ROCKBRIDGE BOARD DELAYS QUARRY VOTE

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, February 12, 1993                   TAG: 9302120329
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Jay Taylor
DATELINE: LEXINGTON                                LENGTH: Short
ROCKBRIDGE BOARD DELAYS QUARRY VOTE
The Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Thursday night to delay action until Feb. 22 on a request by Charles W. Barger & Son to rezone 112 acres to open a 48-acre limestone quarry.
Because the proposed quarry site is close to Lexington, the request has generated heated controversy among nearby homeowners and business owners. Several hundred people attended a public hearing on the proposal Thursday night, some expecting a decision on the spot.
The speakers offered familiar arguments.
Chuck Barger, the company president, argued that extending his quarrying operation to the proposed site would keep rock costs low, benefiting the city and county. Barger also argued that if the zoning were not granted, the jobs of his 55 employees would be in jeopardy.
Attorney Paul Penick, representing a homeowner who lives near the proposed site, said the quarry would harm property values, bring excessive traffic and damage homes through dynamite blasting.
He said Barger had a spotty safety and mining record that made dubious the claim that the operation would be run safely and responsibly.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB