This video is from my visit to Savage Stone quarry (adjacent to Mission Rd.) on February 19, 2018 in Jessup, MD…
The YouTube video below is testimony from the BOE on February 8, 2018. The discussion is testimony from the structural engineer about putting a school next to the quarry…
As stated by the BOE (and others), there are concerns that the blasting that occurs at the quarry could cause structural problems for any school placed adjacent to the quarry. Some have stated that they won’t even consider the site until they’ve had a structural engineer review the school plans for that site. For those of us who live or work around the quarry this might seem overcautious and perhaps imprudent as the blasts are seldom (about twice a week) and most times can barely be felt. The other interesting thing is that of all the homes and businesses that currently surround the quarry, the school would be the furthest away. The map below shows this. The yellow blob at the top center is the site of the active mining and where the blasting occurs. The yellow HS square is the proposed location for the high school.
So why are we concerned about a school when all of these other establishments have persevered? It’s also interesting to note that some of these went in AFTER the quarry was operational such as the fencing company and the 5-story 262 unit Mission Place apartments and its ~100 townhouses - all of which are closer or as close as the school would be.
I should also add that these establishments have been dealing with the quarry for over 10 years (the quarry went operational in 2006). Any new school would likely have a similar timeframe since the school would not open any earlier than 2022 and the quarry should complete mining by 2032.
Finally, you may find it interesting that real estate values in the homes around the quarry have been unaffected since the quarry went in as this table shows.
Here is some useful information regarding quarries...
