‘Citizens’ will meet Thursday about proposed quarry in Shelby

SHELBY – A group of Shelby residents will have a pubic meeting on Thursday to discuss a proposal for a new quarry on Fletcher Chapel Road.

The Citizens for Shelby Preservation welcome the public for the 7 p.m. meeting at the East Shelby Firehall, 5021 East Shelby Rd. The group formed in 2006 when the plan for a new quarry was first pitched.

David J. Mahar, president of Frontier Stone LLC, submitted a 4,000-page document – the draft environmental impact statement – that has been accepted by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The DEC will have a hearing on the DEIS at 6 p.m. on April 30 at the Shelby Town Hall.

Wendi Pencille is president of the Citizens for Shelby Preservation. During the meeting on Thursday she will highlight pieces of the DEIS.

She opposes the quarry mainly because it is so close to the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.

“There shouldn’t be a mining permit by a sensitive habitat,” she said today. “We’re not against quarrying, but not in an environmentally sensitive area.”

Pencille urged concerned residents to attend the meeting Thursday and also the public hearing on April 30. If Frontier secures a DEC permit, it still needs town approval for the project. Pencille urged residents to attend Town Board meetings and make them feelings known to town officials.