Monday, June 21, 1999

In the shadow of a mine

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Boone Co. unsure of mine benefits

BY KRISTINA GOETZ
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Alva Wood, 78, of Verona walks along Hance Road, which runs past a mine that operates on land adjacent to his property. (Patrick Reddy photo) | ZOOM |

        On most summer afternoons, Alva Wood Jr. can't open his windows because of dust. It settles on his roof and filters into his cistern.

        Out in his driveway, his car collects a light, gray powder.

        “There are times when the air looks so heavy it looks like a fog in this valley,” said the 78-year-old Boone County man who lives about 400 feet from a limestone operation near the Gallatin County line.

        It's exactly this type of story that scares residents in northwest Boone County, where another limestone company wants to set up operations on 575 acres.

        But officials from that company, Martin Marietta Materials Inc., say residents wouldn't have to worry about dust and blasting at its new mine.

        Their goal is to tap into abundant limestone deposits used to build roads and foundations, and they promise that benefits — including jobs and free park space — would outweigh any draw backs.

        Their word, they say, is evidenced by the relationship the mine has with residents who live near their plants in Indiana — one in Carmel and the other in Noblesville.

        Martin Marietta has a plant in Noblesville, a rural area much like the land the company wants to develop in Boone County.

        Ed Palpant, a Noblesville resident who lives near the mining operation, describes, through his own experience, some of the same concerns as Boone County residents have.

        “We can feel the blasting,” he said. “It's highly weather activated. There's much more of a rumble on cloudy days.”

        On rare occasions, he said, knick-knacks fall off the wall. He hears sirens go off just before the blasts. Bright security lights also shine on his property.

        Mr. Palpant's house is about 100 yards from the mining operation. That's close enough for him, he says, to believe there's been damage to his home. He cites several cracks in the ceiling that the company says it did not cause.

        The Boone County mine, if approved, would be no closer than 1,500 feet to residential areas and possibly 3,000 feet away.

        For now, Mr. Palpant said he is satisfied to disagree, but if it gets to the point where he's irritated, he'll hire a lawyer.

        “I would never want to have a mine next to me, but I will say this for them: They are good at responding to things within a day or two.”

        Martin Marietta also points to an older mine in Carmel. That operation, which began in 1968, was in a rural area where the population has grown around it.

        “In this case, the mine was here long before the people,” said Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard. “It's (the city) growing and it's encroaching in on the mine.”

        To ease residents' minds and settle fears, Martin Marietta has estab lished a corporate presence in the Carmel community, the mayor said.

        It has held a concert in the quarry featuring the Carmel Symphony Orchestra, given tours and answered complaints promptly, he said.

        “Half of our parks system was given to us by Martin Marietta,” Mr. Brainard said. “We went from 46 acres to about 500 acres in 3¹/₂ years.”

        John Schuler, manager of public relations for Martin Marietta, said Martin Marietta could do the same for Boone County. It has proposed installing walking trails if the mine get approval.

        Tom Yedlick, a Carmel resident who lives about 1 mile from the northern pit wall of the plant, said on occasion he feels a rumble through his house from blasting, but he isn't bothered by it..

        “There was a slight rumble like a heavy truck going over a railroad track,” he said. “We were always concerned about the cumulative effect, but I haven't seen anyone talk about damage to their homes.

        “It's a little out of character for a residential area, but does that make it bad? Well, I'm not moving.”

Progress vs. people
        The Sterling operation, though, is the one Boone County residents know best. Neighors of Mr. Wood, who lives on South Fork Church Road, near Sterling Ventures L.L.C. property, tell similar stories about their troubles with the mine. They say they're coughing more than ever because of dust and that the noise is unbearable.

        Mining managers, however, aren't buying their stories.

        “They just don't like the mine,” said Sam Van, general superintendent at the Sterling mine, which started operation last March. “We keep the roads wet and the crushing down.”

        Although the Sterling operation does follow federal and state regulations on blasting, Gallatin County doesn't have zoning regulations, so there are no extra conditions.

        There could be in Boone County if officials decide to impose them. Martin Marietta says it will comply.

        “We have made certain commitments to the community through the zoning process,” Mr. Schuler said.“We're going to keep the blasting at certain limits, far below what regulations are.

        “We're going to keep the dust down like we've promised. Any of the commitments we've made, we're going to follow through. Our word is our bond.”

Not in my backyard
        Boone County residents say their situation is different. In the northwest area of the county, they were there first, not the mine. The proposed programs won't keep the area rural.

        “No mine, no way,” said Vanessa Wiechers, a Burlington resident who lives about a mile from the proposed site. “There's no way they're going to convince me of it. They're not wanted.

        “Even if there was a blue moon's chance that they would do half of the things they say, we still don't want it.”

        A mine is a mine, they say. They don't want it regardless of the promises. It would destroy their way of life in a rural atmosphere, they say. They don't want to hear the blasting and are worried about property damage.

        Another issue Boone County residents are worried about is what a mine could do to their property values.

        Martin Marietta points out that custom homes worth $450,000 are being built across the street from its plant in Carmel, and people don't seem to mind.

        But Larry Disney, chief investigator for the Kentucky Real Estate Board, said Boone County residents have legitimate concerns.

        There are three things that could potentially drive property values down, he said: increased traffic of heavy machinery, dust and noise.

        “The only way to tell if it's going to be a problem is to wait for the end result,” Mr. Disney said. “If they're (prospective buyers) not seeing it, the stigma will eventually go away and there won't be a problem with marketability. ...

        “The attitude of the public is what determines land value. The buying public is the market that we measure value from.”

        Mine officials aren't claiming the mine will have zero impact on the community, or that the blasting will be undetectable. What they do say is that, in the end, it will all be worth it.

        “You have to have people,” said Greg Ross, assistant plant manager of the mine in Carmel. “That's a workforce, that's getting a paycheck and paying taxes to the county.”

       

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