County proposes Painted Rock deal

Negotiations with the proponent of a gravel pit at the top of Johnson Lane have resulted in a potential agreement that would contribute part of the proceeds to repairing the road.

The Painted Rock Mine has been the subject of four years of protests from neighbors against Knox Excavation’s proposal to mine the site on Washoe Tribal Allotment land.

County commissioners are scheduled to meet to discuss the agreement at their 10 a.m. Thursday meeting in Minden.

Under the agreement, Knox would pay the county a half-percent of its gross sales during the first five years and then decrease that to .15 percent after five years.

That money would be restricted to the construction, maintenance and improvement of Johnson Lane and Sunrise Pass Road, in addition to other areas affected by the site. Other uses would be to build a pedestrian or multi-modal path along the road, air or water testing and other impacts from the mine and truck traffic.

Negotiations began after commissioners agreed on Aug. 15 to delay approval of an ordinance banning truck traffic on the road and filed a protest of a finding of no significant impact.

According to the county, Vice Chairwoman Sharla Hales, Commissioner Mark Gardner, County Manager Jenifer Davidson and county attorneys met with Knox.

In addition to the fees, Knox would agree to limit the days and hours of operation and the use of Sunrise Pass and East Valley roads.

Trucks and equipment would have to be parked at the mine site.

The maximum annual average number of trips would be limited to 60 per day. Under the agreement, the county would withdraw its protest and not adopt the truck ban ordinance.

Both the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Land Management found no significant impact from the proposed mine on July 17.

That was two months shy of four years since county commissioners approved a similar agreement shortly after the proposal was revealed. The agreement was never signed by Knox and the approval process continued as federal agencies conducted an environmental analysis for the site.

Knox Excavating is seeking to lease 149 acres of Washoe Tribal allotment land to mine aggregate over the next 35 years.

The allotment is part of 59,275 acres issued to Washoe Tribe families by the 1895 Dawes Act.

Approximately 43 homes front and 31 homes back up to Johnson Lane, mostly along the north side of the road.

A representative for Knox pointed out that the state has a materials pit near Painted Rock. It was to access that material that the state paved the former State Route 209 in the 1970s.