Minutes - 04-12-2000 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Maxecine Mitchell spoke an behalf of the Chestnut Oaks Community. She also presented a letter from Habitat for Humanity and a petition from some of the residents who were unable to attend tonight. She said that the residents in the area could not afford to have their wells and homes fixed because of the blasting. She said that she had a problem with her well and Habitat for Humanity fixed it for her. She said that she was insulted as a taxpayer because American Stone Company was holding the Special Use Permit over their heads. She invited anyone an the boards to came to her house and feel the vibrations of the blasts. Michael Vaught said that he has awell-drilling license and he is a licensed hydrogeologist. He has offered his services to American Stone Company to check everyone's wells. He basically gave a commercial far his business and did not say anything for or against the issue at hand. Chair Carey stopped Mr. Vaught from speaking about his business. Gary Boorman owns Hickory Grove School that was built in 1907. He said that he has been restoring this school and his dream is to have this as a beautiful reminder of a school that served the community for more than 60 years for grades one to six. He said that his concern is that expansion of the quarry may limit or compromise the historic quality of the school. Marty Mandell said that the objections tonight seem to be coming from mostly expansion. She said that expansion seems like a done deal. She said that the expansion raises so many issues. She said that the expansion could damage the watershed. She made reference to the likely increase in pulmonary disease from the release of the crystalline silicones during the graveling process. The present quarry does not require a change but the expansion would. She said that if the amount of water between the present well dug deeper versus the expansion is less than 7110 of a million dollars, it seems that this could be made up in some sort of conservation measure very easily. She feels that far American Stone Company the issue is money. She urged the boards to figure out a way to expand the existing quarry in a maximum period of fifteen years. Manuel Wartman, a Methodist Minister, said that the noise is real and the houses da shake and the trucks are real. He said that in any community we share the burden for what we do. He said that it was time to share the burden. He lives just outside the 3,000-foot line and he bought his property in 1979. He said that it was time to share the burden and the people in the community have paid their dues. He said that a hole in the ground in a hole in the ground. Why don't American Stone move somewhere else and let some other people share the burden. Carl Smith said that he has replaced his well approximately three times since he moved to the area. He said that the roads were dangerous because the trucks move so quickly and cars have to move out of the way. He said that the damages from the blasting are real. He asked that the governing officials do the right thing. The citizens in this area just want to be treated fair. Maria Hitt mentioned that we are talking about water for the future but her concern was the amount of growth that would require these millions of gallons of water on a daily basis. She hates to think that this type of industrial activity would be allowed to continue. She said that the rerouting of the road seems to be a very dangerous idea. Kaz Lasek said that he has lived on Bethel Hickory Grove Church Road for 14-15 years. He asked about how the baseline vibration from the existing quarry was calculated and what it would be compared to ar against. He questioned haw much water would be needed in fifty years. He made reference to page 10-E-4 that reads, "If well problems happen within 3,000 feet, ASC will pay for the full cost of the repairs. Well pump and tank repairs are excluded." He said that this is not full cost. Dan Darnell read a statement. "As an unhappy neighbor of the American Stone Company west of Carrboro, I am greatly disturbed that OWASA insists on supporting the expansion of this stone quarry and the relocation of Bethel Hickory Grave Church Road. The quarry is located in the protected University Lake watershed, and expansion will have adverse effects both to the environment and to nearby residents. It has been shaven clearly that almost as much water would be obtained from digging the existing quarry deeper for ten years as expanding onto OWASA land and digging a new quarry far 30 years. Even without a quarry, OWASA has a sufficient water supply through 2050, and a deeper quarry would last decades more. Mining deeper rather than wider would significantly reduce the number of years that we would be exposed to the blasting and crushing noises and to the carcinogenic, crystalline, silicone dust that will be blasted and blown