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Translate this page An open letter to citizens of TemeculaFriday, July 11th, 2008 Issue 28, Volume 12.
Granite Construction claims that our area needs the aggregate that would be mined from this quarry to use for the local improvement of highways 76, 15 and 5. However, they have already begun their work at Rosemary’s Mountain at the intersection of highways 15 and 76, and this mine will be in operation for 20 years. I’m sure that it will provide an adequate supply of aggregate for our area. We do not need the Liberty Quarry mine, which would be the largest open-pit mine in the United States, be in operation for 75 years and leave a pit that is as deep as the Empire State Building and a mile long and a quarter of a mile wide. Granite Construction claims the traffic would be lessened because not so many trucks would have to travel from the north to our area; however, they Advertisement Not only would people in our area be accosted with daily blasting, the air would have the additional contaminants of silica dust, diesel fumes from the 1,400 trucks and asphalt fumes from the on-site asphalt plants. These contaminants have been proven to be dangerous to people’s health, especially children and the elderly. When the 2.2 million tax dollars the quarry would generate for Riverside County and the $6.1 million for the state is spread over the 75 years the mine would be in operation, the annual tax income from this proposed mine would be under $30,000 to the county and barely over $81,000 to the state. However, Granite Construction would make billions of dollars, and that bottom line is what is driving this company to spend as much as necessary to create a favorable public image. The Temecula residents get bombarded daily with TV and newspaper advertisements touting the wonderful advantages of Liberty Quarry. I see no advantages to local homeowners. Do you?
Marilee Ragland Rainbow 18 comments
The reason you don't see any advantages to local homeowners is because there are none.
This is not the only quarry that Granite Construction has opened and i'm sure it won't be the last. Granite is world wide and they have quarries everywhere and with that there are employees that live close so they can work there. You all don't realize the benefit on having this quarry here. Where eles do you think you get concrete for your patio's, sidewalks, driveways? what about the roads you drive on? where do you think the material comes from? Why should us homeowners pay such a high price for material to be delivered to our homes from a far away quarry. This quarry is so needed here for all the building that is going on here. People wake up and see what is going on, you that complain about having a quarry here, make sure you don't do any concrete or asphalt or rock decorating on your property, because all of that stuff comes from quarries..... duh....
Janet - have you heard of lung cancer ? silica dust is also stuff that comes from quarries......duh.......
Janet ,perhaps Granite Construction could mine the rocks in your head. I grew up in Irwindale Ca. Go take a look at that area now. It's a tomb like dusty, noisy, low income area that once was home to the creeks, trees, rolling hills and wildlife just like this area. There's enough aggregate locally for forty years. Do your homework Janet. Liberty is pissing down your leg and telling you it's drinking water.
Mark, please document the rise of lung cancer deaths as associated with nearby quarrys. Your data will need to be shown or you'll be tagg'd a uninformed SOS member, and your credibility stripped.
We should demand that Granite include concrete and asphalt recycling in their operations at this Liberty Quarry. This could help reduce the amount of new rock they have to mine and keep our land fills free from the broken concrete and asphalt that can be reused in place of the new rock products.
Even as far away as Anza, we realize what an impact this quarry wil have. The offshore winds will bring all that dust up here and it will just sit here in Anza valley, trapped by the Mt. San Jacinto mountains. Unfortunately, there aren't enough of us up here to make a difference, so the people of Temecula, Fallbrook, etc. need to take a firm stand! Tricia Greenbaum Dry Creek Alpacas
For years you people have been breathing the dust particles and exhaust from the construction vehicles as they have been grading thousands of square acres to make way for all these houses. The cloud sits over the whole valley. How do you think your homes got built? Those of us who have lived here for years had to breath all that in. Were we happy? No but we STFU so you could enjoy this too. Do us all a favor and don't just be spoon fed your facts from either side. Look into them yourselves and ask questions. All I'm saying is that facts I hear on one side are pretty darn innacurate.
The only fact I need to know is the fact that I don't want an open pit mine near my home and city. Period. I don't care how much Granite sugar coats their facts. A simple google search will show you other cities in the same battle, and what happens when those cities lost that battle or didnt battle at all.
Again, SOS shows up to the fight without any facts. Sad, isn't it?
