Minutes - 04-12-2000 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Craig Benedict said that the relocation of the road has been researched with the DOT to find out if it is a viable intersection to NC 54. He said that the trucks would still come out at the same point that they do now. He said that moving the road would give more of a weaving distance between access from regular travelers and truck traffic. Allen Spalt said that it seems to him that it would be safer to have the entrance to the road be where it is now, because the trucks are not moving fast at that point. Craig Benedict said that Planning would research it with the DOT and find out which elements or engineering practices would pertain to this issue. Anne Parrish spoke on behalf of many of her neighbors an Parrish Road. She said that their houses shake when blasting takes place at American Stone Company. It is very difficult to prove that the damage is coming from the quarry operations. The most glaring problem the residents have is with their wells. She said that it was a mockery that OWASA was trying to get one community of people a good supply of drinking water 50 years from now, when there is another community with a problem now. Mayor Waldorf asked for information an what kind of well testing has gone on in the area and also who is doing the testing. Commissioner Jacobs said that in the mitigation there is a 3,000 fast radius around the quarry that is covered as far as what OWASA and/or American Stone Company are willing to do to mitigate impacts. He would like to see a map that generally demonstrates this radius. Craig Benedict showed the radius on a map. Melvin Parrish said that he has lived in the community of Parrish Road for over 52 years. He said that in 1952, he had a well that supplied the entire community. Shortly after American Stone Company came in, the well went bad and they have had to keep drilling wells ever since. He is not against the quarry being there, just the expansion. Pearson Stewart said that he does support the reservoir with neighborhood protection. He said that a great deal has been said about 2050, and the implication from almost everybody has been that 2050 is the end of the world. He takes exception to Mr. Gordon and Dr. Cramer that the population projections must end at 2050. There are too many population pressures in this region for the projections to end at 2050. He submits that it is the duty of Orange County to prepare itself for the pressures that are going to come. He said that the County had a responsibility to provide a good water base that it could use as a bargaining chip in the future. Julie Tucker said that she is an environmental engineer and she specializes in air quality. She serves on the Orange County Commission far the Environment but she is speaking far herself. She said that she lives in the area within a mile of the quarry and that it seems to her that there is mare than enough evidence from people who live in the area that American Stone presents a serious impact. She said that American Stone Company was an extremely lucrative business. She made three paints: 1) She questioned the accuracy of the projected needs for Orange County. From 1990 to 1998 there has been an increase in the population of 16°~, or 2°~ a year. Her understanding is that this expansion is to provide water for projected populations. She feels that the projections should be examined very carefully. Based on OWASA's numbers, there would be an 18°~ increase in the projected safe yield. 2) Is selecting the quarry expansion the most viable option? She questions this. She has not heard anyone mention the environmental impacts of this. She said that there was no guarantee of the projected demand of water, but there is a guarantee that there is going to be a permanent, irreplaceable, irrevocable destruction of wildlife. She believes that Orange County has the spirit of trying to purchase more open space and wildlife corridors, and it seems that the two plans conflict. 3) The Environmental Impact Statement was prepared in 1993, and the data are outdated. She said that it was grossly ill prepared and is missing a lot of information. She requested that the EIS be updated with quality data and more specific data. Chair Carey said that she was over her time limit and she was unable to complete her statement. Joyce Brown asked for a written statement with Julie Tucker's questions and concerns. DeShane Green spoke about the vibration of the blasting that takes place at American Stone Company.