Proposed Limestone Quarry

[DogDiver]

Friends and divers, I need your help. When I returned home from the CDS workshop I noticed a hand written sign on the property near mine. Suwannee County zoning hearing on a proposed limestone quarry to be located on SR 247 and the intersection of county road 256. (this is one mile south of Beachville) This proposed site is only 7 miles from Little River Spring! I contacted Jim Stevenson, a presenter at the CDS Workshop and this is the eMail he returned.

Ken:

I’m glad that you learned of this before the mine is approved so you may be able to delay or stop it. I will be out of state next week and not able to attend.

There is no recourse except public outcry. You need to have as many people as possible present to protest. Property owners near the proposed mine are most important. Blasting will likely affect their wells. Property owners in close proximity to the mine have the most to lose. They are tax payers and voters so they carry the most weight at county commission meetings. You and other divers should inform the commissioners about possible caves in that karst area.

Tell them that the state of Florida had to buy the mine 3.5 miles north of Ichetucknee Springs to protect the springs and river from the mining operation. The wells and house foundations of homes in the vicinity of the mine were damaged by blasting.

Good luck.

Jim



The zoning hearing will be Thursday May 28, 2009 at the city hall in Live Oak at 6:30 PM. Please try to help me stop this mine before it has a chance to start. This will impact Little River Spring!!!

I have emailed the zoning board, and I will be at the meeting. Please help us!

[Kelly Jessop]

Do you have a fax/e-mail for the parties conducting the hearing so us out of state people can send a response?

[DogDiver]

this is the only email on the site...Ken

To provide quality service regarding land information, land use, and fair regulation of Suwannee County land use ordinances. The overall goal of this department is to protect the natural resources of Suwannee County.

The Suwannee County Planning and Zoning and Land Information Department handles a variety of land use and development issues. This department protects Suwannee County's natural resources through the administration and enforcement of land management ordinances. Sanitary and land use permits are issued from this department.



Land information is managed and updated utilizing a relatively new computer technology, Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Many digital land information data layers were compiled and created in the last five years by this department. This information is located in an accessible and easy to use computerized format both in-house and on the internet.

Suwannee County GIS Maps

For additional information, please contact 386.364.3400 or planning@suwcounty.org

[imdown]

Sent my email to the planning commision!

[CynthiaP]

In the local paper, Suwannee Democrat Wednesday June 17, 2009

BULLETIN: No lime rock mine for Beachville

By Jeff Waters, Democrat Reporter

The proposed lime rock mine in the south end of Suwannee County is off the table for now, according to a letter from GTC Design Group, which was overseeing the project. County commissioners were going to vote on allowing the mine at Tuesday night's commission meeting.

C.A. Boone Construction of Lake City wanted to purchase 62 acres located near 256th Street and SR 247 in Beachville for the purpose of constructing the mine. The land is currently owned by former Suwannee County Commissioner and State Senator Charles Williams.

In the letter GTC said it wished to "withdraw the zoning special application for the excavation and mining operation proposed in Suwannee County. A permit is no longer being pursued with the county and the project is being suspended."

The project was a hot topic among homeowners in the area, who worried about pollution, noise and land value if the mine were constructed.

"Aaaaaah - relief," resident Tom Matthews said by email on hearing the news. "I do not know the reason for the sudden withdrawal of application. I would like to believe that Charles Williams and Jimmy Boone came to the realization that this application was already having a very detrimental impact on the well being of the neighbors and decided to not press the issue any further..... Most likely though, they realized this was not a lay down and the cost to get approval had gone up substantially. Of course the neighbors are ecstatic."

Matthews lives next to where mining would have been constructed.

The application can be submitted again at any time.