Dear Editor,
It’s clear to me that the minority of people who are opposed to the Putnam County Stone quarry don’t understand how quarries really work. But as a local truck driver who hauls stone and gravel from quarries across Georgia, I do.
Concerns about truck traffic at all hours are just wrong. Most of the quarries I haul for stop loading at 4 p.m., and the proposed quarry here would do the same. It would also have paved roads in and out, tire washes, and another 1,000 feet of pavement before turning onto Dennis Station Road, all of which would prevent the dust problems I’ve heard complaints about. Also, being located at the south end will allow trucks to avoid traveling through Putnam County to reach the mines north of town.
Right now, getting stone and gravel to Putnam County is more expensive than it needs to be. Long hauls cost a lot more money and only increase traffic. It costs me about $2 a minute on jobs just to cover the diesel fuel in my truck. The further away the quarries are, the more I have to charge for pick-ups and deliveries.
Having our own quarry will make projects cheaper and bring much-needed work to me and other local truckers and carriers. Over the years, we’ve lost hundreds of jobs due to closures at companies like Georgia Power and Horton Homes. But every time someone proposes a project that would create the jobs we need, the county rejects it.
I’m trying to make a good living and start a family, but there aren’t many opportunities for 80% of the local working population like me. It’s become a job desert, and food, fuel, and utility bills keep getting more expensive. The 20% of the county that own homes on the lake don’t care about the working people in this county.
I support the quarry because it will create good-paying jobs and opportunities for local truckers like me to work closer to home, take on more hauls, and take pride in delivering the less-expensive materials our county needs to grow. I do know we need a rock quarry. It provides the building materials that form our foundation.
Brandon Walters, A Putnam County resident