Hearing brings out Rim Rick opponents

By Pat Jenkins

The Dispatch

Too much traffic, too much noise and too much risky business was the message at a public hearing last Thursday from opponents of a proposed gravel quarry near Eatonville.

A Pierce County hearing examiner, who will decide whether Randles Sand and Gravel can open and remove 250,000 tons a year of rock and other material from the 762-acre site, listened to about two hours of testimony from citizens on why the project isn't wanted. No one spoke in its favor.

People who live near the road that gravel-hauling trucks would travel daily were joined by representatives of the Town of Eatonville and the Eatonville School District in voicing concern about what they described as negative impacts of the project. The opinions echoed written comments made previously to Pierce County land-use officials during their review and environmental study of Randles' plans.

The county's Planning and Public Works Department has recommended that hearing examiner Steve Causseaux approve the plans and authorize a conditional-use permit to allow the quarry operation. Randles would have to meet requirements for upgrading roadways leading to and from the quarry, however.

Another hearing is scheduled for May 18 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the Pierce County Annex in Tacoma. A decision by Causseaux could come 10 days after that.

The Rim Rock quarry, as it's called, would be located off 129th Avenue East, would be the largest of its kind in the county, and could be in use for 40 years. Randles wants to haul gravel, sand and topsoil from the site to customers via local roads and State Route 161. In the first year, there would be an estimated 142 vehicle trips per day, including 82 by trucks. The number would increase to 226 by the 12th year.

Railroad shipments, using tracks already in the area, have also been proposed, but dump trucks and trailers would be the primary shipper. They're also the main target of criticism.

Quarry pponents say the lumbering rigs would make too much noise for people living near the quarry site and along Lynch Creek Road East, part of the route for the trucks. The noise would also be disruptive for students at nearby Eatonville Elementary School, according to school officials. And there are questions about pedestrian safety for students and the general public along that route, as well as impacts on traffic.

"Without a doubt," traffic-related impacts would be "significant," said Adonais Clark, a senior planner for the county. But mitigation required of Randles can make the impacts "less than significant," he added.

The improvements recommended by the county would include studies of 129th Avenue and Lynch Creek Road to determine how well they'd hold up under heavily loaded trucks. In addition, the intersection of State Route 161/Washington Avenue and Lynch Creek Road needs to be widened and have left-turn lanes before Randles' trucks could begin driving that route.

People testifying at last week's hearing at Eatonville High School remain skeptical.

Brad Pole said the decisionmakers for the Randles plans "don't live here. They don't drive these roads."

Josh Heersink said a two-lane bridge on Lynch Creek Road is too narrow for normal-size vehicles to pass comfortably, much less dump trucks.

Krestin Bahr, superintendent of the school district, noted some students walk to and from the elementary school and Eatonville High School, which is near the Lynch Creek-Washington intersection. She said improvements of the roadways won't ensure pedestrian safety, and she urged finding an alternative route for the trucks.

Michelle Cornwell asked the hearing examiner to "listen to the community members who value a peaceful quality of life."

Abby Gribi, the town administrator, said truck traffic could discourage visitors from returning to Eatonvllle, hurting efforts to "make the town more prosperous" through tourism.

Other anticipated impacts of the quarry, though not as controversial at the hearing, are largely environmental. Blasting at the site is proposed for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays, with nothing on holidays. And two osprey nests at the site would have to be relocated. The birds are a federal and state-protected species.