Deforest construction firm proposing quarry in Town of Dane

“Initially we saw them doing stuff at the top of the hill,” said Jamie Pierce, “and we found out that they were testing it.”

After some apparent back and forth about it, she learned through neighbors that the property owners, Joseph and Diane Ripp, were moving forward with the project with extraction by DeForest-based Tri-County Paving.

A conditional use permit application filed with Dane County describes the project as a quarry operation for extracting and processing crushed stone material and a temporary asphalt and concrete mix plant. The operation is planned for extracting 75 years of reserves for construction projects in and around Dane County.

Because the property lies in a particular portion of the northernmost part of Dane County, it has gone through the Town of Vienna for approval of use of Bonnetti Road, the Town of Dane for approval of the project on the Ripp property itself, as well as going through Dane County Zoning.

For Pierce, at the March 6 Town of Dane meeting, the presentation by Tri-County with descriptions of Tri-County as a “neighborly” company remained largely unconvincing.

“From what I can tell, Phase 1 we would not see it, but Phase 2 and 3, we would likely see it…If they are going to do it, obviously, I would like to see a fence all around,” said Pierce. “Obviously, I have kids, I’m not a big fan of quarries in the first place…The commentary was ‘we won’t get to these phases for a very long time,’ and I’m like, ‘You will get to that phase and it will impact my house eventually if we stay here.’”

If the quarry were to be created, one of the major areas of concern for Nancy Roth, who also lives on Bonetti Road to the south, is how truck traffic would affect safety on that road. Roth, who like many area residents is a retiree, takes regular walks along Bonnetti Road, enjoying the view to the west over which residents can see a combination of farmland and wooded areas over rolling hills.

In addition to not wanting to lose that scenic walk, she points out how ill-suited Bonnetti Road would seem to be for massive quarry trucks. The road, which following the last snowstorm had become a hazardous route, with the road at times drifted over, also features blind hills on the north and south. When pulling out of her driveway, she explained that she tends to wait 30 seconds or so, in order to confirm no vehicles are approaching from below.

The road does not have a shoulder, which is especially notable at one point south of the proposed project, where, west of Bonnetti, the land drops off with nearly a sheer cliff into a gully that Roth explained can become a waterway during wet seasons.

The southern intersection of Bonnetti connects with Viaduct Road, which cuts back to the northwest at an acute angle, again over hills and through woods that give little visibility of oncoming traffic.

She also expressed concern for a neighbor in that area who is a husky breeder and what traffic and noises would mean for his dogs. Pierce shared a similar worry, not knowing what potential blasting near her house would do to their family dog.

At the same time, a consistent concern among residents throughout the larger region is often road repair. In Tri-County’s proposal, the company estimates a potential starting time within the year, with a total yield of 9 million tons of limestone to be processed from the property.

Tri-County and residents will have further opportunities to present their cases to local representatives, as Dane County Zoning and Land Regulation will be holding a public hearing on March 28 at 6:30 p.m. The Town of Dane is also scheduled to hold a hearing on the issue on April 10.

In either case, Pierce’s family is now looking at whether or not it is time to move: {span id=”docs-internal-guid-fddd0840-7fff-9e3f-4d1c-611284106a14”}{span}“Ultimately it’s too close for my comfort.”{/span}{/span}