Newspaper Page Text
VENT
www.MyMCR.net/vent
The Superintendents
daughter is entitled to her
own opinion! If she wants
to campaign for someone,
she is free to do so. votes:
39
At least the superinten
dents daughter has the
courage to openly state
her opinion and not hide
behind the vent, votes: 30
Anybody targeting the
superintendents daughter,
who is a sweet college kid,
is a bully at best. People
should really consider
peoples feelings when
posting on here. Especially
a kid. votes: 29
Anyone approving a vent
directly about someones
daughter should be fired
from the Reporter, votes: 28
It’s NOT unethical for her to
support a board member. If
she knows them, likes them,
or thinks they are good
candidates, then I do not
see what is unethical for
her to support them! How
would this be any different
from a President or his
family endorsing Senate or
House members? votes: 19
Believe it or not, it’s pos
sible to oppose a zoning
decision without demon
izing poor/low income
people. Sadly, Commis
sioner Ambrose, John
Ricketson, and authors
of popular ‘ hot takes ’ on
Facebook have failed to
realize this. Quite sicken
ing, really, votes: 14
Hats off to Laurens County
School Board for allowing
trained employees to pos
sess weapons in schools
and on buses. When will
MC get on board? votes:
9
There it is! Will just exposed
what this whole thing
is about. Why bring the
superintendents daughter
into your vendetta against
the school system? What
does an apology from the
school system have ANY
THING to do with you
allowing people to attack
her on the vent? votes: 8
Sweet college kid really!?
She is a grown adult. If
you re grown enough to
have an opinion you bet
ter step up your rhetoric
and quit being a whiny
snowflake. Go get In your
safe space and suck your
thumb, votes: 8
The newspaper editor of
this newspaper should
issue a public apology to
the superintendent (and
the community) for allow
ing vents to be published
that directly attack the
superintendents daughter
like this! Will, you should
be ashamed of yourself,
votes: 8
I would rather be a good
ole boy than be a person
who attacks someones
daughter, votes: 7
Everyone is indeed entitled
to their own opinion.
However, when you make
it in a public forum, then
it becomes fair game.
Especially when it’s highly
questionable ethically,
votes: 5
WOW I just heard Anthony
Pack was coming back to
the MC schools to be a
substitute teacher!!! votes:
5
How about Will issues that
apology right after the
BOE and superintendent
issue an apology for hiring
a child molester, votes: 3
Definition of irony-good of
boys lose their mind when
superintendents child gets
called out for openly sup
porting a BOE candidate
that put our actual kids in
danger, votes: 3
^Reporter
Strong opposition to quarry expansion
By Richard Dumas
forsyth's’mymcmet
The Monroe County Plan
ning & Zoning board denied
by a 2-1 vote on Monday a
request by Vulcan Materials
Co. to alter the zoning of three
Pea Ridge Road tracts.
Real estate developer
Richard Hall asked the P & Z
board to change the zoning of
three parcels (about 16 total
acres) at 2944 Pea Ridge Road,
2948 Pea Ridge Road and
0 Pea Ridge Road, respec
tively, from agricultural to
industrial with a conditional
use variance to build a berm
extension for the rock quarry.
About 60 local residents op
posed Vulcan’s request, several
citing a failure by rock quarry
officials to adhere to condi
tions established by Monroe
County commissioners when
they approved a previous
expansion in 2009.
However, Monroe County
Commissioners will have the
final say on the matter at their
next scheduled meeting at 6
p.m. on Tuesday, May 1 at the
Monroe County Convention
Center at 475 Holiday Circle.
P & Z members Michael
Brewster and Red Ezelle each
voted against the berm exten
sion while acting chairman
Chuck Benson voted in favor.
P & Z members Connie Gantt
and Doris Ogletree were ab
sent from Mondays meeting.
