Mr. Walters, I have read your letter (The Eatonton Messenger, pg. A5, June 11, 2026) and have some additions and corrections to make. I’m glad you have a job hauling rock in and out of quarries across Georgia. My husband does the same job and disagrees with your statements.
As a truck driver, you know we have about six quarries within 30 or so miles of Putnam County. And I am sure you also know that Putnam benefits directly with taxes only if the rock is delivered here. You also mentioned that loading time ends at four o’clock; however, I think the main issue is that between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., truck traffic will be astronomical.
Based on the numbers from other local quarries, there will eventually be about 200 unloaded trucks entering the quarry and then leaving fully loaded. That would be about 400 trips per day, and this does not include the log trucks making their rounds.
I’m sure you are also aware that reconstructing one mile of road costs upwards of $1 million, and repaving one mile costs around $200,000 to $350,000. That will be very expensive, and the county will be responsible. That means that my taxes, your taxes, and everyone in the county will be paying for this.
Then there’s the dust problem. The paved roads in and out, tire washes, and 1,000 feet of pavement before merging on Dennis Station Road would control only about 20% of the dust. The other 80% would come from the blasting, crushing, and hauling throughout the site. I am fully aware that water is used to TRY to control the dust. However, as you can clearly see when driving past many other quarries, this fails most of the time. Silica-containing dust can travel several miles with a 10-mile-per-hour wind.
You also mentioned that the location on the south side would allow trucks to avoid traveling through the county. Are you saying you will only deliver to the south end of the county? The trucks will be traveling throughout Putnam to reach their destinations. Getting stone and gravel is very expensive, no matter how you look at it.
You know as well as I do that citizens will not be saving any money on their rock purchases. When you quote a delivery, you’re not going to charge less money just because it’s “closer.” It’s not going to happen. Think what you want, but you will just be pocketing the extra money you make off a load.
But the biggest issue you have failed to mention is the effect it will have on so many living in the area; the horrible damage it will do to the creeks and tributaries that feed directly into our beautiful Lake Sinclair, just two miles away. The family farm relies on hay deliveries to support the family. Plus, the residential wells that people rely on for their drinking water could run dry or be contaminated with heavy metals or even worse, radium, radon, or uranium.
You also mentioned nothing about local families raising young children or people with major health issues. There are also elderly men and women, along with veterans with PTSD. Can you imagine how they will cope with the noise?
When the last application for a quarry was denied many years ago, they wanted to use the railroad alongside Dennis Station Road. This company could do the same and use it to haul rock out of the county or even the state, eliminating any tax benefits for Putnam County. This would also mean trucks and cars backed up, waiting for trains to pass, at two crossings of Dennis Station Road. That in itself would cause dangerous congestion on this small county road. I understand Putnam County needs local jobs, but the only jobs created would be for private or contracted truck drivers and a few on-site employees.
That would be all who would benefit from such a massive, destructive, and environmentally unfriendly industrial granite mining operation. Again, I will say we do not need a massive rock quarry in Putnam County.
Adrian Hulsey Dennis Station Road