Application to expand quarry near Dalhousie draws opposition

A request for a hearing on a proposed quarry expansion by Strack Excavating will be considered today by the Missouri Land Reclamation Commission in Jefferson City.

The company also has plans for a new surface mining operation on 50 acres it recently purchased along County Road 601 in Fruitland.

A hearing on the expansion permit application at Strack Excavating's limestone quarry at 5120 State Highway 74, near the Dalhousie subdivision in Cape Girardeau, was requested by more than 30 area property owners.

Strack is asking the commission for permission to expand the existing 10-acre quarry's east boundary by four acres. If the expansion is approved, Strack Excavation plans to operate in the area until the year 2035, according to its application.

According to Missouri Department of Natural Resources records, more than 30 residents signed a petition opposing Strack's expansion plans and requesting a public meeting and formal hearing be held to provide them the opportunity to voice concerns. In addition to the petition, letters were received from residents and one business in the area.

Issues raised in the letters included air pollution, dust control, structural damage to local homes as a result of vibrations from blasting, declines in property values and noise pollution.

Strack notified the commission that he declined to hold a local public meeting, so the next step in the permitting process is to set a date for a formal hearing before the commission. The Department of Natural Resources does not have any jurisdiction to address concerns related to blasting or mining in a developed residential area where local planning and zoning does not exist, wrote Mike Larsen, staff director for the department's Land Reclamation Program, in a letter to the commission. Property values and noise pollution concerns are also out of its scope, he said.

J.W. Strack, owner of Strack Excavating, could not be immediately reached for comment.

If a hearing is granted, all parties are to be represented by lawyers and scientific evidence to support the claims of those opposed to the expansion must be presented, Larsen said.

mmiller@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent Address:

5120 State Highway 74, Cape Girardeau, MO