East Side quarry back on Joliet agenda

A controversial quarry plan is back on the agenda for the Joliet City Council Tuesday.

The council last December tabled a public hearing on a plan to allow blasting at a quarry on the East Side.

Residents in the area raised objections and will do so again on Tuesday, said Megan Cooper, who is among those objecting to the quarry plan.

“There definitely will be opposition,” Cooper said Friday.

Opponents say blasting will have an impact beyond the 600 feet around the quarry, which was the boundary set by the city for public notices and meetings with residents.

The quarry is north of Richards Street and east of Sandall Place. The area has been used for a quarry since the 1880s, according to a city staff report on the project. The quarry is owned by VN Land and provides rock aggregate to PT Ferro Construction.

Hydraulic rock crushing now is allowed at the quarry but not blasting.

That would change if the City Council approves the proposed annexation amendment to allow for blasting.

At previous meetings, property owners within that 600 feet and beyond raised questions about the impact on water supplies for private wells and potential shaking of buildings.

The public hearing was tabled, however, in large part to provide an opportunity for the future quarry operator to present its case for blasting.

Council members who attended a meeting with residents nearest to the quarry have said they seemed satisfied with the blasting plan.

Contractor Quick Supply Co. is expected to make its case that blasting can be done safely at the council meeting on Tuesday.