Residents press Clay County commissioners over increased blasting, seismograph readings at I Decker Quarry

Residents living near the I Decker Quarry told the Clay County Board of Commissioners that repeated blasting tied to the quarry’s underground operations is shaking houses, producing visible effects inside homes and disrupting daily life.

The matter drew an hour of public comment Thursday from people who said blasts now occur two to three times a day, sometimes as early as 3:45 a.m. and at 8:30 a.m., and that vibration has caused cracking and other physical effects they believe are linked to quarry blasting. They asked the commission for help and for state-level intervention.

The dispute centers on an operation that began aboveground in 2013 and shifted to underground excavation in 2024. Neighbors told the commission they have recorded video and sought seismograph readings; I Decker representatives said they have installed and continue to operate independent monitoring and that state and federal inspectors found no violations.

Residents’ accounts and what they asked the commission to do

Neighbors, including Nathaniel Beagley, Chris McClaskey, David McClaskey, Dave Thomas and Pam Smith, described frequent blasts, dust from heavy truck traffic on Cameron Road, and unsafe driving by quarry trucks around the Highway 69 intersection. Several residents said the blasts “shake” houses and provided anecdotal demonstrations — for example, ripples forming in a bowl of water placed on a dining table during a blast.

“It's shaking my whole entire house,” said Nathaniel Beagley, who said he pays Clay County taxes and has video footage he intends to share with county staff. Chris McClaskey told commissioners that businesses considering locating nearby have backed out because sensitive electronic equipment can be affected by seismic events. David McClaskey said a seismograph that was placed near his home appeared to be intentionally located to reduce reported measurements, and he asked why residents were not receiving seismograph reports directly.

Several speakers urged the commission to press state agencies for more frequent investigations and to coordinate oversight among Mosby, Clay County and state regulators. Citizens also asked the commission to request Mosby to explain how its oversight plan will be executed and whether the county will enforce Mosby ordinances if the annexation proceeds.

How I Decker and its counsel described the operation and monitoring

Jim Bowers, attorney for I Decker Quarry, and company representatives — including Chad Heitman (director of mining) and owners Ken I Decker and Renee I Decker — said the quarry is governed by multiple regulatory layers. They told the commission the mine is inspected by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Missouri Division of Fire Safety and that those agencies had conducted inspections without finding violations.

Bowers said the quarry’s Mosby permit was issued Feb. 14, 2022, and that the operation remains within the mining plan boundaries on file with state regulators. He said MSHA inspected the mine six times in the last year (four quarterly inspections plus two complaint-driven inspections) and found no violations; DNR inspected twice this year with no violations; and that the state fire marshal inspected blasting after complaints and found no exceedances of adopted limits.

On monitoring, Bowers said I Decker installed a seismograph in 2022 operated by VibraTech and that seismograph reports are posted after each blast. Following citizen complaints, the company installed a second seismograph closer to the McClaskeys’ property (positioned as close as possible without entering private land) and lowered that unit’s trigger threshold so it would record smaller vibrations. Bowers said the lowered trigger now records many non-blast events — trains, passing cars and lawnmowers — so the number of logged “events” increased after the sensitivity change.

Bowers also told the commission that nearby landowner David Rodis had filed in May to annex approximately 89 acres to the City of Mosby to expand the quarry’s permitted area and that Mosby has scheduled an election in November on that annexation.

Where the commission said its authority lies and next steps requested

County commissioners and the county counselor clarified that Clay County’s legal authority to regulate mining operations is limited: mining is primarily overseen by state agencies and by the municipality (Mosby) where operations are permitted. Commissioners and staff encouraged residents to pursue state-level complaints and to seek meetings with state representatives and agencies. Commissioner Lawson and others said they would request additional technical information from I Decker — including distances and seismograph trigger levels — and asked the company to provide maps and exhibits used at other hearings.

Commissioner Worthington noted the commissioners do have a public role and urged the residents to use the commission’s voice to demand answers from Mosby and the state. Several commissioners said they would help facilitate contacts with state officials and urged residents to forward their videos and seismograph data to county staff for distribution to the commission and relevant agencies.

Additional factual details presented to the commission

- The quarry operated as an aboveground pit beginning in 2013 and began underground excavation in 2024. (I Decker counsel) - David Rodis filed a petition to annex about 89 acres into the City of Mosby; Mosby held a June 30 hearing and is calling a November election on the annexation. (I Decker counsel) - I Decker said MSHA inspected the mine six times in the last year and found no violations; DNR inspected twice this year with no violations; the Missouri Division of Fire Safety inspected blasting after complaints and reported no violations. (I Decker counsel) - I Decker said it installed a seismograph in 2022, and, after citizen complaints, added a second seismograph nearer to the McClaskey property and lowered its trigger threshold to record smaller vibrations; the company said lowering the trigger now records many non-blast events. (I Decker counsel) - Residents reported blasts at about 3:45 a.m. historically and now described events two to three times per day, with some blasts nearer to 8:30 a.m. (Public comments) - Residents said heavy truck traffic and dust on Cameron Road and the intersection with Highway 69 are ongoing safety concerns; some requested county help to contact MoDOT and other agencies. (Public comments)

Why the issue matters

Citizens said ongoing blasting is affecting quality of life and property values and that the operation may dissuade businesses from locating nearby. I Decker maintains that monitoring and regulatory inspections show operations are within adopted safety limits; residents said on-the-ground experience and recorded video differ from those readings and called for more and faster state involvement.

Ending

No formal action was taken by the commission at the meeting. Commissioners requested additional technical materials from I Decker (including seismograph distances and trigger settings), encouraged residents to submit their videos and data to county staff, and said they would pursue contacts with state regulators and elected representatives to seek further review or clarification.

Speakers quoted in this article appear in the meeting record and are identified in the speakers list below.