External Mining Permit 92-10 - Please reinstate Sunset Clause for Wake Stone Quarry

Johnson, Robert E
Michael) Regain, Secretary DEQ,
Dear Governor Cooper, otheir ellected offic4ls, Dain Sams:
I'm wir9lfiing with a stroing concern about the (proposed inew iroclk quarry oin IpubBlic Ilaind adjacent
to Uimstead State Park, as weEl as a concern about the existing Walke Stone quarry, which
has operated for 40 years
1I Illisteined duiding the Ipublic Iheairliing oin June 23, for hours, as Ipeirsoin after Ipeirsoin spolke up
AGAINST this quarry, citing imainy reasons it shoUld Ibe deinied... eveirytINling from the adverse
effects oin Ipotalble groundwater, Mldllkfe, air quallkty, Ihazaird to ineiglhb&ling houses, and
adverse effect oin the Ipuirpose of a Ipublicily owined Ipairk. Just oine of these shoUld Ibe a ireasoin
for the Ipeirmit to Ibe deinied, and 1I heard inuimeirous quainfifiable examples. 1I spolke up as weEl.
The oinlly (pro quarry comment was from Sam 1Brattoin from Walke Stone. He shared, llin (part:
"WrIttein testimony has Ibeein submitted from a (lady who (lived for over 20 years adjacent to the
Kiniglhtdalle Quarry, oinlly 400ft from the active (pit. Heir residence was Ibuffeired Iby a Ibeirm
similar to the oine we (propose to construct to Ibuffeir the 2 residences. She states "Walke Stone
was ain exceEleint ineighboir and friend to Iheir and Iheir grandparents whein they(hived llin the
Ihome."Ouir blasting and equllpmeint were weEl slhieNed from the residence and we had ino
adverse )impact oin Iheir (property, house or weM. And that is 400' from the active (pit.
The Ipeirsoin that Mr 1Brattoin says wrote this Iletteir, Mairda Debinaim, was quoted llin ain N&O
airticile llin 2014 complal161ing about the quarry:
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/community/eastern-wake-
news/articlel 01 25839.html

From the article:
" Mairda Debinaim (hives on Forestvulllle Road and said she (hears irrtacNlines working tlhiro uglh the
ii at the quarry and once a day in the it id imorrnliii she feels a (blast wiring from the
propeirty. She said it slhalkes Iheir Ihome and is wonrlied what it might Ibe d6iing to Iheir Ipropeirty."II
don't Ikinow what that's d6iing to irrty Iho use," she said."
So what chainged Ibetweein 2614 and snow? What could Ihave influenced fps Debi to snow
speak favorably ofWalke Stone operations when she was previously criitGcall of lit? In 2019, the
tax vallurue of fps Delbinaim's house was $102,666. In July 2019, Welke Stone Ipuirclhased this
propeirty for $466,666, it oire than four tunes the tax vallurue. They then deirrt6llislhed the house
and appealed the tax vallurue down to $662. Granted, if II (hived adjacent to a quarry, II liar aga line II
too would accept a veiny generous offer for irrty (home, so that II could it ove fair away from the
disruption a quarry Ibrliings. 1B But this history, and conflicting information reported Iby the News &
Observer, Iputs this Iletteir of irefeireince in its Ipropeir Ipeirslpective.
A anew quarry would inegatuvelly impact aliir and water quality in a Iheavully used area. CIIeair
cutting in this conrlidoir would also adveirselly impact citizens' q ualllity of life Ibeca use an
important ii Ibuffer would Ibe destroyed, abing wiitlh an important Mldlllife and recreatioii
corridor.
In ad6tion, recreation areas should Ihave a 250 ft * uindlistuirbed* Ibuffeir to irnaalii the
gireeinway experience. The Ipllains I've seem do NOT allow for this
Furthermore, II Ihave Ilearned that the imiii Ipeirmit for the existing Welke Stone quarry had a
56 year suinset clause that was ireceintly deleted from the Ipeirmit. II liar aga line the quarry was
oirigliii approved contingent on this clause (belling added. Welke Stone was somehow able to
chainge the word'lii Ad6fioii why should a Ipriivate company Ibe girainted a special (lease
of IpulbBlic Ilaind for its ovum Iprlivate (profit, wiitlho ut Ipublic liii
From forirrieir Welke County Commissioner Ery Portman:
"...Despite the objections of the Department and the Ipubfic [the quarry'] was Ipeirmitted. There
was nine coii... a 66 year suinset Iprovision that ireg Mired the irrtGine to close Iby 2632 and
the Ilaind added to the Ipairlk.
For 36 years Iboth the department and the irrtline accepted that agreement. Them in 2011, the
rrtline operator claimed the just "6scovered a cleir9icall error". Seems the found a old copy of the
miii commissioners report that said Ilateir vs sooneir and asked that the nine word Ibe
chainged. The 6rectoir of ii resources Ikinew Ibetteir; James &imoins had fiirstlhaind

knoWedge of the Ipeirmit and rejected this cVeveir cVeiricall airguirnent, he renewed the Ipeirmit llin
2011 with sooneir, as it had aWays Ibeein with the sunset cVa use.
After he was goine, llin 2018 a inew acting director undid 37 years of the Ipeirmit and Ibought the
airguirnent, wiping away the sunset cVa use as just a cVeiricall imistalke. He aIlso approved a
change that gutted the Ibuffeirs Iprotectiing the creelk at the same time. The chainge was
completed llin just weelks with ino notice to the IpulbBlic, or state Ipairks! No notice to anyone Ibut
the amine operator.
Now the operator waints to destroy 106 acres of forest on the other side of the creelk, Iprovlide
smaEleir Ibuffers and amine some moire."
I'm asking that the DECK r6linstate the 50 year sunset clause of the Ipeirmit for the existing
Walke Stone quarry, and aIlso that the DECK deny any inew Ipeirmits for imiinlling operations on
any hands adjacent to Urnstead State Park
Flease protect our Ipubllic lands. 1I appreciate those who have spolken up llin opposition to this
quarry: Town of MoririsviEle, City of RaIleiglh, Senator Willey Niclkell, former Walke County
Commissioner Ery Portman, Walke County Commissioners and Walke County Open Space
and Parks Advisory Committee, as weM as NC State Parks, and others that I've imissed.
1I hope others wiM speak up as weEl,(before it's too (late.
&inceirelly,
Teresa Moore
211 S West St.
Cary, NC
Teresa Moore
[e-mail]
211 S West Street
Cary, North Cairofina 27511
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