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Luck Stone request OK'd
Luck Stone will expand mining at Smith Station Road plant
Date published: 6/16/2009
By DAN TELVOCK Spotsylvania supervisors approved a special-use permit last week that will allow Luck Stone to expand mining operations at its Smith Station Road plant. Luck Stone Real Estate Manager Mark Vigil said at the June 9 public hearing that Luck Stone needs the additional 28 acres to extract more stone on its property. He also said the shape of the existing pit makes it difficult to work, and the additional land will give the pit a more circular shape. Another benefit will be the creation of a second lane for truck traffic into the facility, he said. The property is on the west side of Smith Station Road, near Spotsylvania Parkway. The land is currently used as a storage area for the stone. Supervisors approved the application on a 6-1 vote, with Supervisor T.C. Waddy opposed. Waddy questioned why Luck Stone closed its Louisa plant and temporarily shut down its Massaponax plant, which he supported even though he had constituents who were concerned about the blasting. "I just got concerns why you keep moving and don't use the sites we approve," he said. Vigil said there were quality issues at the Louisa site that forced its closing, and the Massaponax site will re-open once the economy improves. He said Luck Stone was once supplying 2 million tons of stone a year, but production has dropped. "There just really isn't a need to operate both of those plants efficiently at this time," he said. The Planning Commission recommended denial of the special-use permit, but the members were not very clear on why they did not support it. Planning staff said one concern some planners had was that adjacent property owners might not approve of the expansion. Vigil said that since that meeting, company executives have spoken with nearby homeowners associations and property owners. He said the company came away with positive feedback. Supervisor Emmitt Marshall also said that many of the concerns that the planning commissioners had were resolved. Luck Stone agreed to restrict ground vibration from blasting to 0.5 inches per second at the nearest existing home, which is twice as restrictive as the state requirement. Supervisor Hap Connors said Luck Stone is a good corporate citizen and he appreciated the steps the company took with the public. Supervisor Gary Skinner also praised the company. "I have a lot of respect for Luck Stone," he said. "I've talked to a lot of the top executives and I believe what they say." Dan Telvock: 540/374-5438
Read more stories about Spotsylvania Date published: 6/16/2009
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