Hall, who said Vulcan is the
largest producer of aggregate
(crushed stone, sand and
gravel) in the U.S., told the P
& Z board that Vulcan bought
the three tracts in question in
late 2017 with intentions of
expanding its berm extension
alongside Pea Ridge Road
just west of Hwy. 87. Hall said
Vulcan currently has about 40
full-time employees, and with
about 665 permitted acres
ranks among the largest tax
payers in the county. Hall said
Vulcan, which is supplying the
majority of rock for the states
I-16/1-75 interchange expan
sion project, held a commu
nity meeting in November
2017 to inform citizens of the
upcoming berm extension.
He said Vulcan also recently
notified all neighboring prop
erty owners by letter.
Hall said Vulcan is not
seeking to expand mining
or blasting operations but
instead wants better barriers
between the quarry and its
neighbors. He said the berm
design indicates three phases
with the first phase at 25 feet,
the second phase at 50 feet
and the third phase at 75 feet.
Hall said trees, such as the
Leyland cypress variety, would
be planted as part of the berm.
He said he has never seen
property values diminish as
a result of a project with this
type of design.
Hall said, “This barrier is
gonna reduce dust. It’s gonna
reduce noise. It’s gonna reduce
certain vibrations.”
James and Marilyn McGa-
hee of McGahee Way said
there are 350 families who live
within two miles of the quarry
and said their property values
have decreased as a result of
Vulcan’s proximity. James
McGahee said the quarry ex
panded by 13 acres in 2002,44
acres in 2009 and now Vulcan
is seeking another 16-acre in
crease. McGahee said Vulcan’s
last berm expansion in 2009
was approved by Monroe
County commissioners, but
he said quarry representatives
have not built the quality buf
fer they promised.
“This is a beautiful picture,”
James McGahee said of
Vulcan’s berm designs. “We
believed it in 2009. We were
told exactly the same thing.”
Pea Ridge Road resident
Thomas Rozier, who lives
across from the proposed
expansion, said he views a
100-foot wall of dirt right out
his front door every day and
hears Vulcan trucks crank
ing and beeping at all hours.
Rozier described the granite
dust the quarry emits on his
property as a “desert storm,”
that often clogs up his bathtub.
He added that dynamite blasts
at the quarry cause his front
door to swing open, cause his
deer heads to fall off the wall
and create numerous cracks in
his swimming pool.
Another Pea Ridge Road
resident, Byron Pitts, said
his dishwasher gets clogged
as a result of the quarry’s
granite dust. He said his
home has settlement issues
as well and said he doesn’t
think the berms are effective.
Pitts cautioned P & Z board
members that if they didn’t
do something to prevent
Vulcan’s expansion now, then
the quarry will continue to
encroach further on its Rum
Creek-area neighbors.
Yet another Pea Ridge Road
resident, Mary McWhorter,
whose property neighbors
Vulcan, said her windows and
sidewalks have cracked as a
result of the dynamite blasts.
Sleepy Creek Road resident
Mike Bilderback, who was
District 3 commissioner when
Vulcan’s previous berm exten
sion was approved in 2009,
said he was “distressed” that
quarry representatives may
not be adhering to stipulations
required by commissioners
that banned the quarry from
operating after 5 p.m. each
day. When Bilderback ques
tioned Hall about it, the devel
oper said he was unaware of
any curfew issues.
Bilderback fired back: “It’s
a shame this is the first time
you’ve heard of it... If that’s
not being abided by, then
that’s a problem.”
Vulcan plant manager Barry
Lawson, who was also in
attendance, told Bilderback
that the berm commissioners
allowed in 2009 is “nowhere
near complete.” Lawson said
the proposed berm exten
sion would bring the 2009
berm out to the required 3 to
1 ratio of width to height that
the current berm is lacking.
Bilderback then replied with a
hint of sarcasm that com
missioners were not aware in
2009 that the berm project
would take “decades” to com
plete and suggested the P & Z
hoard require Vulcan officials
to submit a drawing and time
schedule for the berm’s full
completion.
Campbell Way resident
Terri Campbell said she
thought in 2009 that Vulcan
planned to complete the berm
before doing additional dig
ging. Campbell said she also
believes Vulcan is violating the
hours of work agreement it
had with commissioners.
