MICHELLE WILLARD, Post Staff Writer
Posted: Wednesday, August 20, 2008 3:00 pm

Neighbors of Murfreesboro-Rutherford County Quarry in the Blackman Community have taken a page from the Bible Park playbook and filed a petition in opposition to the quarry’s proposed expansion.

Filed earlier this month, surrounding landowners filed notarized petitions with the Rutherford County Regional Planning Commission in hopes of forcing a two-thirds vote in the county commission when the quarry’s rezoning comes to a vote.

“I think the county commissioners are smart and they care about the residents of the county,” said Jay Jackson of Mitchell and Mitchell the law firm representing the quarry opposition. “When they get all the information about this they’ll make the right decision.”

Jackson said he researched the deeds and compiled a list of eligible landowners to ensure the petitions are valid.

Gerald Sullivan is a eligible neighbor who signed a petition against the quarry expansion. He has lived next to the quarry for 18 years and is tired of the dust and traffic from the quarry.

“I’m protesting the rezoning because they want to expand and that gives them more time to work it,” Sullivan said. “I may not be around in 25 years … but I’m helping protest it for my neighbors, too.”

Sullivan and his neighbors took advantage of Section 4.05 of Rutherford County’s Zoning Resolution. The provision allows for 20 percent of landowners with a common boundary or across a public road to submit petitions in opposition to the rezoning.

Should the petitions be verified, the county commission must approve the request with a two-thirds majority vote.

According to paperwork submitted with the petitions, representatives of the neighbors counted 29 eligible landowners, meaning only six of the petitions must be verified to force a two-thirds vote.

But 13 neighbors, or 44 percent, have submitted petitions. The Planning Department, along with County Attorney Jim Cope are working to determine if the petitions are valid.

Rogers Group got the nod of approval from the Regional Planning Commission last week to expand the quarry by 135.9 and extend its life by about 20 years.

The conditional-use permit will “secure access to additional reserves,” but not increase current production levels, said Tom Kenley with the Rogers Group.

The company, which bought the quarry in 2000, has 25 years worth of rock in the area it is currently quarrying and the new land will not be used until the current reserve is exhausted.

In a 10-2 vote the planning commission gave its recommendation to the company’s request for a conditional-use permit to rezone land adjacent to the current quarry from residential to industrial. The request now goes to the Rutherford County Board of Commissioners for final approval in September.

Michelle Willard can be contacted at 615-869-0816 or mwillard@murfreesboropost.com.