Continued Mining Frustrates Friends

What was originally cause for celebration now seems a shallow victory for the Friends of Green Bluff.

The future of their rural neighborhood recently teetered on the edge of transformation as the Spokane County division of engineering fought for a zone change from agriculture to mining. The purpose: to expand an existing 33-acre quarry in Green Bluff by 100 acres.

In December, the Spokane County Commissioners voted unanimously to keep Green Bluff zoned as an agricultural area.

Though the decision prevented expansion, it did not stop engineers from continuing to mine the existing quarry.

They are now in the process of collecting bids from contractors for the job.

“We still don’t feel this is legal,” said Cecily Wright, of the continuing mining activities. “Neither does our lawyer.”

The County Commissioners met last week with city engineers Bill Johns and Vern Scoggin to figure out how they can continue to extract rock without violating any of the stringent guidelines placed on the existing mine.

Wright and another Friends of Green Bluff member also attended the meeting.

Using the county hearing examiner’s original decision to approve the mine expansion as a guide, Johns tried to explain how the Public Works Department would comply with the conditions in place for crushing at the quarry.

“We’re trying to comply with everything we can with regard to the existing pit,” Johns said.

He estimated 90,000 tons of rock are left in the pit - an amount that could last 10 years. For the first phase, work will take place from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. until April 15; then hours will be curtailed. Engineers said they hoped to complete the job in 30 days.

For them, rock in the existing mine is a necessary resource.

“We have to have some way to keep the roads in shape,” Johns said. “The rock has to come from somewhere.”

But the situation frustrates the Friends of Green Bluff, who say that as long as the county occupies the mine, the surrounding land is worthless.

“No one will buy the surrounding property with a gravel mine in the middle of it,” Wright said.

In a recent letter to the commissioners, they questioned the logic behind the decision to allow continued mining.

“…we cannot find the rationale in allowing the Engineering Department to proceed with blasting, crushing and hauling on these 33 acres when you unanimously denied them the right to perform those activities on the adjacent property.”

Roskelley responded: “They think we can arbitrarily remove the old mine or abandon it. But there’s a trade-off for whatever we do. This trade-off is for their own area. They need the gravel for the roads they drive.”

Now, the Friends of Green Bluff, who represent only some of the area’s neighbors, are examining whether or not to take legal action toward an injunction.

“We can’t put any more money into this if we don’t have good support,” Wright said.