External Minin111g Permit 92-10 Protect Lake Crabtree Countys Parks connection to Umstead State Park

Johnson, Robert E
Michaell Regain, Secretary DEQ,
To: Mir. Rain Sairins, Heairling Officer, DEQ Miinlling and Eilected Officialls
Per the 1971 Miinlling Act, 1I urge you to deiny a rniinlling Ipeirmit to Welke Stone Corporation for a
inew quarry oin the Odd Fellklows Tract adjacent to Urnstead State Park oin the Ibasis of G.S.
74 51(5) sig16lficaint adverse effect oin the Ipuirposes of a IpulbBlicVy owned Ipairk, forest or
recreafioinall area (d5 adverse effects oin Urnstead State Park and ON Reedy Creelk Road
Recreafioinall corridor).
Today, the Odd F61klows Tract is defacto a Ipairt of Urnstead State Park. It has Ibeein used
through the years Iby walllkeirs, NlIkeirs, Ibilkeirs, and the 1Boy Scouts, airnoing otheirs. llin fact, the
INC State Parks Master Flain for Urnstead State Park IpubBlislhed llin 1974 cointallined a Ilaind
acqulisifioin strategy to secure the Iboirdeirs of Urnstead State Park Iby acquirlling the Ilaind
�betweein Urnstead State Park and what has Ibecoirre Interstate 40. That Iplain was devebped
to address a concern that the irapid girowth of RTIP llin the hate 1960's early 1970's coUld
resuft llin Ihligh density devebpmeint abing the 1I 40 corridoir to the east of RTIP.
It is Iiinteiresting to inote that Urnstead State Park today does adjoin 11 40 from Trenton Road (at
the southeast coirneir of Urnstead) west to Harrison Avenue. Any eveintuall acquisition of the
Odd FeHows Tract Iby INC State Parks abing With the adjacent 286 East site (oin State Parks
Cidficall Acquisition list) woUld secure the Iboirdeir of Urnstead State Park abing 11 40 from ON
Reedy Cireelk Road west to aIlmost Avliafioin Parkway (creating a inew southwest corneir of
Urnstead). The sad fact that llin 1982 a quarry was Ib0llt abing 11 40 (wind adjacent to Urnstead
State Park) Ibetweein Harrison Avenue and OM Reedy Cireelk Road does inot justify rinalking

that same it istalke a second time Iby Ipeirmitting anotheir quarry Ibetweein Unnstead State Park
and l 40. Consistent with G.S. '74 51(5), a Ipeirmit imust Ibe denied
Much has chainged lien the almost forty years since that 1982 decision, and the explosive
girowth of this area has dramatically lIncreased the ineed to protect siginffiicaint, uindevelloped
tracts of Ipulbllic land that can serve the irecreatloinall ineeds of the commuinllty while Ipreseirving
ecologicallly sensitive areas.
Attendance at Unnstead State Park attests to the extent to which the iresideints of Welke
County and surroun61ng counties treasure and utflize that Iparlk and other irecreatloinall
oppoirtu6ifies lien this area. In recent years, ainnoing 39 State Parks, o6ly 5 or 6 consistently
draw imore than a imillllion visitors a year, and 3 of the 6 are lien this area. The three IInclude
Unnstead lien the reinter of this geogiraphic area and Joirdain IL.alke as well as Falls IL.alke south
and inortlh of Unnstead that offer boating opportu6ifies inot available at Unnstead. Deinylling the
rni6ling permit would preserve for the Ipulbllic (your constituents) a Ibeautiful and irreplaceable
forested property Iboirdeirriing Unnstead until such time that it can Ibe officially lIncorlporated Unto
the state Iparlk system.
Needlless to say, once the gorgeous, forested habitat that is the Odd Fellows tract is stripped
of its imature hardwoods and pines, and that seirene landscape is then desecrated Iby a 400
foot Ihole lien the ground, the citizens of North Cair6kina will have lost forever the very special
place that currently exists. What is belling proposed would sacrifice an irreplaceable, Ipublic
asset that serves over one imilllllion people aininualkly and replace it with a commercial venture
that oimly Ibeinefits the siinglle family that owns Welke Stone. l Ibelllieve the NC Department of
Einviiroininneintall Qualkty Mission Statement states that NCDEQ is ireslponsible for "Pirovi6ing
science based einviiroininneintall stewardship for the health, safety, and Iproslperrity of all North
Cairofinians."
The einviroininneintall characteristics of the treasured habitat imeintioned lien the Ipriior Ipairagiralplh
must also Ibe considered. The irrteandeiring inatuire of Crabtree Creelk imeans that the proposed
quarry will Ibe bordered on the east and south sides Iby Crabtree Greek. The other two
borders will Ibe the existing Unnstead State Park aIloing the inoirtlh side of the quarry and the
East Coast Gireenway / Reedy Cireelk T14ll aIloing the west side of the quarry. Thus, one can
oimly shalke their head lien disbelief as a very simple question is (posed: How can a rni6ling
permit Ibe approved for a property surrounded Iby an einviiroininneintallly llimpoirtaint and sensitive

