SUGAR CREEK, Mo. – An international mining company faces an uncertain future in Sugar Creek. Lafarge, Inc. owns a limestone mine there. Three times they have tried expanding the mine. However, all three times, aldermen shot down those plans. The company now hopes the fourth time is a charm.
“A ‘yes’ vote means we stay,” said Brett Baker, general manager of Lafarge North America’s Kentucky Road Operation in Sugar Creek. “A ‘no’ vote means we’re done and we won’t bring this back up.”
Lafarge’s mining operation is on shaky ground. Management said it needs to expand or close. The decision lies with Sugar Creek’s Board of Aldermen. They met in City Hall Monday night.
“We don’t think this is beneficial to our neighborhood,” said Jim Stone, who lives near the Lafarge mine.
Outside council chambers, concerned citizens held signs asking and pleading with aldermen to stop Lafarge expansion.
“We don’t want a new mine because of the shaking and the quaking of our homes,” Alta Short, who lives near the mine.
“Every time they blast, my house shakes,” Stone said.
For years, neighbors have blamed their cracked walls, foundations, and home facades on vibration coming from nearby mines.
“We basically get all the pain and none of the profit,” Stone said.
Hearing those complaints, aldermen rejected three past mine expansion proposals. So, Lafarge is scaling back it’s proposed blasting zone, trying to preserve jobs for eight to 10 employees.
“This is why we’re so adamant about the project,” Baker said. “That’s why we’ve made a lot of concession. It’s in an effort to address the concerns of the community.”
Aldermen heard new evidence from both sides Monday. However, they did not make a decision.
Lafarge hopes to get an answer in the next few weeks.
