WCS Would Help Run Line to Thruway
WINNSBORO – Winnsboro Crushed Stone (WCS), the granite mining company with designs on breaking ground on a 900+acre tract of land off Rockton Thruway, made a pitch Tuesday night to Town Council to partner with the Town of Winnsboro to bring a water line to the proposed quarry while offering service to residents along the way.
Dan Creed, of Heritage Engineering in Blythewood, also requested on behalf of WCS 500,000 gallons of water a month for the quarry. Creed said that once the retaining ponds fill up at the site, shortly after startup, usage would decrease by at least half.
“Winnsboro Crushed Stone is also willing, in an effort to improve and provide potable city water to residents on Rockton Thruway, to donate materials for an extension of the line northwesterly of Rockton Thruway if the Town would be willing to participate in construction,” Creed said. “Winnsboro Crushed Stone would donate the materials to serve those residents.”
Creed told Council that the company would be responsible for boring underneath Highway 34 from the existing 16-inch water main, as well as underneath the railroad, in order to run the line down Rockton Thruway. WCS would also be responsible for the necessary permitting, Creed said.
Mayor Roger Gaddy, while commending WCS for working to provide water to Rockton Thruway residents, said there would also be tap fees to consider, as well as an accompanying survey to determine how many residents along the mostly gravel road would be willing to pay those connection fees.
Dorothy Brandenburg, a spokesperson for Rockton Thruway residents opposed to the mine, later told The Voice she thought it was risky for the town to free up a half million gallons.
“To clear 500,000 (gallons) when they’re already discussing other means of getting water into the county seems slightly irresponsible,” Brandenburg said, “especially given that they cannot state how much after the development of the quarry they would be using. Ballpark 50-60 percent – well if they don’t find the water they’ll be needing are they going to keep using that or will they be using less?”
Brandenburg said she would like to see WCS provide additional information, and Council made no decision on the request Tuesday night. Gaddy told Creed Council would discuss the request at their next meeting, on Jan. 20.
Taps
True to his word when he told Blythewood Town Council last week that Winnsboro would mete out as many taps as possible to help developers in northeastern Richland County phase projects in, Gaddy and Council gave the OK Tuesday to 100 taps over the next two years to Red Gate Development’s project at Blythewood Road and Syrup Mill and Muller roads.
“I assured Blythewood we would try to do everything we can to accommodate as many developers as we can,” Gaddy told Council Tuesday.
Gaddy suggested that Council set a time limit for Red Gate to put those taps to use, which John Fantry, Winnsboro’s attorney for water and utility issues, said should be covered under Red Gate’s development agreement. At Fantry’s suggestion, Council approved the willingness to serve resolution contingent upon the development agreement.
Council gave the same consideration to Fowler Realty’s request for 30 taps for a development on Langford Road.
