Vulcan Materials Planning Rock Quarry on Highway 59 in Lavonia

Officials with Vulcan Materials will be holding a meet and greet this afternoon for people living near their proposed rock quarry on Highway 59 just outside of Lavonia as rock and gravel quarry.

In June, Vulcan Materials closed on 225 acres that was once the site of the old Milliken plant.

Vulcan reportedly paid $3.5 million dollars for the property.

Carol Landrum is the spokeswoman for Vulcan Materials/Georgia.

Landrum confirmed to WLHR News Monday that the Company plans to put in a rock and gravel quarry on the acreage but has not yet applied to the County for any permits.

The proposed quarry is in Franklin County Commissioner Kyle Foster’s district.

Foster told WLHR News Monday the property currently is not zoned for that kind of industry and Vulcan would have to apply for a rezoning. He said he would not comment on the plan until he has more information.

The County Planning and Zoning Department is currently in the process of determining commercial and industrial zones in Franklin County and in that process, also determining what kinds of industries or commercial businesses will be allowed in those zones.

WLHR News reached out to Planning and Zoning Director Scott Delozier Monday to find out what kinds of businesses his office has determined could go on that site but we have not heard back from him as of this writing.

On their Website, Vulcan Materials said they typically put in trees to buffer noise from surrounding neighborhoods and make it their aim “to meet—and strive to exceed—all federal, state and local environmental regulations. Once again, in 2020 we maintained a citation-free environmental inspection rate of over 98%.”  Vulcan Environmental Stewardship

However, a group in Texas called Stop3009Quarry is working to prevent a Vulcan quarry that is set to be completed in Comal County.

According to the site, Vulcan Materials has filed an application for a 2.4-square mile limestone quarry in a non-industrial area of Comal County, TX with over 12,000 residents.

On their website, the group claims that in Texas alone, over 80 formal complaints have been filed with the TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) against Vulcan since 2002.  They say Vulcan’s Loop 1604 plant has cited over 35 violations of air, stormwater, and wastewater regulations during the past several years. Violations, the website said, included exceeding air pollution limits, failure to construct and maintain permanent spray bars, failure to perform benchmark monitoring, and various hazardous waste violations.

Franklin County has had two companies with less than stellar environmental records try to set up shop here. The first one succeeded. Biofuel plant Georgia Renewable Power on Highway 198 has fueled among other things, ongoing complaints from people living near the plant regarding continual noise, air, and water pollution caused by the initial burning of railroad ties and C&D materials trucked in from out of state.  Their efforts along with efforts from the Madison County Clean Power Coalition succeeded in getting the state law changed to ban burning creosote railroad ties but the other environmental hazards they say remain.

Then last spring, Pilgrim’s Pride announced plans to build a $77million rendering plant on property along I-85 and Highway 320.  Their months-long effort to get the property rezoned failed when the Board of Commissioners rejected their application citing the potential environmental hazards the plant would bring; that after a citizen-led effort to stop Pilgrims and numerous citizens voiced their concerns.

Since then, the County has revised the building codes regarding commercial and industrial zoning and is currently developing a map outlining where those kinds of businesses may locate.

This afternoon’s meet and greet takes place at 3863 Highway 59 just outside the Lavonia city limits on the old Millikin property.