Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/513927
11 AGGREGATES MANAGER May 2014 STATE & PROVINCE NEWS mclanahan.com Rhode Island Michelle Buck, town manager of Westerly, resigned in early April, citing an ongoing dispute over a quarry. The Westerly Sun reports that Buck said matters regarding Copar quarry interfered with her and the town council's work. Prior to her resigna- tion, Buck met in a closed-door session with council to respond to accusations of unethical conduct, dis- honesty, and participation in a cover up regarding the quarry case. Wyoming The County Planning and Zoning Commission approved a permit applica- tion from John E. Rice and Sons, Inc. to mine stone, sand, and gravel from a 40-acre tract to make crushed base and hot-mix asphalt for Wyoming Department of Transportation projects near Sheridan. The DOT project is expected to require 30,000 tons of base and 37,000 tons of asphalt, according to The Sheridan Press. The operator was given a four-year permit, and the operation will be permitted to work around the clock from Monday through Saturday. Several other conditions apply. Wisconsin The Town of Deerfield Board held a special meeting to consider several ordinances gov- erning non-metallic mining. The Cambridge News reports that it considered three resolu- tions: Non-Metallic Mine Operator's Licenses, Town of Deerfield Blasting Ordinance, and A Resolution Establishing Fees for Non-Metallic Mining and Blasting Licenses in the Town of Deerfield. During discussion of the proposed ordinances, Jon Halverson, who owns and operates Oak Park Quarry; legal counsel; and a blasting consultant explained the technical aspects of blasting. At the end of the meet- ing, the board tabled the first ordinance and planned to re-write it to separate fracking from quarry mining. The proposed fee sched- ule was tabled to allow the operator to review it. The blasting ordinance was adopted by the full board. Wisconsin If Yahara Materials wins a bid to sup- ply materials for the Interstate 39-90 construction project, the state Depart- ment of Transportation will allow the new quarry to open on Highway 73 in Albion. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, a DOT state access com- mittee required the operator to pay for an extra lane on the far side of the quarry entrance so traffic can pass trucks turning left into the quarry. DOT Access Manager Scott Hinkle also wanted the quarry to add a full lane for trucks turning right out of the quarry driveway and onto the highway. He initially turned down the operator's request to access the highway from the quarry, but was overruled by the com- mittee. Yahara Materials president Tim Geoghegan told the newspaper that the highway will be widened for bet- ter egress, but it won't be a full lane. He also pointed out that plans for the quarry entrance are the same as simi- lar entrances on Highway 73.