April 2003 AGGMAN Geology

How to Win Friends & Influence Enemies

One producer’s experience provides five simple lessons for handling contentious land-use issues.

ast year, I attended a county commissioners’ hearing where the final decision was to be made regarding a quarry operation. The quarry managers wanted to exchange some of their land holdings elsewhere in the county for some dedicated open space adjacent to their quarry. The purpose of this swap was to enable the quarry to expand its existing operation instead of opening a greenfield operation at one of its other localities. In this particular county, open space is a cherished commodity, and swapping dedicated open space for other land is a highly controversial issue, even when it does not involve mineral extraction.
Let me set the stage. This is not a part of the country where proposed aggregate operations are readily accepted. I had been in that very same hearing room at least a half a dozen times listening to testimony about a different quarry-related issue, and the testimony was filled with conflict, disagreement, and rancor.
At the hearing were the county commissioners and their staff, and the applicant and his staff. In addition there was a state senator, a previous county commissioner, government officials from nearby municipalities, a nun who was the administrator of the nearby Catholic shrine, the founder of the county’s Open Space Program, the chair of the Open Space Advisory Committee, the chair of the county council, the chair of the Table Mesa Conservation Fund, the president of Save the Mesas, and a number of citizens who described themselves as avid hikers or neighbors of the quarry.
A representative from the quarry made a presentation outlining the proposed land exchange. It opened a floodgate of comments. All of the people that were not directly employed by the aggregate company had come to this hearing united in their opinion of the land exchange. And every one of them had something to say. But you better sit down, because what they said might surprise you. Every single one of the above-mentioned people spoke out in support of the land exchange. There was not a single dissenting opinion. Not one!
It became obvious that this did not happen by accident. It had taken more than four years of hard work. This meeting provides five easy lessons that, I believe, demonstrate one way to address contentious land-use issues.
Lesson 1 — Understand how your proposal fits into the larger community plan. Everyone at the hearing recommended approval of the proposed land swap. This land swap proposal was heralded by a state senator as a “balance between [the needs for] mineral extraction and open space.” It was clear that the project fit into the larger community plan.
Lesson 2 — Make every effort to work in harmony with those of opposite views. Try to view the proposal through their eyes and address their opposing viewpoints before the final hearing. During the four years that the aggregate company spent on this process, the leaders of the company met with county officials, non-governmental organizations, businesses, and citizens groups. They listened to feedback from those groups and incorporated their feedback into the proposal. The Open Space founder described the proposal as “just what we had in mind” when they created the open space program.
Lesson 3 — Offer compensating, long-term advantages to the community. In addition to meeting the goals of the aggregate company, the proposed land swap provided long-term benefits to the county and its citizens. The proposal was characterized as “a solid deal” for the county. A member of the neighboring city council stated the land swap would be “a legacy that this board can leave to the citizens.”
Lesson 4 — Negotiate with determination and an open mind, and never downgrade the public officials and private citizens involved in the process. The chair of the Table Mesa Conservation Fund applauded “the persistence and good will” that allowed this agreement to come to pass. The county staff and the chair of the Open Space Advisory Committee described the applicant as “no finer company to work with.”
Lesson 5 — Never underestimate the value of being a good neighbor. There is a huge advantage to having a good track record in the community. This was reflected in the hearing through comments from almost every speaker, and especially from quarry neighbors. One person who has lived next to the quarry for 23 years described the company as a “good neighbor” and that there was “no question about their good citizenship.”
There are many ways to work your way through the land-use process. And this particular process may not work everywhere, every time. But this hearing was too good to go unreported, and it cannot hurt to bear in mind the five easy lessons gained from it.

William H. Langer is a geologist with the Mineral Resources Team of the U.S. Geological Survey.

April 2003 Carved in Stone How to Win Friends & Influence Enemies				How to Win Friends & Influence Enemies One producer’s experience provides five simple lessons for handling contentious land-use issues. By Bill Langer ast year, I attended a county commissioners’ hearing where the final decision was to be made regarding a quarry operation. The quarry managers wanted to exchange some of their land holdings elsewhere in the county for some dedicated open space adjacent to their quarry. The purpose of this swap was to enable the quarry to expand its existing operation instead of opening a greenfield operation at one of its other localities. In this particular county, open space is a cherished commodity, and swapping dedicated open space for other land is a highly controversial issue, even when it does not involve mineral extraction. Let me set the stage. This is not a part of the country where proposed aggregate operations are readily accepted. I had been in that very same hearing room at least a half a dozen times listening to testimony about a different quarry-related issue, and the testimony was filled with conflict, disagreement, and rancor. At the hearing were the county commissioners and their staff, and the applicant and his staff. In addition there was a state senator, a previous county commissioner, government officials from nearby municipalities, a nun who was the administrator of the nearby Catholic shrine, the founder of the county’s Open Space Program, the chair of the Open Space Advisory Committee, the chair of the county council, the chair of the Table Mesa Conservation Fund, the president of Save the Mesas, and a number of citizens who described themselves as avid hikers or neighbors of the quarry. A representative from the quarry made a presentation outlining the proposed land exchange. It opened a floodgate of comments. All of the people that were not directly employed by the aggregate company had come to this hearing united in their opinion of the land exchange. And every one of them had something to say. But you better sit down, because what they said might surprise you. Every single one of the above-mentioned people spoke out in support of the land exchange. There was not a single dissenting opinion. Not one! It became obvious that this did not happen by accident. It had taken more than four years of hard work. This meeting provides five easy lessons that, I believe, demonstrate one way to address contentious land-use issues. Lesson 1 — Understand how your proposal fits into the larger community plan. Everyone at the hearing recommended approval of the proposed land swap. This land swap proposal was heralded by a state senator as a “balance between [the needs for] mineral extraction and open space.” It was clear that the project fit into the larger community plan. Lesson 2 — Make every effort to work in harmony with those of opposite views. Try to view the proposal through their eyes and address their opposing viewpoints before the final hearing. During the four years that the aggregate company spent on this process, the leaders of the company met with county officials, non-governmental organizations, businesses, and citizens groups. They listened to feedback from those groups and incorporated their feedback into the proposal. The Open Space founder described the proposal as “just what we had in mind” when they created the open space program. Lesson 3 — Offer compensating, long-term advantages to the community. In addition to meeting the goals of the aggregate company, the proposed land swap provided long-term benefits to the county and its citizens. The proposal was characterized as “a solid deal” for the county. A member of the neighboring city council stated the land swap would be “a legacy that this board can leave to the citizens.” Lesson 4 — Negotiate with determination and an open mind, and never downgrade the public officials and private citizens involved in the process. The chair of the Table Mesa Conservation Fund applauded “the persistence and good will” that allowed this agreement to come to pass. The county staff and the chair of the Open Space Advisory Committee described the applicant as “no finer company to work with.” Lesson 5 — Never underestimate the value of being a good neighbor. There is a huge advantage to having a good track record in the community. This was reflected in the hearing through comments from almost every speaker, and especially from quarry neighbors. One person who has lived next to the quarry for 23 years described the company as a “good neighbor” and that there was “no question about their good citizenship.” There are many ways to work your way through the land-use process. And this particular process may not work everywhere, every time. But this hearing was too good to go unreported, and it cannot hurt to bear in mind the five easy lessons gained from it. William H. Langer is a geologist with the Mineral Resources Team of the U.S. Geological Survey.