www.aggregateresearch.com - Latest industry news on Aggregates, Asphalt, Cement, Concrete and more. Yahara Materials, a mining company that was denied approval of a proposed Windsor, Wisconsin, quarry 15 years ago has come back with a new plan in hopes of operating a mineral extraction site in the same location.
Yahara Materials of Waunakee is seeking town board approval to operate a limestone quarry in an agricultural area west of Highway C between Vinburn and Windsor Roads.
The company says the farmland’s 84 acres contain a reserve of high-quality aggregate materials, which would be repurposed as construction material, such as concrete and asphalt.
“There are few remaining deposits of aggregate that meet the specifications of the Department of Transportation,” Yahara Materials manager Tim Geoghegan said. “They have changed over the years and we now need a much higher grade to meet DOT specifications.”
The plan first went through the town review process in 1999, ultimately failing to secure approval from the board by one vote. “We’re coming back with it and have changed some things in our plan,” Geoghegan said.
The plan includes three phases of development over 25 years, beginning operation in the spring of 2015. Top soil and clay can be accessed at three to four feet below ground, while limestone sits at about 60 to 70 feet deep. Geoghegan said the land will be reclaimed at the end of each phase.
Geoghegan said the company will take measures to mitigate potential issues with traffic and dust, including monitoring truck speeds, covering all trucks with tarp and paving the access road to reduce dust. Its location off of a county highway would lessen the burden on town roads, he added.
Hours of operation would be within 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, with blasting hours limited to 8am to 2pm. Before each blast, photographs will be taken of the all structures within a half mile of quarry and notice will be given 24-hours in advance.
project plan includes the installation of a landscaped berm to serve as a buffer, hiding the quarry from view of neighboring property owners and drivers on the road.
The town plan commission recommended approval of a conditional use permit at an August 19 meeting for
Yahara Materials to operate the quarry. But Token Creek Conservancy Committee members denied recommendation of a permit at their meeting Tuesday, requesting a formal study on the quarry’s potential effects on the conservancy’s springs.