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Dena County Planning Dept
<br />Date Received
<br />~ i ~njar
<br />From: <Dawnsearlymist@aoi.com> ~~
<br />To: <ESowell@deltacounty.com>
<br />Date: 2118/05 10:02AM
<br />Subject: To Erick Sowell, Concerns about Coalby Canyon-- Benson Quarry Application
<br />Erick Sowell
<br />Delta County Planning Department
<br />Delta County Courthouse
<br />501 Palmer St.
<br />Delta, Colorado 81416
<br />February 18, 2005
<br />Dear Erick,
<br />I am writing to you in order to highlight several concerns about the
<br />Benson Brothers Rock Quarry Application, for Coalby Canyon.
<br />To begin with, Coalby Canyon is residential, with hundreds of houses
<br />ajacent to the proposed Quarry site, rather than in a "remote" location, as
<br />claimed by the Bensons in their application. In fact, there are several houses
<br />within 350 feet of the site they plan to mine, on the south side of the cliff.
<br />This cliff is composed of Sandstone and Red Shale. Sandstone is extremely
<br />soft and upon impact, this sandstone could fracture off and cause rockslides,
<br />resulting in great damage to these homes. Because of this, turning the Benson
<br />property into a Rock Quarry is unsafe for several existing residents of Coalby
<br />Canyon.
<br />In addition to this, Ward Creek Road is a School Bus Rote, and the
<br />entrance to the Benson property is within a "blind curve", which makes it
<br />unsafe for the proposed trucks to enter and exit the Benson property during school
<br />hours, Monday through Friday. If this application were to be approved, it
<br />would reveal total disregard for the welfare of both existing Coalby residents
<br />and school age children, traveling to and from school by bus.
<br />Also, the property rights of all Coalby residents will be impacted,
<br />if this plan were to be approved, greatly lessening the property values of all
<br />concerned.. Many Coalby residents have their life savings invested in their
<br />homes and properties, and this would be an unjust action, to diminish their
<br />quality of life, and hard earned life savings. Their are residents of every age
<br />in Coalby, including young families, middle aged working people and also many
<br />retired people. Across the board, every group would be negatively impacted
<br />rf a Rock Quarry were to be approved in Coalby Canyon, due to the unsafe
<br />conditions, as stated above and also due to the road noise, dust and general air
<br />pollution which would be created.
<br />The noise would be excessive and created by the following
<br />equipment:
<br />Bulldozers, Hydraulic hammers, with loud crushing sounds, Compressors,
<br />Generators, and Trucks, hauling great quantities of gravel and rock. These trucks
<br />could potentially travel up and down Ward Creek Road, (and all connecting roads
<br />to Austin) 30-60 times a day, 60 round trip.
<br />The proposed Rock Quarry would create excessive dust, created by
<br />material carried off the ridge to bulldozers; no dust control has been
<br />planned for this operation. The Crushing operation would Great dust. Additional
<br />factors include Stockpiling, Hauling, winds, seasonal variations in dryness of
<br />material. Considering the high wind during the Spring, the dust could not be
<br />contained to the proposed Quarry Site. According to a man with 40 years Quarry
<br />and mining experience, "Rock quarries are always dirty and dusty." There is
<br />not a way to contain the dust, in a open air Rock Quarry operation, so the
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