Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/513927
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 May 2015 8 California An $18 million campaign is underway to reopen UC Santa Cruz's outdoor Quarry Amphitheater, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reports. The quarry was operated from 1860 to 1946 and provided much of the limestone used in San Francisco construc- tion during that time period. The amphi- theater opened in 1967 and served as the heart of the campus prior to being closed in 2006 due to safety reasons. Its restora- tion is a top priority for Alison Galloway, campus provost and executive vice chan- cellor. Students voted to direct $6.38 mil- lion of its student fee reserves toward the project, but nearly $8 million is needed to break ground on the fi rst phase of construction. If enough funds can be raised by the summer, construction will begin in the spring, and the theater will reopen in early 2017. Maine An operator and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (MDEP) are having a dif- ference of opinion on whether a Mount Desert quarry should be grandfathered from current regulations. The Mount Desert Islander reports that Harold MacQuinn Inc. applied for a license to resume operations in Mount Desert after the town adopted a licensing ordinance in 2014. An attorney for the operator said that permit requirements do not apply to quarries smaller than one acre and there is an exemption for quarries that existed before 1970. The opera- tor argues that it is operating within a 1.1-acre footprint and, as long as it stays within that footprint, it is not subject to DEP regulations. The mining coordinator for MDEP's Bureau of Land & Water Quality said that, based on the operation's long-term plan to expand the site to 4.3 acres, it must fi le a Notice of Intent to Comply with MDEP rules. Georgia As Bluegrass Materials expands the surface area of its quarry in Forsyth County, it held a meeting with neighbors to discuss blasting. The Forsyth County News reports that some meeting attendees reported feeling stron- ger vibrations during recent blasts. Donnie Walker, operations manager, told the newspaper that the operation has been expanding its pit since last November. He told attendees that another shot would likely be re- quired as the operation strips overburden to open up the pit. A blasting consultant for the company noted that it is well within the regulations and uses the latest technology to minimize impact, including more expensive blast caps for quick detonation. Kentucky Simpson County Judge-Executive Jim Henderson was dismissed as a defendant in a law- suit brought by Drakes Creek Holding Co., which sued him, the Franklin-Simpson County Planning and Zoning Commission, and the Franklin-Simpson County Board of Zoning Adjustment. According to the Bowling Green Daily News, the operator sued the parties last year for $13 million, claiming they had engaged in a pattern of behavior designed to interfere with its effort — along with sister company, Charles Deweese Construction — to operate a quarry. Its permit application was denied last year by the board of adjustment. The operator appealed the decision. Five lawsuits related to the quarry have been fi led in Simpson Circuit Court. Connecticut A 51-year-old man is accused of embezzling more than $1.1 million from his former employer, Koby- luck LLC. According to The Bulletin, Todd Francis was arrested for fi rst-degree larceny. He served as operations manager for Kobyluck LLC in Waterford for a decade and handled production and distribu- tion of sand, gravel, and ready-mixed concrete. When he was off work last year, his employer discovered missing paperwork for deliveries and contacted local law enforcement. Francis had been pocketing payments for deliveries by taking cash orders from customers at a discount, then destroy- ing delivery records or not creating a delivery record at all. From 2005 to 2014, the company lost $1.14 million as a result of his activities. California Vulcan Materials Co. is in the process of transforming all of the original 30- to 50-foot benches at its Azusa operation into 1- and 2-foot microbenches that match the contours of the natural hillside. According to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, the operator has an Aug. 19 deadline to fi nish the fi rst phase of its reclamation work. At the same time, preparation has begun on the quarry's western side, as overburden is removed to provide access to more than 100 million tons of gran- ite reserves. That development has been the source of numerous legal challenges from the neighboring community of Duarte. Both biologists and air quality specialists regularly visit the site to monitor progress. Jeff Cameron, Vulcan's special projects manager, told the newspaper that the company is taking a number of steps, including setting up sprinkler systems on the hillside, to minimize air pollution.