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Homeowners Against Quarry Expansion In Springdale

SPRINGDALE, Ark. (KFSM) — Homeowners are worried a proposed rock quarry expansion in Northwest Arkansas will bring all of that blasting close to their backyards...

SPRINGDALE, Ark. (KFSM) — Homeowners are worried a proposed rock quarry expansion in Northwest Arkansas will bring all of that blasting close to their backyards.

They sounded off at a meeting Thursday (Jan. 9) in Springdale.

The Washington County planning board will soon meet to review a permit that homeowners near Sonora Road in Springdale say could have a big impact on their livelihood.

People who live along Sonora Road gathered at the meeting to rally against the proposed expansion of the Hunt Rogers Material Quarry.

“We have been in a situation where we’ve really felt like we are in the dark,” resident Alex Gough said.

The quarry produces construction materials including gravel and crushed rock. Over 100 people showed up at Sonora Baptist Church sharing concerns on what the large quarry expansions could bring.

“A negative high impact of property values a negative high impact on environmental issues and a negative high impact on economic issues for us as well as a deterioration of the roads as we’ve already seen,” said resident Brett Ralston.

While the impacts may seem limited to neighbors close to the worksite. One homeowner says the effects could be more widespread.

“It's going to be within the protected watershed of Beaver Lake which is the entire region's drinking water and we want to make sure that the environmental effects are actually weighed and measured,” Gough said.

"As the area has grown, demand for building materials has increased, necessitating the expansion of the quarry to ensure that public works agencies, road builders and building contractors have the quality materials they need for the foreseeable future. There will not be a notable increase of traffic or activity from this expansion, but we are reaching out to local residents and elected officials to address their concerns directly," said Tom Kenley, Rogers Group Inc. Spokesperson.

At the end of the day, residents at the meeting let their voices be heard to preserve the places they call home.

“We moved out here because it's beautiful, it's right off the lake and somehow over the years this has been allowed to continue and expand to the point where its really feeling less like home,” Gough said.

The board’s meeting is scheduled at the Washington County Courthouse for 5 p.m. on Jan. 23.

The people who live near the quarry plan to pass out flyers, write letters and make phone calls to officials leading up to the meeting at the end of the month.

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