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Parks committee updates: Martin Marietta quarry, Edgewater Park cat colony and ARPA-funded backlog work
Summary
Council committee reported on a possible lease extension request from Martin Marietta for a city-leased rock quarry, a plan to humanely manage a long-standing cat colony at Edgewater Park, and the parks department’s prioritized list of ARPA-funded maintenance projects.
Council member Brock Smith reported Jan. 22 on a Parks and Enrichment Services Committee session that reviewed Martin Marietta’s operations at a rock quarry inside Mount Vernon city limits, a planned cat-colony management approach for Edgewater Park, and planned use of remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for park maintenance.
Nut graf: The quarry, operating since at least 1949 on land largely owned by the city and leased to Martin Marietta, produces crushed rock and revetment stone used for flood management. Committee members said the quarry’s 2018 10-year lease yields a city royalty of about $0.70 per ton and roughly $200,000 per year in revenue. The operator indicated more material likely remains and may request a five-year lease extension under contract rights.
Brock Smith said the committee recommended council consider future highest-and-best uses for the roughly 12 acres at the south end of Mount Vernon once mining ceases, and to weigh those options against the operator’s request for more mining time. "The operators do believe there is more material to mine than can be completed by 2028 at the end of the 10 year term," he told the council.
Parks Director Jennifer Burner presented a plan to humanely manage a decades-old cat colony at Edgewater Park. The plan includes public education on feeding and dumping of cats, trap-neuter-return of existing cats, and shifting the colony farther from playground areas toward the boat ramp. Burner told council the shift aims to reduce human–animal conflicts while maintaining humane care for the cats.
Committee members also reviewed a long list of deferred maintenance and equipment needs the parks department proposed funding with remaining ARPA allocations. The department presented a prioritized backlog covering equipment, deferred maintenance and facility improvements; committee members thanked staff for the work and encouraged public input on future use of the quarry property.
