Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
Planning Board hearing, the only correspondence available was the memo of December 5, 2000 from <br />John Sutherland of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources. He said that <br />the operative letter was the letter of February 7, 2001 from John Morris, Director of NCDENR. At the <br />time that Mr. Sutherland reviewed the environmental document, he did not understand that the EIS was <br />required by an Orange County statute and not by a pending state decision. He said that the letter from <br />John Morris preempts the memo from John Sutherland. <br />Commissioner Gordon asked several questions, which were answered satisfactorily by Craig <br />Benedict. <br />Commissioner Carey asked about the rationale for the 1978 date for the homes constructed <br />and it was determined that this was when the quarry opened. Craig Benedict said that he assumed there <br />were over 100 homes constructed before 1978 within the 3,000-foot radius from the quarry. <br />Geoffrey Gledhill said that the Board did not have the authority to consider new evidence at <br />this point because the public hearing has been closed. The Board only has authority to hear citizens that <br />would try to persuade the Board to vote one way or the other. <br />PUBLIC COMMENTS <br />Erwin Danziger said that the purpose of the quarry expansion is to provide an additional source of <br />water, a three billion-gallon reservoir. He believes that he has proved that this amount of water is <br />available with the existing quarry. He said that the only reason far the expansion is so that American <br />Stone could have a big profit. He made reference to condition #50 and the fact that he had asked that <br />there be a third party to the conservation easement, which has not been done. He said that it was <br />important that the maximum pounds per delay be 325 instead of 450 pounds. He made reference to the <br />3,000-foot limit and said that the neighbors that live a mile and a half away have shown that they can feel <br />the ground shake during a blast. <br />Julie Tucker presented two proposals. She read a prepared statement, which included a history of <br />the mediation process with the neighbors. She said that the neighbors have been discouraged by the <br />process over the past few years. She said that it seems to the residents that OWASA and American <br />Stone are allowed to court the County with misinformation and are given generous amounts of time to <br />present their justifications at each of the public meetings while the residents are only given three <br />minutes. She said that the neighbors feel unheard in this process. The first proposal is that the Board of <br />County Commissioners offer quarry residents a formal opportunity to work through the final conditions of <br />the special use permit. She stated that most of the residents did not know that this meeting was in <br />Hillsborough because the Chapel Hill Herald misprinted it as being in Chapel Hill. The second proposal <br />is that the Board of County Commissioners instruct American Stone and/or OWASA to mail the most <br />recent special use permit, including the list of conditions, to all residents within none-mile radius of the <br />quarry and give the residents ample time to review it and respond to it. She asked the Commissioners to <br />seriously consider this proposal. She believes that the Board can arrive at a special use permit that <br />satisfies both the needs of quarry residents and of American Stone. She said that the special use permit <br />should be carefully crafted and very delicately worded, because it will be the only instrument that <br />residents have to defend their neighborhood. She asked the Commissioners to give the quarry residents <br />an equal opportunity to participate in the drafting of the final special use permit. <br />Barbara Trent said that she moved here in September to take care of her ailing father. She lives on <br />Ja-Mac Road. She said that she stopped at the American Stone quarry one day before she purchased <br />the house and asked if this was going to be a problem for her. She said that someone told her that there <br />would be absolutely na problem where her house was located. She said that the house does shake <br />during the blasts. She said that the newspapers have led her to believe that it is a done deal. She does <br />not feel fully informed about the process. She presented a petition of 40 signatures, which she obtained <br />today, requesting that this special use permit be turned down or delayed for three months. She stated <br />that 40°~ of the signatures were those of black or Latino individuals and all of the signatures were those <br />of low-income status. She said that they know that if this were happening in a very wealthy, upper class, <br />particularly white neighborhood, they would not have to go through this. She said that this is a class and <br />a racist issue. She gave the petition to Beverly Blythe, which is attached to these minutes on pages <br />