Rutland Herald

Towns fear OMYA impact
March 25, 2001

By ALETHEA RENZI

Staff Writer

TINMOUTH - Residents and town officials voiced concern Saturday about the traffic and aesthetic impacts of a proposed OMYA mining operation in Danby.

Over 100 people attended a two-hour meeting of the Municipal Transportation Compact Saturday afternoon at the Tinmouth Community Center.

The major issue was whether town roads could afford to handle the amount of truck traffic OMYA has proposed for its operation.

The compact is an organization with representatives from five towns-Tinmouth, Wallingford, West Rutland, Middletown Springs and Pawlet - that are opposed to OMYA's use of the Jobe Phillips Quarry.

OMYA hopes to truck marble from the quarry to its operation in Florence, where the material would be ground into a slurry to be sold to manufacturers. The calcium carbonate is used in the making of such products as paper, paint, plastics and cleaning agents.

Residents from towns and several area legislators heard about the history of the quarry controversy and discussed the impact of OMYA trucks on town roads.

Marshall Squier, Tinmouth planning commission chairman, moderated the meeting, at which representatives from the compact's towns spoke on why they are involved, and members of the public were able to direct questions at representatives.

Tinmouth selectman Michael Fannin spoke to the crowd about the timeline of OMYA's plans so far. Fannin said OMYA has said in the past that it plans to offer no financial assistance for the upkeep of the roads.

The roads OMYA would use if it opens the quarry would include Hoisington Cross Road in Danby, to East Road in Tinmouth, to Route 140 in Wallingford, and onto Route 7 to the Florence calcium-carbonate plant.

Studies of those roads have shown they would not be able to withstand the proposed 80 truck trips a day, six days a week, Fannin said. Fully loaded trucks would weigh roughly 76,000 pounds. Fannin also expressed concern that OMYA was not heeding the wishes of the towns.

"In this democracy, if a majority doesn't want it, it's not appropriate," he said.

Wallingford Selectman Ed Crelin said his town was concerned about the aesthetic implications and quality-of-life issues associated with the quarry. Crelin said because the route OMYA wants to use through Wallingford is a town road there would be no state assistance available for repairs and upgrading.

"We joined the compact not to oppose the mine but any traffic impact that would be above and beyond what the roads are capable of handling," he said.

Robin Chestnut-Tangerman, former Middletown Springs selectman and representative to the compact, expressed concern that even though his town is not in OMYA's plans now, it could be if the company were to seek an alternate route to Florence.

West Rutland Town Manager Jason Simcock said his town is concerned that Clarendon Avenue, a possible route for OMYA's quarry trucks, could not sustain any more truck traffic than it does already.

Pawlet Selectman Robert Jones said his town is in a similar position as Middletown Springs. He also expressed concern that OMYA wasn't forthcoming with information and plans. He recalled a meeting with OMYA's chief executive officer James Reddy in the fall. Jones said Reddy "did not give us any straight answers to the questions asked at that meeting."

The selectman said the only direct answer residents received then was that OMYA would not provide any monetary kickback to the towns for their roads.

Mark Sinclair of the Conservation Law Foundation, an environmental group that has agreed to represent the compact, said he was impressed at the number of people out on a Saturday afternoon to discuss the compact.

Sinclair said that at a meeting with OMYA officials and the Agency of Transportation, OMYA said it's considering transportation alternatives such as conveyer belts, cable cars or a slurry pipeline for the Danby project.

Sinclair said the studies on those alternatives will be completed in two months and shared with the public.

Sinclair warned that the legal battles could be intense, especially because the towns are creating a new standard for dealing with truck traffic on local roads.

Sinclair also expressed concern that some legislative changes to Act 250, the state's main land-use control law, could make it more difficult for towns to participate in hearings.

Others voiced the following concerns:
Annette Smith, of Vermonters for a Clean Environment, asked if the valley the quarry is located in could be deemed a scenic designation. She said the valley is used to promote tourism in Vermont, and pointed at a picture of the Florence plant, leaning against the wall next to a picture of the valley, to show the comparison.
Gregg Casey, a water quality consultant from Tinmouth, wondered how the OMYA operation might affect water quality. "They impact quality or quantity of water for the rest of our lives," he said.
Ken Kretsch of Tinmouth questioned the benefits the operation could bring to the area. "The only one to gain is OMYA," he said. "Is this the kind of growth we want to encourage in the state of Vermont?"