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Developers outline 60-acre initial opening and new frontage road; residents warn of wells, dust and blasting
Summary
Heritage Group representatives told the MSD Southwest Allen County board the proposed quarry would start with a roughly 60-acre opening inside a larger special-use footprint and use a new frontage road for access; residents raised concerns about groundwater impacts, silica dust, blasting and traffic.
At a special meeting dominated by public comment, representatives for the Heritage Group described zoning filings and engineering plans for a proposed quarry while residents and former district officials warned of health, traffic and groundwater risks.
Josh Neil, an attorney for the developer, said the applicant filed three zoning requests in March — two rezones (roughly 202 acres and 189 acres) and a special-use application described in his remarks as "a 500 acre application." He added: "Within that 500 acre footprint, the actual opening for the quarry initially will be 60 acres in size," and said the planned primary access would be a new frontage road paralleling Interstate 69 rather than Homestead Road.
Caleb Brown and Todd Frederick, identified as Heritage Group representatives, emphasized community outreach and regulatory compliance. Brown said the company seeks to be "a responsible, transparent, and trusted partner" and mentioned educational outreach such as field trips; Frederick said the company would donate right-of-way for a higher, wider frontage road and said company chemists would present silica sampling results at a planned April 22 public meeting.
Opponents and nearby residents disputed assurances. Fred Warner, a former school board member, told the board that quarries near schools had proved disruptive in his experience and warned of dust and safety issues for school buses. John McLaughlin, a long-time resident, raised technical concerns about lowering the hydraulic gradient and the effect on private wells; he asked what would happen 50 to 75 years after extraction. Josh Clements and other residents urged community organizing and attendance at the April 22 meeting.
The meeting closed with a board discussion and a unanimous vote to approve a resolution expressing opposition to the quarry proposal and to forward that resolution to Allen County planning and zoning bodies. The developer has scheduled a public meeting for April 22 at the Landmark Event Center, attorney Josh Neil said; county hearings on zoning and special uses are expected to follow.
