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Gravel pit hearing date extended Neighbors get more time to object By Melissa Martin Jacksonville neighbors have three more months to express concerns about a gravel pit proposed on an old mining claim west of town. County Hearings Officer John Eads extended until Nov. 20 a public hearing about Jackson Creek Sand Co.�s plans to extract and haul up to 500,000 cubic yards of rock annually from the old Opp Mine. "No matter how precious aggregate is, this is an intrusion of an industrial area in a residential neighborhood," Dave Goddard of Westmont Drive said during Monday�s hearing. "We are being overlooked." Eads said he continued the hearing partially because a letter from Jackson County Sand Co.�s attorney to neighbors may have kept some from speaking out for fear they would be sued. "This will benefit folks who might have participated but for the chilling effect the letter had," Eads said. The letter�s author, Medford attorney Bob Robertson, mailed a second letter last week clarifying the first. "We would never sue someone for testifying," Robertson said. "We would only sue someone who tried to block our ability to submit an application, such as the city of Jacksonville has done." At issue is a 117-acre hillside parcel owned by Eagle Point logger Frank Hardin, his wife Sandra and her mother, Bernadine Wynnyk of Kelowna, British Columbia. The Hardins want to extract 16 million to 20 million yards, blasting hand-dug rock tunnels that date to the 1800s. They hope to find gold ore in the process. Ten residents said Monday they object to the mine because of gravel truck traffic, road dust and the impact of blasting the rock with dynamite. "The last person that mined up there, when they blasted, our house nearly slid off the side of the mountain," said Walter Craig, who lives above the Opp Mine in a neighborhood called Konoka Flats. "It dropped dishes off the cupboards, knocked stuff off the counters and pictures off the wall," Craig said. "We�re not against this plan, we just don�t want them to over-dynamite the way that the previous owner did." Dust and heavy gravel trucks will add to problems at the busy intersection of Highway 238, Reservoir Road (which serves the mine) and Mary Ann Drive, said resident Donna Schaatz. "This morning, I waited for 18 cars to come down from the Applegate area," said Schaatz, a member of the Jacksonville City Council. "Then as I pulled onto the highway, there was an atmosphere of dust that lasted until I reached the intersection of California and Oregon streets in town," she said. "The traffic down through the canyon has increased substantially over the last 10 years because of the development that�s gone on out in the Applegate Valley." One Medford resident testified in favor of the mining operation. Jeffrey Bewkes said neighbors should have known the region�s mining history when they moved in. "This property was settled by rugged individuals with progress on their minds," Bewkes said. "Jacksonville wouldn�t be here today if it wasn�t for people like that. "Mining isn�t a privilege, it�s a right." The next hearing will be held at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 20. The record, which has nearly 100 submitted exhibits, remains open and comments are still being accepted. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA