Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/452309
7 AGGREGATES MANAGER February 2015 Massachusetts A ruling by a state Land Court gives new life for a proposal to build an asphalt plant adjacent to the Fletcher quarry in Westford. According to the Lowell Sun, the Planning Board refused to grant special permits and a site plan review to Newport Materials LLC and 540 Groton LLC in 2010. It ruled the plant was not "light manufacturing," which zoning bylaws allow. The judge ruled that Newport Materials has four weeks to fi le a modifi ed plan and the board has an additional four weeks to decide the application. The judge required several modifi cations to the project, including incorporation of sound barriers, and noted that "it is diffi cult to imagine a more suitable location for the construction of an asphalt plant than where Plaintiffs propose to build it, nor a more economically optimal use of (the site) than the processing of the products of the next-door quarry." New Mexico Offi cials with the town of Edgewood attempted to get an injunction to prevent blasting at Bassett Quarry, the Mountain View Telegraph reports. The local mayor sent attorneys to the state District Court to fi le an injunction, but the town failed to get the injunction and blasting took place as planned. The mayor said previous blasting had caused property damage in the past and said, "there should be some awareness as to when these activities occur. There should be a proper notifi cation and awareness to the public prior to that type of activity." The quarry's blasting permit allows for two years or 10 blasts. Virginia Two families with properties near a recently approved sand and gravel mine in Caroline County have fi led a lawsuit against the county board of supervisors, the property owners of the approved mine site, and the operator. The Freelance-Star reports the lawsuit includes four counts. One says the special-exception permit exceeds Caroline's local government authority. A second count says that the 34th of 35 conditions attached to the permit, a savings or severance clause, violates the county's zoning ordinance. A third count claims the proposed use is not compliant with the Chesapeake Bay Resource Protection Area limitations. A fourth count claims that "noise levels will interfere with the use and enjoyment of their property and harm their legal interests." Decisions in similar lawsuits in the area have been decided in favor of the local government and property owners. South Carolina Limestone College graduate Virginia Skinner dedicated a historical marker to the college, to recognize the signifi - cance of the college's quarry. According to The State, stone from the quarry was used in construction of the Washing- ton Monument. During the unveiling ceremony, the col- lege president highlighted portions of the quarry's history, which also included providing lime for the production of iron during the American Revolution. The college acquired the quarry before the Civil War, then sold it to pay debts in 1883. "The quarry needed to be recognized because it has such a history," Skinner said.