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After months of public comments, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management will host a public hearing and a meeting in Chambers County to address concerns associated with a proposed quarry coming to the Cusseta Community.

County Attorney Skip McCoy announced that the Commission had requested the two meetings to be held in Chambers County. ADEM had agreed to set the meetings for Tuesday, April 8 at the Courthouse.

The announcement was made first at the Commission work session. At the top of the business meeting Woody Harmon addressed the county commissioners about concerns regarding the quarry.

“I’d like to point out what I think is the biggest concern for this county relative to this quarry is the financial impact, or, in my opinion, the negative financial impact that this quarry will have on our county,” Harrelson started.

Harmon expressed concern about the timing of the ADEM meetings.

Specifically, he worried the county would not have the results of the traffic study which is looking into the impact the quarry could have on local roads, by April 8.

Harmon said that he spoke with the transportation engineer for the city of Auburn to discuss the financial impact of the Martin Marietta Quarry in the area.

“Right now, the city of Auburn is spending $750,000 per mile just to reclaim roads that exist that are in pretty good shape because of the amount of traffic that they’re seeing from trucks,” according to Harmon. According to the citizen, in talking with the city of Auburn the cost of upkeeping the roads in Chambers would far outpace the tax revenue from the quarry.

“The plan will be to have a public meeting prior to the public hearing,” McCoy explained. “The public meeting will be an opportunity for the Commission, the people of Cusseta and any other concerned persons, to address the [ADEM].”

During the meeting, representatives from ADEM will be available to talk about the potential environmental and infrastructural impacts of the quarry.

The public can talk with the ADEM representatives as well as Commissioners and other elected officials, who will be set up in the courthouses’ atrium at panels. The meeting will last from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. CT.

The public hearing will convene following the meeting at 6:30 p.m. CT in the large courtroom.

“At that time, there will be three moderators that will be there for ADEM. In regards to the public hearing, there will not be an exchange of questions and answers that will be during the public meeting….At the public hearing, anybody who seeks to present will be required to sign in during the public meeting, there’ll be a sign in sheet, and everybody that’s listed on that sign in sheet will be able to address ADEM.”

The speakers will get five minutes to address the Department officials. The public can also submit written documents rather than speak at the meeting. Both the verbal and written statements will become public record.

Commission chairman David Eastridge said, “I’d like to express my appreciation of Mr. McCoy for going through this and route getting this. Sure most of you know that the public hearing does not have to be in Chambers County, but we felt it very strongly to request them, because who does it affect?”