Belle Mina Community Raises Concerns: In a small, unincorporated community in Limestone County, a Methodist church held a crucial meeting to discuss plans for a new rock quarry in Belle Mina. The meeting, held at Belle Mina Methodist Church, focused solely on this pressing issue, catching some attendees off guard as they received short notice about the quarry.
The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) published a public notice regarding an air permit application by Grayson Carter & Son Contracting, Inc. The permit, if issued, would authorize the construction and operation of a limestone crushing, screening, and conveying circuit at a proposed site on 7440 Mooresville Rd., Belle Mina, AL 35615.
ADEM’s filing also mentions Stoned, LLC, which has applied for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for a proposed limestone quarry and dirt/chert mine at the same location. The NPDES permit would restrict the discharge of treated drainage into Limestone Creek.
While ADEM deems the proposed drainage action consistent with water quality regulations, Belle Mina Methodist Church Pastor Cody Gilliam and other pastors voiced concerns at the meeting. They emphasized that the community, largely African-American and economically challenged, cannot sustain such a project.
Addressing the gathering, Gilliam stated, “This is an impoverished, majority African-American community. Were trying to give the community a voice.” The proposed site is reportedly near the church, at the intersection of Old Highway 20 and Mooresville Road, across from the Belle Mina Post Office.
Community members, alarmed by the potential impact on their homes, signed a petition against the rock quarry during the meeting. Larry Fletcher, a resident, expressed worries about the impact on his century-old home and aging septic tank. The cost of addressing potential issues, such as septic tank problems caused by blasting, is a significant concern for many residents.
Gilliam plans to take the community’s concerns to Montgomery and hopes ADEM considers a public hearing on the matter. ADEM advises those with concerns to submit them in writing to Jeffrey Kitchens in the water division.
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