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voiced by the neighbors at the public hearing. The administration recommends that the Board approves <br />JPA-1-00 and CP-1-00 based an the following rationale: <br />- Approval creates a finite time limit on excavation operations. <br />- Mitigation measures agreed to by American Stone and OWASA during mediation discussions <br />will promote a more environmentally sound and safe operation than without the amendments. <br />A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to close <br />the public hearing. <br />VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br />Lea Allison, Chair of the Orange County Planning Board, said that there was significant <br />discussion about the mitigation process at the June 21St Planning Board meeting. He had nothing more <br />to add to Gene Bell's comments. <br />Comments from Proponents <br />Peter Gordon, Chair of the OWASA Board of Directors, said that in terms of water supply, the <br />OWASA Board and staff feel that this expansion is the single, mast important step to take to assure <br />future generations an adequate supply of high quality drinking water. The OWASA Board of Directors <br />also believes that this step really represents a full use of the protected watersheds that exist in Orange <br />County. He said that there were a number of mitigation measures that reflect the way in which the <br />quarry will be operated, and it will be operated to levels that are well above the state regulations. He <br />made reference to the mitigation measure that 10 acres will be devoted to a park and that $20,000 a year <br />will be put forward for the park and other community developments. In the public hearing and the <br />meetings before the other elected boards, Chapel Hill and Carrboro, OWASA and American Stone heard <br />several speakers say that they did not feel a need for a park out there. They also heard people speak <br />about the water needs of the immediate neighbors of the quarry. He said that there was no evidence <br />that a quarry damages wells, either through blasting or lowering of the water table. He said that because <br />this was something that was being done far the water supply of the towns, the OWASA Board felt that it <br />was worthwhile to try to offer some mitigation in the form of water supply so that the land for the park <br />would be sold and the money from that, $67,000, would have added to it an initial $20,000 plus $20,000 <br />per year as long as the mine is in operation on OWASA land to be used as a no-fault well repair fund. <br />The County will develop the criteria for the repair of the wells. In addition, OWASA has agreed to provide <br />up to $15,000 a year as a fall back source in any year that the fund was not sufficient. <br />Paxton Badham from American Stone Company said that he was there to try to answer any <br />questions from the Board about the project. <br />Comments from Opponents <br />Elliot Cramer urged the Board to fallow the recommendation of the Planning Board and reject <br />quarry expansion. He said that Planning Board member Holtkamp asked two questions which the Board <br />should seriously consider: 1) Why should you expand the quarry to obtain only an additional two percent <br />more water than the current quarry; and 2} What is the problem with waiting 15 years to see what <br />OWASA's needs are then. He said that he used OWASA's data on page $0 in his presentation to the <br />Planning Board. OWASA currently uses 9.4 million gallons per day, and they currently have a water <br />supply, without any quarry, of 17.9 million gallons. If the current quarry is mined, OWASA will have 2.5 <br />billion gallons, and the 3billion-gallon expanded quarry will only add'12 a million gallons per day, which is <br />less than two percent. OWASA's very conservative estimates of supply show that there is a sufficient <br />water supply until 2069 without any quarry at all. He urged the Board to reject quarry expansion. <br />Jennie Foushee said that she lives on Parrish Road and would like to continue to live there. <br />She has two wells an her property. She showed what her water looked like. She asked the Board not to <br />expand the quarry because of the affects on the wells. She has had windows to break and pictures to <br />fall off the wall. <br />Anne Parrish read a statement from the community as follows: "We believe that denying the <br />expansion is in the best interest of the community, even though American Stone and OWASA are not <br />