More Fuzzy Math

The Citizens Against the McMinn Co. Quarry met last Thursday and one of our members pointed out some extreme inconsistencies between the quarry developers' TDEC Application (NPDES) and their TDOT Application (to receive a TAXPAYER-funded driveway from their quarry to Bowater Road/Hwy. 163).

Both TDEC and TDOT may wonder if these are, in fact, applications for the same quarry. The responses are so different that we are not sure which numbers to follow.

The inconsistencies here show a lack of attention to detail at best (not ideal when you are talking about blasting out 1,500,000 tons of rock from the side of a mountain every year) and, at worst, an attempt to deceive the citizens of Calhoun and McMinn County as to how many jobs will be produced and hide from residents the truth about just how many trucks are going to travel up and down Bowater Road every day.

Here are the highlighted discrepancies:

1. Let's start with Applicant/Developer's name/entity

TDEC - listed as East TN Materials, LLC (p. 1 and 3) and Calhoun Materials (p. 47)

TDOT - listed as Avenrock Materials (p. 13)

In addition, Tim Townhill, who is listed as the Managing Member in the TDEC Application, is also an Executive Vice President, Business Development of a company called VantaCore (see below link; Townhill's name is listed in last paragraph).

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vantacore-partners-lp-announces-its-formation-and-tennessee-quarry-and-asphalt-acquisitions-58572122.html

Finally, Scott Alexander who is a partner of Tim Townhill's in East TN Materials/Avenrock is current President and CEO of Johnson Construction Materials in Indianapolis.

Who are we supposed to contact if we have an issue with the quarry? God-forbid someone has an accident or there is flooding in the quarry, etc. or people's foundation's are cracked and need help from the quarry? We're not sure who we are supposed to call.

2. Truck Traffic

Our committee estimated 264 trucks per day based on the TDEC application's estimate of the amount of rock quarried out of the site; developers didn't dispute our numbers at the Calhoun City Commission Meeting on Sep. 13, 2010.

TDOT - It's no wonder the developers didn't dispute our estimates because in their application for the SIA program under TDOT, the developers estimated 375 trucks per year (p. 13)

With the heavy logging traffic on Bowater Road (Hwy. 163) already coming from the Bowater plant, adding 375 trucks per day to this winding, hilly stretch of highway is a safety nightmare and a disaster waiting to happen. There have been numerous accidents and traffic fatalities on this stretch of road in recent years. We cannot imagine that TDOT will authorize the quarry to operate using Bowater Road.

3. Employment

TDEC - 10 (p. 24)

McMinn Co. Commission Meeting 8/16/2010 - 20 (Daily Post Athenian Article 8/17/2010)

Calhoun City Commission Meeting 9/13/2010 - 10-15 initially; 60 permanent jobs

TDOT - 25 initially; 50 in Year 5 (p. 13)

Ironic that the employment number continues to increase as opposition in the community continues to grow.

4. Tonnage of Rock Quarried Annually

TDEC - 1,250,000 tons per year (p. 25)

TDOT - 1,500,000 tons per year (Project Overview after p. 18)

Calhoun City Commission Meeting 9/13/2010 - 600,000 tons per year

During the Calhoun City Commission meeting on Sep. 13, 2010, Scott Alexander of Avenrock Materials stated that the amount of rock to be pulled out was likely closer to 600,000 tons per year and that the 1.25 million was the maximum amount that the developers anticipated extracting each year. So why on the later TDOT application has that number moved up to 1.5 million?

5. Nature of Business

TDEC - Limestone quarrying, hauling, crushing, stockpiling and sales (p. 8)

TDOT - integrated manufacturing facility which will produce ready-mix concrete, asphalt, pre-cast concrete pipe/block/forms and manufacture material for use in general construction (Project Overview after p. 18)

Our guess is that this use change occurred because to be eligible for the SIA program through TDOT, a road must be providing access to an industry site or industrial park. Industrial use would be defined more precisely as an entity that produces a product - not a quarry that simply hauls out and crushes limestone, yet produces nothing.