May not be reproduced in whole or in part without express written permission
10 Letters To Editor:
Are
our commissioners asleep at the wheel?
The mining project on Carlton Road will have negative health and
environmental effects on those of us who live in and love St. Lucie County. It will certainly diminish property values,
as well. Come on Commissioners Bruhn,
Barnes, Coward, Hutchinson and Lewis. Now is the time to defend your county’s
residents against the toxic byproducts of this kind of operation. We already have 3 Quarries in this County, we
don’t need another.
Did
you know? There’s a lime rock-mining
project proposed for Carlton Road. Did
you know that exposure to crystalline silica during rock drilling can cause
fatal respiratory disease? Our county must stand up and stand firm against this
kind of commercial project. At best, it
will strip our beautiful wooded surroundings with 962 acres of
quarry and create an endless stream of trucks (estimated 500 per day). At worst, the resident in the area could
develop silicosis, a disease for which there is no cure.
I am calling on the County Commission to halt the quarry project slated for Western St. Lucie County. There are residents in that area. This project will destroy their quality of life. It may even pose health risks for all of us. If the wind is blowing in your direction, you may be breathing toxic substances that are emitted in the drilling process. There is no reason to subject our beautiful county to this extreme ecological attack.
Sent by Philip Stickles 4/6/04
Please join me in writing to our County
Commissioners and ask them to say no to the most debilitating defacement of our
county in its history; The Carlton Road Lime rock Mining Project. With the land in St. Lucie County becoming
more and more precious, why would our commission consider… even for one minute…
any project that includes careless disregard for the environment and natural
beauty of St. Lucie County? This project will result in land stripped of trees
and unsightly quarry lakes, devoid of life. Trucks by the
hundreds will clog our east/west arteries. If our County Commissioners truly
represent the people of this county, they will immediately voice their strong
opposition to this blatantly destructive proposal.
Near
Glades cut off Road, there is a proposal for mining and quarrying on a 962
acre parcel. We do not want or
need this kind of activity in our county!
A large-scale silica-mining project of this magnitude will expose
workers in the area and residents to potentially toxic substances. Ask our
commissioners… why this? Why here? St. Lucie County is a place where visitors
and residents alike come to enjoy a relaxed lifestyle, beautiful views and
clean air. Further, there are a
multitude of uses for the proposed tract of property. Why allow a use that
infringes on the peaceful enjoyment for the rest of the County? Certain kinds
of commerce can co-exist, but not this one; this project can only jeopardize
all that we treasure in St. Lucie County.
Blasting
with potential damage to County residents’ homes; exponential increases in
truck traffic; possibility of sinkholes; these are just a few of the negative
results we can anticipate if the Carton Road Mining project is allowed to move
forward. Please, please St. Lucie
County Commission… Please, Please St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning...
consider the impact on our daily lives as residents of this community! Please, please stop this mining project from
coming to St. Lucie County!
Out
West of town, the residents live a happy existence. They moved there so they
could have their horses… enjoy riding trails… get close to nature. This will
all become a memory if Northwood LLC receives their permit to disfigure the
landscape of St. Lucie County. But please understand, it is not only the
residents of the area whose lives will be upset by this project… All of St.
Lucie County can expect colossal, noisy trucks to congest our roads coming to
and from this new quarry installation. Stinging eyes, irritated breathing
passages, acute respiratory conditions can all result from the airborne by
products of this mining. Let’s look at every cost and oppose this project!
A mining project proposed in St. Lucie County? We simply don’t need this kind of industry in a community whose real economic strength is founded in tourism. Surely the noise, pollution and traffic will drive our tourists away. Surely our property values will plummet. Why should we all bear this cost to our pocketbooks and quality of life? Why should St. Lucie County bear the price in terms of our ecological well-being? The County Commission needs to vote for the people of this County and against this mining project.
If
Northwood LLC gets their way, soon beautiful wooded property will become a
962 acre wasteland in St. Lucie County. Trucks will flow
in and out all day, carrying mined lime rock and silica. Inhaled crystalline silica from occupational
sources is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a
Group 1 human lung carcinogen. According to this agency, “Silica dust may be
invisible to the naked eye and is so light it can remain airborne for a long
time. It can travel long distances in
the air and so affect populations not otherwise considered to be at risk.” We
don’t want this toxic mining in our hometown!
Our County is proud of its country roots. Frequently, cowboy boots and hats are favored over business suits. We respect the land and all the pleasure it brings to us. Soon, however, those country roots may be yanked from the soil and replaced with rock quarries and dump trucks by the hundreds. There is one thing that is very certain: The mining project on Carlton Road and Glades Cut-Off Road will change life in this county, forever. It is time for the citizens of St. Lucie County to make their voices heard, before the County Commission gets seduced into allowing this rape of our natural resources. Attend the County Commission meetings on this issue and make sure your Commission knows you want no part of this mining project!