waterway, a gireeinway, and a State Park? In imy humble opiii that is abs6lut6ly the last
place nine should Ibe tNlii about placing a quarry
The gireeinway/tral!ll Ibordeir mentioned llin the Iprlioir Ipairagiraplh generates a critical 'biggeir
�picture" discussion. Across l 40 from the proposed quarry site is a Welke County jeweL IL.alke
Crabtree County Park. The Welke County February 2017 Park Facifity Master Flain Updates
Fiii Report Ilincludes recommendations of how that Park will continue to Ibe improved over
firine. Talkein togetheir, Uirnstead State Park, the Odd FeHows tract and IL.alke Crabtree County
Park Iprovlide rapidlly growing (about 65 people imoving llin (per day) Welke County and
surrouii counties with an uinpai4klelled outdoor irecreatloii area llin a Ipubllicly owined
swath of forest, creeks and Ilalkes stretcNing from Highway '70 on the inortlh to aIlirnost Highway
54 on the south.
Just as an airch is dependent on a Ikeystoine to Ikeep eveirytINIng llin place, so too the j6lint vision
of what Uirnstead State Park and L.alke Crabtree Park can Ibe is dependent on the Ikeystoine
Odd Fellows tract that sits Ibetweein the two pairks and Iproviides a crucial Illinik Ibetweein theim.
The Executive Summary of Welke County's 2017 Park Flain llincludes a "Vision" that "Walke
County will Ibe a great Ipllace to live ... a place wheire people ... respect the einviroiniment,
appreciate thellir Iheir9itage ... and Ipllain for a Ibetteir tomorrow." That "Vision" Ipreciselly sums up
the llinteint of G.S. '74 51(5) as a &Iteir9ia to deny a imiii Ipeirmit. Mir. Saints, l urge you to
consider that vision and reject the requested iurrtlii Ipeirmit. It will Ibe a very sad day if a
quarry is Ipllaced Ibetweein two Ipulbllicly owined Ipairk, forest, and irecreatloii areas.
&imHairly, the City of Raleigh Cappall Area Gireeinway (CAG) System imap and Ibrochuire
describes the CAG as ". . . a system of IIiii parks located abing rivers, creeks and streams
that Iprovlide the oppoirtuii for recreation ... (with) over 100 imiles of paved and unpaved
traHs and over 270 1 of protected stream conridors ... (iinclu6ii Wa�linut Greek, RicNaind
Greek, Harris Greek and the Neuse River." l do inot understand how the State of North
Cairofina could Ipeirmit a quarry to Ibe dug on a tract of land that is Ibordeired on two sides Iby
Crabtree Creelk when everywhere else llin Raleigh Ikinear parks are(belling Wift abing our
creeks. Today, a Ikineair Ipairk (wind a Ilairge wooded tract) already exists abing the Odd Felklows
stretch of Crabtree Greek. Why destroy it?
Fiii theire is ainotheir "vision" story that l Ibellieve Iproviides an appropriate conclusion to this
discussion ... Dix Park dejavu. 1Before the Dix Park Ipropeirty was sold llin its entirety to the
City of Raleigh, airajoir debate concerned whetheir the eii tract that is Dix Park today
should Ibe sold to the City of Raleigh, or whetheir it ajoir pieces of the Ipropeirty should Ibe

carved out for commeirciall devebpmeint and Iprofit. At the tune, visionairy RaIleigh Ibusiness
and commuii Ileadeirs, such as James Gregory Pool Jr. (sadlly, the late Mr. Poole) and
James F. Goodimoin (wind otheirs) worked fiirellessly and succeeded in keeping the eii
Dix Ipropeirty llintact. Whi0e full devebpmeint of the Park could stretch over 50 years, they had a
vision of Ihow the (legacy of the destination Ipairk they IiinlitG tee woUld someday Ibeinefit thellir
giraindcN10direin, gireatgraindcN10direin and future citizens of RaIleigh. &imHairly, a Iloglicall, future
ad6fioin to Umstead State Park should inot Ibe carved out for commeirc4l devebpmeint and
�profit.
Mr. Saints, l it stroii urge you to deiny a imiii (permit to Welke Stone Corporation for a
inew quarry oin the Odd FeElows Tract adjacent to Umstead State Park oin the (basis of G.S.
74 51(5) sig16lficaint adverse effect oin the Ipuirposes of a IpulbBlicVy owined Ipairk, forest or
recreatioii area (d5 adverse effects oin Umstead State Park and Old Reedy Creelk Road
Recreatioii corridor). l ask you to (please llincoirpoirate llin that decision and support that
conclusion Wth a vision of why the Odd FeElows tract ineeds to Ibe Ipreseirved today so that lit is
aval10able fair llinto the future to serve the recreatioii ineeds and einviiroinimeii concerns of all
North Cairofiii
Thaii you for your time and cairefUl coin side ration of this Iletteir.
&inceirelly,
Sidiney F. Strauss
[e-mail]
Sidiney Strauss
sstrau ss@inc. irir. co m
8609 Cold Spriiings Rd
RaIleigh, North Cairofina 27615
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