20210607_ARP_meeting_notes

Parker Mine Public Hearing — June 7, 2021
Adam Parr
SPOKEN PUBLIC COMMENTS
Speaker 1 - Bill Rogers
Citizen of new London. Water supply and water quality, chemicals used in processing and the acid mine drainage.
Potential to threatened species. springs were I the 80s the springs dried up. Town creek that run by and will be
impacted. Environmental pollution from gold mine. Underground impacts, water into workings and out. tailing
and mine waste form gold, zinc, sulfates copper. Acid mine drainage. Sever impact to receiving water bodies.
Metal rich sulfates from tailings. Lead mercury impact to living organisms. Hill gold mine in SC open pit fined on
multiple occasion for failed testing and failure to provide test after assuring residents. Potential for sink holes when
old timber is exposed to air when shafts are dewatered. Buildings in the area can fall into the sink holes. Local
Stanly county soil and water conservation were not aware. They have a meeting. Town of new London has 2 parks
within'/4 mile.
Speaker 2 - Richard Kimmer
Parks DPR said nothing in 5 miles, however there are 2 parks within 1 mile from entrance. Mine is within city
limits are you aware? 1 park 22 ac and 1 park that is 1 ac.
Speaker 3 - Johnny Chestnut
Concerned with proposed quarry application old parker mine. I live at 323 S. Main in town and own property at
327 S. Main, which is approximately 2200 ft from property. 327 has enclosed open well. Between 1980 and 1988
a sink hole opened on the property. You could see 10 ft in the ground. It was filled in over 10 months. Open well
became dry. Gold mine was pumping 60 gal per minute. It filled up at same. 3 cemeteries in the town. Town of
new London, Parker Grove and Parker Family. Noise pollution from blasting. Mr. Parker is buried in old parker
family cemetery. What would happen to historic site. High explosives would impact property and houses in area.
4 churches 675 ft is the closest. They can't hold services with blasting going on. 3 schools and a learning day care
in the area. 990 ft away is a closed campus for at risk teens. Private school is 2025 ft. there is a high school 3700
ft away. 1075 ft is a day care. Explosions problem for students. 1600 ft is brand new park. Schools and parks
have outside recreation area. Negatively impact way of life. Town of new London cemetery 2600 ft away, Parker
grove cemetery is 800 ft away, and Parker family cemetery borders property.
Speaker 4 - Ed Griffin
Resident of town of new London. Own 100 ac. land adjoining. Effect on wildlife. 72 years old, that entire tract
has been in timber, and 70 years before forest has been there a long time. Large population of deer, turkey, and
small game. Foxes, raccoons, bobcats, and 1 bear. If this permit is issued and the land is excavated the animals
will be displaced. Water pollution is a concern. The wells are a concern. In the application it stated that people
were not affected 33 years ago. Not true, or could be true, no houses on Henderson road back then. None on
blaylock either. Is applicant responsible for if well goes dry? Are they going to pay for city hookup and water bill
into the future? A creek on my property is fed by two areas on the south side of the mine property. The creeks
continue Little Long creek, Town creek and Long creek. There were fish in the creek when I was a child. The
water table has steadily decreased over my life. What will happen when 90k gal/day is pumped away? How will
they contain water? Water will not have enough time to settle before leaving the property, it will not be clean.
Reclamation of property is a concern, mine has started and stopped at least half a dozen times. Each one had a
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Parker Mine Public Hearing — June 7, 2021
Adam Parr
reclamation plan and it was never done. It is currently just a muddy hole. How is a new operation going to be
different?
Speaker 5 - Joe Carter
14:15 proverbs — 30 year mine operator federal id gnw, moved half million yards. Denied on basis of items that
should have been provided at beginning. Boulder associated honesty. Who has tested water at 90k gal day? Gus
schad opposed Barringer mine in the past because Stanly county didn't need mining. He should live by his words.
They are advertising for sale with mine permit and not true. That is against the law and someone should hold them
accountable. Should have been reclaimed after 2017. The state should not allow an operation that should have been
reclaimed. The bond is for reclamation only, and there are no hours of operation, they could operate 24/7. Tell
schad to go out west.
Speaker 6 - James Schad (applicant)
Our property has been mined since 1800 and owned since I was a child. It is currently zoned M2 which allows
mining. We have a letter form zoning code enforcement. The family has spent time and money over years to
prospect on property. They have been paying taxes on the M2 heavy industrial zoned property. Thought it would
have been an asset to area. We want to use property for its intended use and what it has been zoned for since the
beginning. We will abide by any conditions. Will abide by state and federal requirements. Modern day blasting is
not the dangerous explosions of the past. Go check blasting on YouTube, modern blasting is not an issue. Trucks
on hwy 52 are probably louder than blasting. They want to use their own property for the use and zoning. Property
rights are important. Not looking for rezoning already zoned
Speaker 7 - Derrick Medlin,
Residence beside operation. Who will be doing mining at proposed site? Who will be doing mining we heard Rogers
group?
Speaker 8 - Angela Kendall
Resident and homeowner. What are the decibel level of equipment, machinery or blasting. Are we going to have
comparisons to city sound ordinances? Materials are gold granite and construction materials. Applicant has stated
that tests have shown usable materials, what materials are they looking to recover?
Speaker 9 - Candice Dunn
Property backs to proposed mining area. There are 13 wells on blaock road. My well is over 400 ft deep. I want
to piggy back on question, what happens when well runs dry? There is no access to public water.
Speaker 10 - Colby Dunn
Candice is my mother and I do rock drilling for a living. OSHA has strict law on policy with regard to dust, we
want to know that rock dust is taken care of and that they are not going to be affected by it.
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