Quarry Opponents Put County Council on Notice

WINNSBORO (July 7, 2016) – Members of “Citizens Against the Quarry” came out to the June 27 Fairfield County Council meeting to make sure that the Council was aware of its responsibilities for regulating the proposed Winnsboro Crushed Stone quarry operation.

In a public presentation to the Council, Citizens Against the Quarry member Lisa Brandenburg said that while the group had won six concessions from the S.C. Mining Council pertaining to their concerns about Winnsboro Crushed Stone and the proposed quarry operation, Council should be aware that many issues remain unresolved – issues that are beyond the jurisdiction of the Mining Council but that are under the privy of the Fairfield County Council.

These issues include:

• Safety and economic concerns related to heavy quarry trucks on Highway 34 that will impact traffic congestion, road conditions, the railroad crossing, school buses interaction with quarry trucks, and emergency response time;

• That the ownership of Winnsboro Crushed Stone be identified and made public, with any changes in ownership be re-permitted through the County and citizens informed;

• That Town of Winnsboro water access be required to be brought under the railroad track prior to any construction;

• A public hearing should be held prior to any mining expansion in the Middlesex Future Reserve ;

• A requirement that Winnsboro Crushed Stone provide all monitoring reports to the County Council for publication on the county website;

• Two additional monitoring stations on Lake Wateree and signage to prevent trucks on the citizen’s portion of Rockton Thruway.

The group also wanted to know how the County application process addressed air quality, noise concerns, hours of operation and the displacement of 934 acres of wildlife.

“These remaining issues clearly rest with County Council,” Brandenburg said in the prepared statement. “We look forward to being informed of how these last critical issues will be resolved prior to allowing Winnsboro Crushed Stone to operate.”

Courthouse

In other business, Council also approved a motion put forward by Vice-Chairman Kamau Marcharia (District 4), that it accept the recommendation of the Ad Hoc Courthouse Committee for the proposed site for the Courthouse, and to authorize the County Administrator to get a proposal from Meade and Hunt to modify the plans they had previously drawn up for the Hon Building.

Chairwoman Carolyn Robinson (District 2) said the site, which is on 1.5 half acres owned by the County, was on S. Congress Street next to the First Citizen’s Bank in Winnsboro.

But, she said, this is just the first step if Council approves.

“We can’t do anything on our own,” Robinson said. “The Courthouse is controlled by the clerk (of Court), Chief Judge and the Chief Justice of the state Supreme Court. We have to get the blessings of those three individuals before we can go any further.”

 

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