Here’s a summary from the Hereford Community Association Meeting
Present at the meeting:
Mike and Skip Gardiner From Patuxent Materials Inc.
Chris Steuart from Blue Mount Materials Inc.
Larry Schmidt, of Gildea and Schmidt, the attorney for Patuxent Materials
About 60 people attended the Hereford Community Association meeting or:
private landowners; fly fishermen, press, Clark Howells from the Baltimore City Water Department and House Delegate Wade Kach.
Issues at hand:
Questions arose regarding lack of due process and improper notice.
While the zoning hearing notice was posted in the Jeffersonian, no local residents receive that publication.
Adjoining landowners complained that they did not see notices posted on the quarry property nor did they receive registered mail notices prior to the zoning hearing.
Only five residents were said to have attended the actual zoning hearing before Baltimore County Zoning Comissioner William J Wiseman III.
Quarry Operations:
Weekday Hours: 6:00 AM till 4:30 PM, five days a week
Blasting: 3:00-5:00 PM
Weekend Hours: 6:00 AM till 1:00 PM every Saturday
Traffic:
20-30 ton trucks
120 trucks – two trips a day
240 / 25 x 2,000
12,000,000 lb. a day!
Highlights:
The quarry has not actively mined stone since 1997. For the past ten years it has been, a low volume business, the new owners will be changing the use of Blue Mount Quarry from a “stone yard” to a high volume, mining and rock crushing “active” quarry. There are currently no limitations on the amount of quarrying that can take place.
The Gardiners have paid for traffic studies and noise studies.
A special exception to zoning was granted in 1973, but the bank required reapproval of the existing permit.
A resident asked if, “air quality would be monitored.”
Another resident asked about, “radon effects, from blasting and fracturing rocks.”
A resident noted that, “most county roadways and bridges, including the bridge at Big Falls, adjacent to the quarry are rated at 15 tons and heavy truck traffic will impact and degrade area roadways and bridges.”
Send comments and letters to:info@backwaterangler.com
For another take on this issue go to Pat van den Beemt’s Article, Neighbors Blast Owners of Blue Mount Quarry”, originally published in the North County News.
Related posts:
Heartfelt Letter about Blue Mount Quarry from Gunpowder Regular