There is a granite quarry less than three miles from where I have lived for 18 years. Should I be concerned about radiation and silica dust? Until recently I didn't realize that qranite was a problem; I am waking up a little late. However, I have noticed a very fine grey dust collects and clogs up my vacum, I have saved some of this dust. I thought it was the old carpet shedding that my landlady has refused for 18 years to replace. Do you know the best place to have it tested near Norcross, GA?
Jake must spend his entire day reading coments directed at the Quarry. In case you're interested Jake, a young man from Fallbrook died a few years ago of acute Silicosis associated with the granite countertop industry. Since I don't have permission I cannot give you his name. Since you're so in love with quarries perhaps you would be interested in buying a house in Redhawk. That way you could sit in the dustbowl that exists downwind of the proposed quarry site. It sounds certain from your diatribes that you would enjoy having your lungs filled with that garbage! And when you came down with silicosis you could go up to Gary Johnson, shake his hand, and thank him for the wonderful disease he and Granite Construction had foisted on you.
Yes, the case of the young man dying from silicosis is a very emotional story. however, it happened in a manufacturing facility where there is grinding of the countertops and they should have provided proper masks. And, how long ago was that? Were there OSHA laws then? This is TOTALLY different. The mine would not be producing dust that small. And the blasting is being done underground. Then it comes up into a bagging house. It's not even in the open air. Don't be taken in by drama and hype. There aren't any cases of silicosis around ANY of the quarries that Granite operates. Why would they allow thousands of homes to be built around the Indio quarry, which is open pit? Don't believe all the hype and conspiracy theories. The fact is that these quarries exist all over the place. We need them. PS I don't have any affiliation with Granite. I've just researched it and visited all the sites myself.
Perhaps, Mythbuster, you s;hould h ave been at that meeting two years ago, You would have heard that the company did supply what OSHA considered adequate protection. Perhaps you would have heard the anquish in the voice of a father who had lost his son only recently, long after OSHA had been involved in industrial regulations. Peerhaps you should learn more about the Indio quarry. All the housing is upwind from the quarry. And at Indio they do not have to blast. Peerhaps you should do an Internet search on Silicosis. The most frequent cause is Granite Quarrying. Perhaps you should visit a real quarry. I have been in one and the blasting, crushing, loading and truck traffic stir up huge quantities of dust the size responsible for Silicosis. A visit to Indio will give you almost no knowledge regarding a quarry like the proposed "Liberty Quarry." I'd advise you to get a little knowledge before exposing your ignorance! 
Pardon the typos in the former submission. As I was in a hurry for other reasons I didn't check, as I should have, for these errors. My mistake.
Wow! After reading through some of the comments above, all I can think about is people thinking about themselves and what's in it for them?? Honestly, this quarry is like taking a football stadium (riser seats/and field) and burrowing it right down into the moutain. Unless you owned a plane/helicopter, there's hardly no way you'd even know it's THERE! Everyone has driven by the 91/15frwy. transition---- 605/10frwy. transition at somtime in there life, "Yes" and seen the mines!! But, this quarry is not like the old days/ways of doing mines. Back then, they did'nt have all the laws/rules/and concerns like we do today. Today, we have people that care "like Granite does"! As much as we love this place we all call home--Granite cares about our concerns. They have to! Because I'm sure that there will always be some type of governing body looking over their shoulder.....
I haven't been on this site for some time, but it is evident that Catman is exposing his ignorance. Blasting sends huge plumes of micro-particulate silica high into the air - right into the path of the prevailing wind. Even the EIR report from the company hired by Granite Construction notes that there will be "signficant" particulate silical carried downwind. This is to be an open pit quarry, most definitely not "underground," as you claim.And as for Granite Construction company caring for the community, Catman, get a life. Granite cares only about their bottom line and a visit to any of their quarries requiring blasting, or their crushers, will reveal just how little Granite cares for the surrounding environment/populace. Why do you think that, when you Google Granite Construction company + volations you get over 31,000 hits?
i'm not a scientist nor do i have any medical or environmental education, but i do know this much. when you blow stuff up, it creates little pieces from big pieces and dust. if you do this where there is wind, it blows all over the place. since the quarry would be downwind, it would blow all over where i live. i don't want that. seems like a whole bunch of other folks don't want that either. and i really don't care if the granite / aggregate would cost more if it has to come from farther away. go ahead and charge more, i don't care. i just don't want that crap blowing all over where i live. and i darn sure don't want to be hearing explosions all the doggone time either. simple enough for ya? why is it so hard to understand? |
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