To Dan Sams_road safety_2020 07 15

July 15, 2020
Dan Sams
Engineering Supervisor
Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources
North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality
Dear Mr. Sams,
I am writing to complain about the trucks using the entrance of the Triangle Quarry which is adjacent to
the highly used Reedy Creek entrance of Umstead State Park. The trucks themselves and the dust and
road damage they create (e.g. ruts and pot holes) make an unsafe environment for Umstead State Park
users.
In addition, I would like to complain about the trucks that have used the Old Reedy Creek Road
greenway and will use the Old Reedy Creek Road greenway if Wake Stone's Triangle Quarry permit
modification request is granted. The effects of a new quarry on Odd Fellows (e.g. the pit itself and the
truck traffic on the greenway) will have a significant impact to Park user safety.
Given the unsafe situation created by the truck traffic and the truck effects on the air, roads and greenways, I am
asking you to deny Wake Stone's Triangle Quarry permit modification request which includes creating an entirely
new pit on a small tract of land called Odd Fellows (public land). This permit modification request results in
significant adverse effects on the purposes of a publicly owned park, forest, or recreation area of which Umstead
State Park meets all 3 criteria.
We are not against quarries. We are just against quarries on land adjacent to a highly used state park and
especially if the quarries are adjacent to the main access points of this state park.
Umstead State Park is in an urban area. Thus, it is expected that many users will access the Park on foot
or on bikes (and even of few will access it on unicycles, me being one of them), in addition to driving into
the park.
Park usage is increasing in spite of the Triangle Quarry due to population growth. The usage increase
does NOT mean that there are no issues with the Park. The Triangle Quarry permit was initially and
STRONGLY denied. It was only when the Sunset Clause was established that it was permitted. The public has
tolerated this forced neighbor at the Reedy Creek entrance of Umstead State Park because there was a defined
and known end date in which we, the public, would be free of this bad neighbor. The growth in usage of Umstead
is a sign that more people are here, that there is more demand for forested recreation space, and it is a sign that it
is time for Wake Stone to leave the Triangle Quarry by 2031 per the Sunset Clause.
Over the years, the Old Reedy Creek Road (greenway) access point has evolved into another highly used
entrance. This area is a point where several greenway and trail systems merge. The area is to highly
used that the Town of Cary built a parking lot and refers to the area as the Old Reedy Road Trailhead.
https://www.townofcary.org/recreation-enoovment/parks-greenways-environment/parks/old-reedy-
creek-road-trailhead
Old Reedy Creek Road is really not a road; it is a greenway from the point of where the Town of Cary
Parking Lot and the Black Creek Greenway meet all the way to the entrance of Umstead State Park
which is adjacent to the Beal's home. This greenway is partially paved, but mostly gravel.

Look at the many features of the Town of Cary Parking Lot at the Old Reedy Road Trailhead:
Features
• 82 parking spaces
• Restroom
• Trail connection to the end of the Black Creek Greenway and the East Coast Greenway
• Small non -reservable shelter with 3 tables and a grill
• Bike fix -it station with repair tools
• Drinking fountain with bottle filler and pet dish
• Kiosk with display maps of regional and local trail systems
In the time that Wake Stone has done some exploratory work for a potential quarry on Odd Fellows,
their trucks have used the Old Reedy Creek Road greenway many times. I have had to dodge their fast
driving pick-up trucks, their dump trucks, and their flatbed trucks that brought in equipment. The
quarry application indicates that Old Reedy Creek Road would be used by the logging trucks and dump
trucks to take away the trees and dirt. My understanding is that this would take several years. This
definitely negative affects the park!
This greenway is used by children, youth, and adults and by many user groups (walkers, runners, bikers,
hikers, etc.). The new quarry pit will make this greenway area unsafe for a long time. It is not right to
destroy a highly used greenway for a few years in order to allow a private company to quarry public
land. Putting a quarry pit next to this highly used greenway is also not safe.
Please deny Wake Stone's Triangle Quarry permit modification request to create a new pit on Odd
Fellows as this permit modification request results in significant adverse effects on the purposes of a
publicly owned park, forest, or recreation area of which Umstead State Park meets all 3 criteria.
In addition, please re -instate the Sunset Clause on the Triangle Quarry. The Sunset Clause language was
unethically changed behind closed doors in about 2018, after standing since 1981 (about 37 years). In
his 7/Jul/2020 letter, Mr. Bratton said that Odd Fellows is too small to hold all quarry operations. The
land is not too small for many other things, like being forested buffer for their current Triangle Quarry
operations!
Sincerely,
-Natalie Lew
PO Box 80035
Raleigh, NC 27623

Here is an example of the pot holes on Harrison Avenue (the Reedy Creek entrance of Umstead):

Here is an example of the rutted roads on H
Here is a big truck coming out of the Wake Stone's entrance on Star Lane (that connects to Harrison
Ave.) that pedestrians and cyclists have to dodge. These tucks put dust into the air and leave dust on the
road. This dust gets into the lungs of those passing by. The dust on the road (from both sides) gets
washed into Umstead State Park.

This is Star Lane, a public road that serves as Wake Stone driveway. All of this water (with dust stuff)
runs into Umstead State Park. The way the drainage flows, water from both sides of the road flows into
the park. On rainy days, well, the tucks and road get washed by nature. On dry days, Wake Stone has
sprinklers that wash the trucks and road. The dust still ends up in the air. What doesn't settle onto the
ground and gets washed into Umstead State Park. Trucks kick up dust on the road and people breath in
that dust.
This water is draining off of Star Lane. Umstead is in the background. The slope is such that all of this
water drains back under Star Lane and then goes into Umstead.

This is a ditch along Star Lane.
This is a ditch along the entrance of Umstead.
This is what is running into Umstead from the ditch along Star Lane (e.g. it is the continuation of the
ditch from the picture above on the left). The trees at the end of the grey water are the border of
Umstead State Park. Ultimately, this water drains into a pond located on the outside of Wake Stone's
berm that was created by a small earthen dam that Wake Stone made on their property. That pond
extends into Umstead State Park and has killed trees.
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fry•-.. H•. a+r�. • �F:;.. - ;. - _

These photos happen to be taken on a rainy day, but there were nice days in Wake Stone's "exploratory
phase" in which trucks like this were on the Old Reedy Creek Road greenway. See the next set of
pictures for what this greenway can look like on a nice day, whether it be a weekday or weekend day. I
have been riding my bike on this greenway and have had to deal with these trucks. It is not safe.
The house in the background is the Dunn's house. This is also the area where the Boy Scouts used to set
up their base camp. There is old double track here. Wake Stone brought in a lot of gravel to make a
road bed on top of the old double track. This double track leads to Foxcroft Lake which spans the
border of Odd Fellows and Umstead.

This is the one lane bridge just before reaching the Town of Cary Parking lot. No room for walkers,
joggers, and bikers when big trucks are in the mix.
Wake Stone's trucks have caused rutting on the Old Reedy Creek Road greenway and the sides of the
greenway. This is unsafe for Park users. The road on the right was created by Wake Stone. The
driveway in the distance is the Dunn's house. (I work from home, so I sometimes go during work hours
when most are working.)

This is where Town of Cary Parking Lot, Black Creek Greenway, and the Old Reedy Creek Road/Greenway
meet. Picture is taken from bridge over 1-40. The Town of Cary Parking Lot is full, so people park on the
side of the greenway.
Taken from same spot as picture above, just in opposite direction. This area is used by adults, youth,
and children. By many user groups — hikers, walkers, bikers, parents pushing and pulling kids along. I
coached a kid's mountain bike team for 3 years and we used this area a lot. This is not the place for