nevada
An alliance of local agencies launched an effort to reclaim a trash-strewn former Dresslerville gravel pit. The Reno Gazette-Journal reports that the U.S. Forest Service took over the site from Cinderlite Rock and Sand several years ago, but that it continues to be used for illegal dumping, recreational shooting, heavy off-road vehicle traffic, and rowdy parties. A group of 60 workers helped with a clean-up effort on the 40-acre site. Using hand tools and backhoes, trash and abandoned cars were taken away. The coalition included the Douglas County Road Department, the Gardnerville Ranchos General Improvement District, the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, the China Spring Youth Camp, and Douglas Disposal.
New Hampshire
Thibeault Sand and Gravel’s plan for a quarry on land near Route 27 in Raymond is heading for technical review, The Union Leader reports. In the meantime, however, neighbors of the proposed site are voicing concerns about the impact of the operation. The proposal is for a 40-year operation with estimated truck traffic of 150 trucks per day.
New Jersey
A Barnegat firm that wants to continue its recycling business is suing Ocean County’s freeholders, asking a judge to reverse their refusal to put the operation in the county’s solid waste management plan. According to the Ocean County Observer, Shoreline Sand and Gravel LLC first sued freeholders in 2005 after an earlier attempt to get included in the plan was rejected. A judge in that case remanded the application to the freeholders, who once again rejected it.
New York
A federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) inspector said that operators at T.H. Kinsella Inc. quarry in Manlius had done “everything humanly possible” to keep people out of the site, The Post-Standard reports. That comment came days after two teens, Joshua Davis and Kevin Goich Jr., drove an SUV over a 15-foot-high berm and fell 31 feet into the quarry. Both teens were killed. While aggregates operations have long attracted drivers of dirt bikes and ATV vehicles, the MSHA inspector said he had never heard of anyone getting hurt or killed driving a car or truck into a quarry. Because the agency monitors health and safety of mine workers rather than the public, it will not have jurisdiction over the accident investigation.
North Carolina
Some neighbors of Martin Marietta Materials’ quarry near Green Level are fighting its attempt to expand the 610-acre site by an additional 73 acres. According to the Times-News, approximately 55 people attended a neighborhood meeting held at the Pleasant Grove Fire Department with representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Martin Marietta. A regulatory project manager for the Corps told the newspaper that the application process began last November. The Corps has told the company to change its plans to prevent impacts on the Haw River.
Ohio
Landowners have withdrawn their request to rezone 75 acres for a quarry between Route 104 and the Scioto River, according to The Columbus Dispatch. The owner, P.L. Jackson, had asked for rezoning to accommodate plans for a quarry, but the Grove City Council and the Jackson Township Planning Commission both opposed the project.
Oregon
City officials in Happy Valley annexed 100 acres south of Oregon 212 to expand the city’s boundaries. The Oregonian reports that subdivision developer D.R. Horton instigated the effort. One of the developer’s current projects includes construction of 43 single-family homes on the 82-acre site of a former sand and gravel operation. Eventually, 600 homes are to be built on the site, and all will be part of Happy Valley.
Oklahoma
City officials in Tulsa are making a clean sweep of city streets and saving money during the process. Tulsa World reports that the city uses sand and gravel to coat the streets during inclement weather. However, when snow melts, the sand and gravel becomes a nuisance issue. To address the problem, the city developed a partnership with Keystone Sand and Gravel and American Environmental Landfill. The aggregates company cleans and sorts sand that can be reused. Sand too full of debris is sent to the landfill. Through the partnership, the city is saving both on sand disposal and purchase costs.
South Carolina
A Vulcan Materials Co. quarry in Morganton was named a Wildlife and Industry Together site for creating and managing wildlife habitat, The Myrtle Beach Sun-News reports. The site doubles as a home to an assortment of wildlife. “Vulcan had lots of acreage that was not being used, and now they have provided homes for lots of birds, butterflies, and game species,” Tim Gestwicki, deputy director of the N.C. Wildlife Federation, told the newspaper. Employees at the site worked with volunteer groups including Cub Scout troops and 4-H clubs to build an appropriate habitat.
South Dakota
Two Hartford residents reported that a county employee dumped sod and black dirt at a gravel pit, but county officials dismissed the complaint. According to the Argus Leader, the Minnehaha County Highway Superintendent talked to the employee and verified that he did dump sod and dirt at the pit. However, the county uses dirt in its roadwork and had no objections to the employee’s act.
Utah
City council officials in Eagle Mountain unanimously denied a conditional-use permit for a gravel operation that wanted to function on the outskirts of the town. The Deseret Morning News reports that approximately 70 residents attended the three-hour meeting concerning the 30-acre project. A gravel pit was not originally part of the development plans, but the developer told the newspaper that he saw the project as a way to flatten a hilly area. The city’s planning commission granted a permit that would have allowed drilling, sifting, and sorting on the property, but one of the city council members who lives near the intended site appealed the decision.
Utah
After three months of discussion, the Utah County Commission voted 2-1 to deny a zoning change that would have allowed Pettro Sand and Gravel to legally excavate its land on Ironton Mountain. According to the Deseret Morning News, the county commission asked operation owner Scott Pettro to meet with nearby homeowners who objected to the operation to develop a mutually agreeable resolution. The homeowners association met with Pettro and decided a zoning change would be acceptable if it led to reclamation efforts. Once both parties reached the agreement, it went back to the county commission, but the commission rejected the change. County Commissioner Gary Anderson, who voted to allow the change, told the newspaper that he would continue to work with the company and the Utah County Attorney’s Office to try to find a solution.
Vermont
After a 20-year battle, the Chittenden Solid Waste District won a dispute before the state Supreme Court over the value of the land it wants to use for a landfill. The Solid Waste Report notes that the proposed 77-acre site belongs to Hinesburg Sand and Gravel Co. The producer has long argued that the land was worth more than twice what the state has offered for it, but the court ruled that the owners are entitled to only $4 million — less than half of the original $8.8 million jury award.
Province News
Birch Mountain Resources Ltd. posted its first revenues as a public company in early April. According to The Calgary Herald, the Calgary, Alberta-based firm is progressing with plans to expand into limestone products used in refining and upgrading heavy oil. Its Muskeg Valley quarry began to sell gravel last year. The company also spent about $33 million to develop its Hammerstone quarry in 2006.
