By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch The largest rock-mining operation of its kind in Pierce County is proposed near Eatonville. Randles Sand and Gravel wants to remove quarry rock, gravel, sand and topsoil from 500 acres located off 129th Avenue East, just north of Eatonville. It's expected that the site would be worked for 40 years. Before that can start, approval of the mining operation must come from the county. The Planning and Land Services Department is taking public comment until Dec. 12 on any concerns such as impacts on water, air quality, wildlife habitat, noise levels and traffic. On-site facilities for crushing gravel and topsoil composting would be part of the Randles operations, which are outlined in a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) the county has posted online at piercecountywa.org/RimRockDEIS. Randles has proposed moving material from the mining site via trucks on State Route 161. Railroad tracks in the area are being considered for rail shipments, according to plans the company has submitted. The overall operation would be bigger than any other existing gravel mine in the county, said Adonais Clark, a senior planner for the county. Others are run by Corliss near Sumner and Miles Sand and Gravel between Puyallup and Tacoma. Comments on the DEIS can be made by e-mail at aclark@co.pierce.wa.us or by postal mail to Adonais Clark, Senior Planner, Pierce County Planning and Land Services Department, 2401 S. 35th St., Suite 175, Tacoma, WA 98409. Randles already owns the Lynch Creek Quarry near Eatonville on 419th Street Court East. The quarry is the source of basalt rock for rockeries. The company trucks the material as far as Oregon and Idaho. Randles, based in Frederickson, has been in business since 1969 as a suppier of sand, gravel and topsoil.
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