Supervisors' quarry vote
scheduled for Dec. 10

Rockbridge area residents listened to more than four hours of public comment on the proposed quarry expansion. Photo by Dana Statton

By Melissa Caron

After nearly four hours of public comment at Monday’s meeting, the county Board of Supervisors took no action on a controversial request that would allow Chuck Barger to expand his rock quarry by up to 54 acres.

The lame-duck board, with a majority of its members voted out of office in the Nov. 6 election, gave no hint of how members would vote on the issue. The board is expected to act at its next meeting, Dec. 10 at 9 a.m.

Board members did not say why they didn’t vote Monday night. When an issue is the subject of a public hearing, it is fairly common for the supervisors to wait until the next meeting to vote. By law, they must hold a vote within 30 days of the public hearing.

Barger filed a permit request in August to rezone 54 acres of residential and agricultural land to industrial to expand the limestone quarry on Route 60 East.

Earlier this month, the county Planning Commission voted 4-1 to recommend that the Board of Supervisors rezone only 10 acres.

When Barger approached the county in 1993 with plans to expand another part of his quarry, the supervisors granted him a 20-acre expansion, overturning the Planning Commission’s recommendation of rezoning only 10 acres.

At the public hearing Monday night, supervisors heard from Barger and his neighbors. Many neighbors say they oppose having a quarry so close to their homes because of dangers from rock flying out of the quarry and the possible decrease in their property value.

Under Barger’s 54-acre proposal, quarrying operations in some areas could come within 100 feet of neighbors’ property. Some neighbors have recommended that the county not rezone any land and that it make Barger relocate the quarry.

Barger calls that a going-out-of-business plan for his company.