Dear Editor,
In response to the Putnam Stone paid advertisement in the May 14 Eatonton Messenger titled “Smaller Quarry, Big Benefits,” my reply is simple: “No Quarry, Bigger Benefits.”
Citizens should understand that reducing the size of the quarry does nothing to reduce traffic and road damage, reduce noise, protect groundwater from blasting, or prevent toxic granite dust from spreading throughout the area.
Cutting the quarry operation by 62% merely shortens the length of time the quarry would operate. Instead of the company’s original estimate of 50 to 75 years, Eatonton and Lake Country would “only” endure damage to the land and environment for 31 to 46.5 years.
Quarry owners call this a “big benefit.” It is only a benefit to them — and a major harm to the rest of us. The large buffer zone they cite is ineffective against the kinds of impacts quarry operations create. Traffic will increase, roads will deteriorate, and pollution will occur, buffer or no buffer.
The estimates regarding potential jobs and tax revenue seem to shift with each advertisement. They are never fully explained, only presented as fact. What is factual, however, is that quarries owned by Lannon Stone, the predecessor to Putnam Stone, quickly became highly automated and operated by minimal staff.
The most troubling misrepresentation is the claim that “the quarry project fits the spirit, purpose, and intent of the county’s Comprehensive Plan,” supposedly determined by “neutral consultants” hired by the company.
In reality, it was precisely because the quarry proposal did not fit the spirit, purpose, and intent of the county’s Comprehensive Plan that Putnam County’s professional administrative staff issued a recommendation against rezoning the property. Rezoning decisions should consider the best use of the land, the community's needs, and the potential negative impacts on the community. County staff concluded that a quarry failed to meet those standards and several other important criteria.
Whose judgment should Putnam citizens trust: consultants hired by the quarry company, or the county staff charged with protecting the well-being of Putnam County and making recommendations based on facts?
Most importantly, once the land is rezoned, the county loses oversight over how the property is used, how operations are conducted, and what harms may result. Nothing would prevent the quarry from expanding in the future.
Once it’s rezoned, it’s rezoned.
Kathy Wardlaw
Eatonton