Work session hears concerns from MCoal mining, others

The Blount County Commission heard expressions of concern from six citizens or groups at its Thursday work session last week. The first was Sanford Hendon of McGehee Engineering, representing the MCoal Mining Corporation, which intends to mine coal in the area of the former Rosa Mine in central Blount County.

Hendon said he came before the commission to determine requirements for the company to use county roads to remove coal from the mined areas. He said their mining permit is in the technical review process with the Alabama Surface Mining Commission, with an expected issue date of late September.

County engineer Richard Spraggins told Hendon that a culvert permit would be required at each point of entry onto a county road. “A bond will also be required,” Spraggins continued. “If the roads are torn up, as is usually the case with logging and mining trucks, we will exercise that bond to fix the roads. “

Discussion then focussed on the company’s probable use of Mountain Gap Road to truck coal from the mining area onto U.S. 231, the nearest highway engineered to withstand the weight of loaded trucks. Spraggins said the only feasible route was to travel Mountain Gap Road south to its intersection with county road 57, a short distance from U.S. 231.

Hendon said the MCoal Company wants to invest in the county and wants to be a good neighbor and would cooperate with county requirements. County administrator Chris Green noted that there is a state severance tax on coal. The county portion of that tax, rebated from the state, would amount to 20 cents per ton.

In a followup conversation after the meeting, Hendon notified Spraggins that the company would begin its mining operations in the Cornelius Mountain area, and that trucks would exit the mined area directly onto U.S. 231. He said the company would not move to the area served by Mountain Gap Road for another 18 to 24 months.

Citizens concerned over mining

Debbie and Mike Murphy, who live on Sloan Drive off county road 57, in the vicinity of the area to be mined, spoke to the commission about possible environmental consequences of mining. “Where do we go to seek protection from water runoff, sinkholes, and other things that accompany coal mining?” they asked. Adding that there are 12 homes on their road, they also expressed concern about protecting children from truck traffic generated by mining.

Spraggins told them the proper agency to deal with those concerns is the Alabama Surface Mining Commission. He said the commission will hold a public hearing later at which those concerns can be expressed and responded to.

Commissary Road problem

Resident Tommy Stinson spoke to the commission about poor condition of Commissary Road in District 1, saying he had spoken to Commission David Cochran about it on previous occasions. “The road’s in bad shape. It’s all dust and mud, and it affects the whole community,” he said. Cochran was not present at the work session, being incapacitated with recurring back pain. Commission Chair David Standridge told Stinson he would need to resolve the matter with Cochran. “The commissioners are the ones who make the decisions about what roads to work in their districts,” he said.

Rickwood Caverns update

Chester Thomas of the High Rock community updated the commission on work in progress by the Friends of Rickwood Caverns to prepare an estimate on cost of construction of two projects that will be proposed as a joint venture between the Friends, the Blount County Commission, and the State Parks Division of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Thomas said he had met with an engineer from an excavating firm and walked the site of a proposed 35-space recreational vehicle campground, using plans and specifications developed by CDG Engineering for the State Parks Division. Thomas said he also gave a set of the plans and specs to county engineer Richard Spraggins to use in estimating inkind work that the county could contribute to the project.

As a second option, Thomas described a rustic conference lodge that the Friends of Rickwood has proposed for the park. That project would be roughly half as expensive as the campground, but would also provide additional revenue to the park, he said. Depending on the commission’s response, Thomas said, the Friends of Rickwood would like to present a comprehensive proposal for funding the projects, including the commissions in-kind contribution, to the Senate/House Joint Budget Committee for state parks when it meets in September.

“If they say ‘no’ then it’s a dead issue, and we go on with our lives. But at least we will have done everything in our power to improve our only bona fide tourist attraction in the county and keep it open for our people,” he said.

Indian Hills subdivision road woes

Frank Hollis of Frank Hollis and Associates Engineering spoke to the commission concerning problems with roads in sectors one and two of Indian Hills subdivision. The Hollis firm developed the subdivision and contracted for roads that are failing and at one point built off-center from the designated right-of-way. Hollis said he has hired Thomas Utility and Construction to repair the road problems and to move the road to its proper position. The firm should begin work in late July.

Spragglins reminded Hollis that repairs should include collapsed pipe in sector three that has caused the road surface to sink. Hollis replied that an additional pipe had been installed to take care of the problem. Spraggins said that the problem of the sunken portion of the road remains and must be repaired as well. Without making an audible reply, Hollis nodded and walked away from the podium.

Citizens of the subdivision had recently filed a petition of 45 signatures with the county commission, along with a series of photos showing serious deterioration of the street surfaces. The petition includes this statement:

“This is a petition to inform all the officials of Blount County, Alabama, that the roads of Indian Hills subdivision are in need of immediate (major) repair. The conditions are so severe that dodging potholes now creates hazardous driving conditions. It could cause accidents as well as damage to vehicles. It could also reduce the value of the homes in the subdivision. The homeowners of Indian Hills subdivision ask that officials of Blount County, Alabama, take action to resolve this problem.”

Fuel problems discussed

Chris Creel, area manager representing the Fuelman Corporation that supplies fuel to county district work centers, addressed the commission about problems that he said he hopes have been resolved. Commissioner Robert Bullard said that a regulating device installed on the pumps at the commission’s request had malfunctioned, making it impossible to fuel his district’s vehicles on several occasions for days at a time. There are no alternative fuel sources any closer than Oneonta, Bullard said. He said the problem may have been resolved recently when he was given a local number in Birmingham to call for service assistance, instead of the 800 number in Atlanta he had been required to use previously. Bullard said calls to Atlanta had not been referred to the local service organization in a timely manner. Creel responded by providing his personal number to commissioners to call in the event of service problems in the future.

The next commission work session is set for Aug. 6 at 9 a.m.