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Alamance County group pushes for zoning change as heavy industry grows

A local group called Snow Camp Community Action Network or Snow Camp CAN placed a sign near the entrance of the Alamance Aggregates mining site during an event to voice concerns over heavy industry in the community. Photo courtesy of Snow Camp CAN.

A group in southern Alamance County is pushing to preserve the rural community and keep more heavy industry from setting up shop and is asking county commissioners to consider a new zoning proposal that would help make that happen.

The Snow Camp community is filled with agricultural farmland and a rich history. Its Quaker roots go back to the mid-1700s.  This rustic part of the Piedmont is also attracting big business. Alamance Aggregates secured a mining permit for a rock quarry. Blasting began last fall. 

Some residents say the industry is bringing unwanted noise, traffic, and environmental concerns.

The company's attorney, Tom Terrell, says Alamance Aggregates is following the rules in place and met all of the requirements under the county's Heavy Industrial Development Ordinance.

Right now though, the company lacks an operating permit from the county and those discussions are underway.

Terrell says the more than 300-acre site currently provides materials for the megasite in Randolph County.   

Jenefer Duane lives two miles away from the mine and is part of the community group called Snow Camp CAN. She says they want county commissioners to consider more protections for residents from any type of heavy industry. Those include a greater distance from property lines and establishing the community as a rural preservation district.

“It would preserve the rural community feeling we have here and it would give us the ability to help shape growth here," says Duane. "We know growth is coming. We know that there is a lot of pressure because of growth all around us, but we shouldn't become a dumping ground for heavy industry.”

Duane says the group hopes to get the zoning proposal on the county commission's agenda in the coming weeks.

Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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