Former supervisors named in suit
deny 'improper' approval of quarry
A lawyer for Rockbridge County and three former county supervisors has formally denied allegations in a lawsuit filed against them that claims they improperly approved expansion of a local quarry.
The response to the suit was filed in Rockbridge County Circuit Court by Jim Guynn, a lawyer representing the county, Monty Fix, Maynard Reynolds and Harvey Hotinger. The three former supervisors were defeated in November, but before they left office they voted to approve a 45-acre expansion of Charles W. Barger’s quarry between U.S. 60 and Old Farm Road east of Lexington.
Homeowners along Old Farm Road filed suit against the supervisors and Barger’s company late last year. The suit alleges that the three supervisors met in violation of Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act to discuss the action. It also claims that the approval process at a public meeting of the supervisors was flawed.
The county Planning Commission had recommended that supervisors approve a 10-acre expansion of the quarry. On the night the supervisors considered the recommendation, they approved instead the 45-acre proposal that Barger presented that night. Before filing the suit, homeowners objected that they had not had time to respond to it.
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