Quarry expansion approved by county

FAYETTEVILLE — Washington County’s justices of the peace on Thursday overturned the county Planning Board’s denial of a permit for an expansion of a quarry operation west of Fayetteville.

An overflow crowd of area residents opposed to the quarry filled the seats and lined the walls of the meeting room as the Quorum Court voted 10-2, with two abstentions, on the appeal of the Planning Board’s decision on the conditional use permit sought by the Farmington Quarry operation. Justices of the peace Suki Highers and Willie Leming voted against the permit. Justices of the peace Eva Madison and Shawndra Washington abstained.

At its Sept. 29 meeting, the Planning Board voted 3-2 in favor of a motion to recommend approval of a conditional use permit to add about 107 acres to the Farmington Quarry operation at 15557 Hamestring Road. The motion needed four affirmative votes to pass, according to Brian Lester, county attorney, which meant the permit application died and had to be refiled with the county’s Planning Department or appealed to the Quorum Court.

The Farmington Quarry operation is surrounded by residential and agricultural property, according to the county Planning Department. Residents of the area, which is north of Wedington Drive, packed the Quorum Court meeting room to express their opposition to the planned expansion.

The general concerns from neighbors included reduced property values, noise, disruption of animal habitat, disruption of private gatherings on properties in the area, concerns about blasting

operations in the quarry affecting housing structure integrity, traffic safety and congestion and environmental concerns.

Terri Davis-Beaupre, a resident of the area, told the justices of the peace the quarry expansion would continue a pattern that has targeted the area unfairly. She said there are more than 1,250 square miles of similar geological formation in this area where similar operations could take place.

“One third of this area of 3.2 square miles has mines and quarries,” she said. “This is not the only place in this region where a mine can go.”

Jim Gallagher, a Martin Road resident, said the presentation by the company was an effort “to put lipstick on a pig.”

“But its still a pig, and we have to live with this day in and day out,” he said, likening the regular blasting operations to an earthquake, but one that residents have to experience over and over. “This goes on relentlessly.”

The quarry is owned by the Rogers Group. According to the company’s application, the expansion would “insure orderly development by supplying quality materials for the immediate area for the long term, eliminating the need for new quarries in the area.”

According to information submitted by the company, the quarry has been in operation for more than 20 years. The additional land “simply extends the life of the existing quarry and doesn’t alter the existing impacts on the public.”

Andrew Effinger, an attorney for the Rogers Group, told the county the company had agreed to the same terms that were approved for the quarry expansion near Springdale, including forming a neighborhood committee and hiring an independent ombudsman to monitor the operation and facilitate communication between the company and the neighbors in the event there are complaints.

Also Thursday, a new pay plan for Washington County employees was delayed pending a special meeting of the Quorum Court set for 6 p.m. Dec. 1. The pay plan had been delayed in October after several county elected officials raised questions about how the plan was developed. The justices of the peace had sent the plan back to the Personnel Committee for further discussion.

County Assessor Russell Hill told the justices of the peace the pay plan drafted by Patty Burchett, the county’s human resources director, and Sidney Reynolds, the county’s information technology director, was seriously flawed and had been done without any input from the elected officials.

County Judge Joseph Wood told the justices of the peace the elected officials had agreed to a plan that could cost the county about $2.6 million in new personnel costs, an increase of about 17% overall.

Sam Duncan, justice of the peace for District 7, repeated concerns he raised in October about whether the county can pay for the added cost without a tax increase. Duncan suggested the county give department heads a 7% increase in the amount budgeted for salaries and allow them to decide on raises for individuals.

“I’m not sure that’s sustainable going forward,” Duncan said.

The chairmen of both the Personnel and Finance and Budget committees said they were dissatisfied with the plan presented at Thursday’s meeting. Justice of the Peace Lisa Ecke made the motion for the special meeting and said the plan could then go through both committees before being considered by the full Quorum Court at its regular meeting in December.