Pea Ridge Road resident
Mike Winget, who lives across
from the proposed site, said he
bought his property only after
local real estate agents con
vinced him that Vulcan was
finished expanding outward,
which has turned out not to
be true.
The lone proponent of the
project (aside from Hall or
Vulcan employees) was James
“Mike” McKenstry, a Jones
County resident. McKenstry,
a forester, said he was hired
by Vulcan to plant trees on a
similar berm project recently
completed in Hall County
and opined the results were
“miraculous.”
McKenstry said, “I think
Vulcan Materials is pro-com
munity”
When Hall was allowed to
respond to citizen complaints,
both he and Lawson refused
to give a timetable on the
berm’s completion. Hall said
one million cubic feet of dirt
would have to be moved to
finish the berm.
“You can’t do that over
night,” he said.
Tawson then offered to
give out his phone number to
affected neighbors and urged
citizens to call and let him
know if any on-site work is
being done after 5 p.m.
With the project’s comple
tion date still up in the air,
Ezelle asked Hall how long
the Hall County berm took to
build. Hall cautioned that the
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two berms were much differ
ent in size and scope but said
the Hall County project took
over a year.
After an hour of discussion,
Brewster motioned to deny
Vulcan’s request until quarry
representatives comply with
the 2009 commission deci
sion. After Ezelle seconded
the motion, the board voted.
Brewster’s motion passed 2-1
with Benson in favor of allow
ing Vulcan’s variance request.
In other Monroe County
Planning & Zoning Board
news:
• The Monroe County
Planning & Zoning board
approved by a 3-0 vote on
Monday to grant a variance in
agriculture allowing a Lake-
shore Drive resident to have a
60-foot road setback.
John Steinhaur of 327
Lakeshore Drive, owned
by Prieda W Morris, asked
commissioners to allow him
to add on to his home, which
would shorten the setback
distance below the required
70 feet from the center of the
road. No one was opposed to
Steinhaur’s request.
Monroe County Commis
sioners will have the final say
on the matter at their next
scheduled meeting on Tues
day, May 1.
P & Z members Connie
Gantt and Doris Ogletree
were absent from Monday’s
meeting.
• The Monroe County
Planning & Zoning board
approved by a 3-0 vote on
Monday to grant a conditional
use variance in agriculture al
lowing a Hwy. 41 South home
to be used for office space.
George and Robin Head
asked the P & Z board to
allow a 0.7-acre tract at
2735 Hwy. 41 South, cur
rently owned by Phillip and
Betty Mock, to be used as
an administrative office for
their online company, which
specializes in the sale of
handbags. Robin Head said
she and her husband have put
in a tentative contract to buy
the tract with the intention
of storing inventory there as
well. Head said UPS would
deliver at the property two to
three times per month but no
tractor trailers would visit the
site. No one was opposed to
the Heads’ request.
Monroe County Commis
sioners will have the final say
on the matter at their next
scheduled meeting on Tues
day, May 1.
P & Z members Connie
Gantt and Doris Ogletree
were absent from Monday’s
meeting.
• The Monroe County
Planning & Zoning board
approved by a 3-0 vote on
Monday to allow a Pioneer
Trail resident to place two ad
ditional homes on a 4.12-acre
tract.
Jean Dunbar asked the
P & Z board to grant her a
variance in agriculture to
build a second home while
also maintaining a trailer at
304 Pioneer Trail, a property
owned by her mother, Patsy
J. Neurohr. Dunbar said her
mother was recently widowed,
and she wants to move her
family onto her mother’s land
to care for her. She said while
her home is being built, she
plans to live in a trailer on the
property and intends to keep
the mobile home after her
home is completed. Dunbar
said most of the homes in the
Pioneer Trail are already on
smaller tracts than the one
owned by her mother. No
one was opposed to Dunbar’s
request.
Monroe County Commis
sioners will have the final say
on the matter at their next
scheduled meeting on Tues
day, May 1.
P & Z members Connie
Gantt and Doris Ogletree
were absent from Monday’s
meeting.
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