Commissioners ask staff to study school‑zone rule after company outlines Cool Springs quarry plan

Hedrick Industries told the Rutherford County Board of Commissioners it has identified a 175‑acre site near Highway 221 — the company called the property “Cool Springs” — with a conservative, company‑estimated reserve of about 25 million tons of granite and potential for decades of production.

"We believe this quarry could be somewhere between 250,000 to 750,000 tons of annual production once we meet full scale," said Joe Lorty, president of Hedrick Industries, who told commissioners the firm would likely invest $20 million to $25 million in the first three to five years of startup and directly employ roughly 15 to 25 full‑time workers, with additional jobs supported in trucking, equipment maintenance and related services.

Lorty described prior permitting history for the property — a mine permit issued by NCDEQ in March 2002 — and said the company is conducting traffic and environmental studies now as part of a future state mining permit application. He told the board the process for state approval could take “a year or two.”

Commissioners and two acoustics and blasting experts pressed company representatives on blast noise and vibration because the site sits near Chase Middle School. "The nearest property line is 328 feet," Lorty said; he added the athletic fields are about 1,500 feet away and the nearest school building roughly 2,000 feet from the proposed operating footprint. Lorty and the company’s blasting consultant offered mitigation commitments: third‑party blast and sound studies, permanent seismographs, earthen berms, limits on blasting timing and routing heavy truck traffic to U.S. 221.

John Babcock, a seismograph monitor engaged by or contracted with the company, described monitoring practice and state limits: "We monitor ground motion and air overpressure with automated seismograph stations; typical readings at comparable quarries are 10 to 15 percent of the state limits," he said, adding that recordings are reviewed by independent analysts.

Commissioners also asked about truck volumes. Hedrick estimated that at the lower production level (about 250,000 tons per year) the site would generate roughly 50 customer truck trips per day spread over operating hours.

After the presentation and extended technical Q&A, Commissioner (speaker 3) moved that county staff study how a proposed amendment to the school‑zone protection ordinance may affect residents and landowners and to prepare an amendment consistent with state law and county public‑safety standards. The motion was seconded and approved by voice/hand vote.

No formal permit decision was made; commissioners voted only to request staff study of a potential ordinance amendment and to continue engagement while technical studies and a state permit process proceed.

What happens next: commissioners directed staff to prepare analysis and possible ordinance language for future board consideration. Hedrick said it will continue technical studies and community outreach while pursuing state permitting.