FW_ _External_ Wake Stone Triangle Quarry Expansion Application

Johnson, Robert E
From: Sams, Dan
Sent: Friday, July 17, 2020 7:21 AM
To: NCMiningProgram
Subject: FW: [External] Wake Stone Triangle Quarry Expansion Application
From: Tamara Dunn [mailto:[e-mail]]
Sent: Friday, July 17, 2020 12:57 AM
To: Sams, Dan <[e-mail]>; NCMiningProgram <[e-mail]>
Cc: [e-mail]; [e-mail]; [e-mail]; [e-mail];
[e-mail]
Subject: [External] Wake Stone Triangle Quarry Expansion Application
My name is Tamara Dunn and I live at 2232 Old Reedy Creek Rd in
Cary, NC. Our home is next to the proposed expanded quarry on
the property referred to as the "Odd Fellows Property". I urge DEQ
to deny this request due to G.S. 74-51(d)(4) - it would be a direct
and substantial physical hazard to a neighboring dwelling house.
At the July 7th hearing consultants for Wake Stone said blasting will
not damage structures if they are at least 500 feet away. At no point
has Wake Stone or their consultants claimed they can prevent
damage from blasting 200 feet from a structure - which is how close
our home will be to the blasting, and only 100 feet from the
construction. Along with the damage to our home's foundation,
walls, and the entire structure, our air will be filled with debris, the
noise will be a massive disruption to our peace and the heavy
equipment, dumping, drilling, etc will ruin our quality of life. We
might as well move permanently into the middle of a construction
zone. I have an elderly handicapped brother who lives with us, his
health is already fragile, what will it look like after Wake Stone gets
through with us? I'm sure if Wake Stone could ensure there would
be no damage at 200 feet they would, but they can't. Our home is
1

currently worth approx. $500k, what will it be worth once the
blasting begins? Who compensates us for the damage done by our
neighbors?
In Wake Stone CEO Sam Bratton's written comments he says he
has a letter from a Ms. Debnam who lived 400 feet from their
Knightdale Quarry, saying Wake Stone was an excellent neighbor.
According to Wake County property records, Marda Debnam did
own a house that was 400 feet from Wake Stone's quarry. In 2019
she sold the house to Wake Stone for $450,000 - 3 times its tax
value. I believe that Wake Stone paying 3 times what her house
was worth may have influenced her opinion. After Wake Stone
bought the house, they tore it down and had the tax value of the
property reassessed to $662, which is a 99% drop from the
$450,000 they paid for it. All that can be concluded from Wake
Stone's actions is that even Wake Stone does not believe it's a
good idea to have a house so close to a quarry. And Ms. Debnam's
house was twice the distance that our home will be from the
proposed quarry expansion.
It seems obvious that if Wake Stone's own experts cannot assure
damage prevention to a house less than 500 feet away that Wake
Stone should not be allowed to put a quarry pit 200 feet from our
home. Again, I urge you to deny this request as it would be a direct
and substantial physical hazard to our home.
DEQ's job is conservation. I would think denying this permit would
be self evident. The community has shown you over and over again
they do not want this quarry. The city of Morrisville does not want
the quarry, many city, county and state legislators have spoken
against it. The evidence is overwhelming, no one wants the current
quarry in this location, let alone an expansion.
Thank you,
N

Tamara Dunn
Adjacent Home Owner
2232 Old Reedy Creek Rd.
Cary, NC 27513