Geary County residents who live near the former rock quarry on Munson Road in Geary County have been expressing opposition towards a company applying for a conditional use permit to re-open the quarry.

Twelve residents who live near the quarry attended Monday’s Geary County Commission meeting.

Jim Didas wants to use rock from the former quarry site located on the east side of Munson Road between Rucker Road and K-244 Highway for projects on Fort Riley.

Bobby White, who lives nearly 1,000 feet from the quarry said that his house is one of two that receives water from a spring,” One concern is that if they blast it could disturb the water table that feeds our spring.”

White also listed another concern about pollutants from the heavy machinery that would be used at the quarry,”There’s going to be fuel, oil and petroleum products that are going to get down on the ground and eventually its going to find its way down to the water table and into our drinking water.”

Another resident who lives a half of a mile north of the quarry, Craig Paxton said that re-opening a quarry that is now in a residential area is not the thing to do, ” I’ve talked to different quarry operators and they just say that its not the right thing to do. Once an area is as heavily populated as it is now, even though it is rural, to come back in that area fifty years later and try to start a quarry is just not the thing to do.”

Other concerns voiced during the meeting included the decrease in home and property values, air pollution and excessive commercial truck traffic on gravel roads.

Ben Bennett, Geary County Commission Chair said that the commission does not have a, “yes or no,” answer at this time. “We’ll have to wait to see what the MPC states in their last meeting.”

The Metropolitan Planning Commission has been handling the matter for the last few months. A public hearing on the matter was postponed during it’s September 12th meeting. The public hearing is expected to resume during the October 10th meeting at the Municipal Building.