Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/85637
NEWS State & Province by Therese Dunphy, Editor-in-Chief INDIANA ARIZONA El Mirage City Council members, who allowed an earlier annexation proposal to expire, took the fi rst step toward annexation of a county island in the Agua Fria River that would serve as the home of a proposed sand and gravel mine. According to The Arizona Republic, Michael LeVault, mayor of the neighboring community of Youngtown, vowed to sue if the annexation proceeds. Similarly, the president of the Agua Fria Ranch homeowners associa- tion — who is also LeVault's wife — said the association would fi ght El Mirage "tooth and nail." An attorney representing the landowners of the proposed mine said that its partner, Phoenix Cement Co., a division of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, has the authority to mine the site whether or not the land is annexed by El Mirage. "When the mar- ket tells us it is ready, we will start mining," Stephen Anderson told the newspaper. "If we do annex, you will have some control over us — that is a clear advantage for you." He also said the landowners support annexation because they want to work with the city to develop the land once mining is completed. A 45-year-old ranch home in Carmel will serve as the new home for Chaucie's Place, a non- profi t child-advocacy center. Th e Indianapolis Star reports that the non-profi t needed a new home when it was notifi ed last year that it would have to move due to the U.S. 31 road widening and commercial development proj- ect taking place at its former location. Martin Mariett a Materials agreed to rent the property to the agency for $1 per year. A local high school trades class made many renovations to the home, while a grant from Home Depot covered the building materials and appliances. To keep up to date with this breakdown of news in the United States and Canada, visit www.AggMan.com for daily updates. KANSAS CALIFORNIA A proposed operation near Sylmar is drawing concerns from residents in the area. Th e Daily News of Los Angeles reports that Ted Sakaida has revived a dormant application for a 25-acre Sakaida & Sons Surface Mine on his land in unincorporated Los Angeles County. Proponents say a local mine would fi ll a growing need for aggregate in Los Angeles, but grassroots group Citizens Against Strip Mining in the San Fernando Valley has collected nearly 1,500 signatures on petitions to stop the mine. Th e Sakaidas point out that the Sylmar mine would alleviate the need to drive 50 miles to Frazier Park and back to haul a truckload of sand and gravel. Th ey say mining local aggregate would save more than 214,000 round trips to Kern County, save $37 million in fuel, and prevent 40 metric tons of carbon emissions. Montana Hundreds of feet of copper wiring, valued at more than $70,000, were taken from a Lafarge operation near Oxford. According to www.newscow.net, more than 1,500 feet of copper wire that ran from a generator to the powered equipment on site was cut and removed from the plant. The missing wire re- sulted in a two-week delay in operations while repairs were made. The case was featured as the Cowley County CrimeStoppers Crime of the Month for December, and a reward of $1,000 was made available for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for the crime. A new bridge over Alkali Creek was set to open at the end of 2011, the Billings Gazett e reports. Kyle Kastelitz, project superintendent for general contractor Riverside Sand and Gravel, told the newspaper that the company took a litt le more time than originally anticipated to complete the project, but wanted to make sure it was done correctly. Th e $6.8 million project includes features such as bridge end rails to increase barrier rail strength, handrails, and sidewalks for pedestrians. AGGREGATES MANAGER February 2012 9