Town of Nassau

MINE HEARING CREATES ROCKY SITUATION IN TOWN:

A plan to mine valuable stone from the hills of Nassau divided about 125 people Tuesday at an eagerly anticipated hearing.

Troy Sand and Gravel applied to the town and the state Department of Environmental Conservation in 2003 to drill on 79 acres of a hilltop parcel southeast of Pikes Pond for graywacke, a hard rock that is optimal for building roadways.

The West Sand Lake company completed a draft environmental impact study (DEIS) for the plan.

On Tuesday, DEC accepted comments on the project for the first time in St. Mary's Church.

Part of the crowd said the proposed rock quarry was an enterprise that would bring no harm. But others called the company's environmental review inadequate and said extracting the rock would generate noise, air and water problems.