Residents meet on Painted Rock Mine

On May 22, an impromptu meeting regarding the Painted Rock Mine Project was held at Toni Court roundabout.  

Approximately 40 members of the community met to discuss the effect the project would have on the Johnson Lane community.  If you are unfamiliar with the project, please go to www.protect-johnson-lane--stop-gravel-pit.com. In a quick summary, this project would create a gravel quarry located off Sunrise Pass Road where the famed Painted Rock sets on the left of the road. 

The parcel is owned by a trustee and is managed under the authority of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The trustee has entered into an agreement with Knox Excavation to mine the parcel for the next 35-40 years.

The group meeting at Toni Court Roundabout is adamantly opposed to the route that has been proposed by Knox Excavation in their Environment Assessment. One of the eye-opening statements I gathered from the meeting was that the majority of the trucks hauling the gravel may not be operated or controlled by Knox Excavation.  Knox will operate the site; the haulers will not be subject to any controls set down by Knox Excavation.  

Many of the residents brought up several points of contention regarding the Environmental Assessment. One concerned the noise level where the assessment indicates the noise of a heavy truck is just 1.5 decibels over that of a regular large semi-truck. A.J. brought up the fact that it doesn’t address the reality of the frequency of 170 trucks accumulated over the span of 12 hours which is the issue not the singular noise of one truck.  Public safety is seen as a key issue by the residents; but saw little, if any, mitigation in the Environmental Assessment. The BIA is only looking at the site itself and not the route and impact it would have on the community. A.J. spoke to the school district about the school bus stops along the route. After many attempts the answer received was that the district would simply move the bus stops off Johnson Lane. Additionally, it was expressed that another safety concern is the mix of heavy trucks with recreational vehicles such as dirt bikes and side by sides operating in the BLM. It is very likely that such an accident would result in a fatality. 

Several other concerns were presented including the damage to the Johnson Lane roadway and the intersection at 395, which was not designed considering large heavy trucks accessing the acceleration lane. There have been several fatalities along 395 recently and it is feared that 170 trucks, per day, will exponentially increase the dangers of vehicles navigating that intersection. Ron Conway spoke at the BOCC meeting regarding the designations of Johnson Lane as a collector road. Mr. Conway stated Johnson Lane between Fremont and the entrance to the BLM, “is not classified by the State whatsoever.” Moreover, he indicated the Board has the authority to limit the weight and access along that section of the route. He gave numerous examples of other roads in the county that do in fact have such limits. Additionally, there was a large concern that home values would be negatively impacted by the quarry operation. This would especially be true of the homeowners located directly on Johnson Lane and near the mining operation.

The meeting lasted nearly 2 two hours. Thankfully there were cookies, brownies, and iced tea. The question is what comes next? The public comment ends 11:59 p.m. May 31. If you should see this article, please go to the website http://paintedrockmineea.com/contact-us and leave your comment. Please be sensible and not emotional. 

One plan of action would be to seek the assistance of a law firm to bring a suit to demand the route be changed out of our residential area. 

Residents are up in arms about the fact that the county doesn’t believe they can do anything to stop the truck route through Johnson Lane. 

I didn’t hear anyone state anything derogatory or racist towards the trustees themselves. The residents want the route changed away from Johnson Lane and are not trying to stop the operation of the site itself. The EA has stated that the establishment of alternate routes are not economically feasible for the applicant. In the County’s reply to the BIA, they are asking for an alternative route to be established.  It is not incumbent upon the residents of the Johnson Lane community, residents of the county or the county itself, to make this business venture economically feasible.

What can you do? Go to the Painted Rock Website and provide your comments. Additionally, email the county staff and Commissioners, and contact Congressional representatives to communicate your concerns and issues with the routing of this project. 

Thank you for sharing a few moments with me. Please send any announcements or organization information to Johnsonlanejournal@outlook.com.