Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/452309
State & Province NEWS To keep up to date with news from the United States and Canada, visit www.AggMan.com for daily updates. by Therese Dunphy, Editor-in-Chief tdunphy@randallreilly.com AGGREGATES MANAGER February 2015 6 California The Napa County Planning Commission will meet on Feb. 18 to continue its review of a request to expand Syar Quarry. According to the Napa Valley Register, the operator wants to expand its 497-acre operation by 124 acres and increase annual production from 1 million to up to 2 million tons. The commission held a three-hour meeting in January with people speaking for and against the proposal. Aggregates from the site has been used in recent area projects including the widening of Highway 12 in Jameson County, earthquake repairs, and the Napa fl ood control project. County Public Works Director Steven Lederer said county road construction benefi ts from the operation and, without it, materials would have to be brought in at a greater cost. Connecticut A Superior Court judge ordered activity at Midwood Quarry in Tolland to stop because of "blatant disregard" for regulations. According to the Journal Inquirer, the local director of planning and town engineer inspected the property and found several violations, including depositing fi ll to widen the access drive and other regrading on the site without necessary approvals. Offi cials also determined that an "excessive amount of fi ll" had been brought onto the site and said they found wetlands violations. The cease-and-desist order was issued to Midwood Quarry and Construction Inc. California The San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission delayed until Feb. 5 a decision on a proposed 243-acre quarry to be operated by Las Pilitas Resources LLC, The Tribune reports. In January, the commission heard four hours of public comment regarding the proposed Santa Margarita quarry. Commission Chair Ken Topping said the panel would consider the arguments presented by all parties — for and against the operation — after members had a chance to "digest" all of the information. Indiana According to WCSI, North Vernon offi cials are considering the purchase of a quarry owned by Hanson Aggregates. Mayor Harold Campbell told the news outlet that the city is considering the purchase because it would offer a 220-day supply of water for the city. The state Department of Transportation may also take a portion of the property for a new U.S. 50 bypass. He also noted that there is a disagreement on the property value between the city and the operator and said the bypass acquisition could also impact the site's value. California Vulcan Materials Co. acquired four quarries, including the Pilarcitos Quarry from West Coast Aggregates. The Half Moon Bay Review reports that Vulcan bought the operation as part of a $320 million expansion focused mainly in the Western states. The Pilarcitos Quarry received approval for a 70-year ex- pansion plan that would allow it to expand the operation to 147 acres in 2013. West Coast Aggregates co-owner Dick DeAtley told the newspaper that his decision to sell was partly driven by his desire to retire. Georgia City Councilman Michael Julian Bond formed a committee to redevelop Bellwood Quarry into Atlanta's newest park. WABE reports the 300-acre site will be used for concerts and festivals. The committee's current challenge is to determine how to balance the interests of the city's De- partment of Parks and Recreation with the Department of Watershed Management, as the quarry is also expected to become a reservoir for drinking water. The site, formerly owned by Vulcan Materials Co., has also served as the backdrop of the television show The Walking Dead. Indiana A day after Rogers Group withdrew its quarry proposal from the Tippecanoe Board of Zoning Appeals, it fi led a lawsuit against the county, naming the county, county commissioners, the zoning board, the Area Plan Commission, and the building commissioner as defendants. WISH reports that the lawsuit alleges commission- ers don't have the power to ban quarries near residential areas as they did in July 2014. It also says the company's operation should have been grandfathered in before the ordinance took effect because it had already received several permits for the project. Next, the lawsuit claims the Tippecanoe County Unifi ed Zoning Ordinance, which requires a special exception for min- ing, violates state code by preventing it from exercising its leased mineral rights. Finally, the lawsuit claims the county took prop- erty from the company without compensation.