A public meeting on a proposed 52-acre quarry in Dorset is this weekend. John Bacher Construction is holding the meeting to hear from the community and provide an update on its proposal.
Co-owner of Bacher Construction, Eric Doetsch, says they have sent in an application to the Ministry of Natural Resources for the project. He says it took around a year to put the application together, which includes environmental surveys, and the MNRF is now reviewing it. Doetsch says he wants the quarry in order to keep up with his business needs as a local contractor.
A group of residents that live at and nearby Harvey Lake are opposing the project, saying it will have a negative impact on the lake and property values. They also say there will be both noise and air pollution from the blasting, and roads will be damaged as trucks make continuous trips.
However, Doetsch says it will be small operation, and the reason why 52-acres is being requested so it will last for the next 100 years or so. He says he just wants the option to extract the rocks, on the scale of around 10,000 tonnes a year. He also notes that as the quarry is used, it will be rehabilitated as they go.
The meeting is on Saturday, from 9:00am to 11:00am at the Dorset Rec Centre.