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Teichert Aggregates to meet with concerned residents again

Amanda Rhoades
arhoades@sierrasun.com
The entrance to the Martis Valley Quarry located at 13879 Joerger Dr. in Truckee on March 20. Teichert Aggregates was originally granted a conditional use permit for the quarry in 1983 by the Nevada County Planning Comission before the town incorporated. According to Truckee Town Manager Tony Lashbrook, when the town incorporated in 1993 it was required to honor all previous land-use approvals that were put in place by Nevada County.
Amanda Rhoades/Sierra Sun |

If you go...

What: Teichert Aggregates follow-up meeting

When: Thursday, June 8, 6 p.m.

Where: The Hampton Inn and Suites, 11951 State Highway 267 in Truckee

Martis Valley Quarry operator Teichert Aggregates might’ve got off to a rocky start listening to neighbors’ complaints last month, but they’re expected to come back with some solutions.

Teichert Aggregates is set to hold a follow-up community meeting with neighboring residents of the Martis Valley Quarry on Thursday, June 8, at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Truckee at 6 p.m.

An initial meeting was held May 11, during which time the company heard concerns and complaints. During the first session, representatives from the company as well as the town were on hand to hear the residents’ concerns and take note.



“We’re not saying you’re breaking the air quality laws,” Glenshire resident Marc Pado said to the company representatives during the May 11 meeting. “We’re saying it’s not an appropriate location for a plant next to an entire community that is downwind.”

Pado launched the group Protect Air and Water Quality in Truckee to help mobilize his neighbors who shared his concerns about the quarry and on-site asphalt plant.



As the Sierra Sun previously reported, there has not been a formal review of Teichert’s five-year permit since 2002. Both representatives from the company and town staff were unsure why the review hadn’t been done, but recent attempts to revisit the conditions of approval have been delayed so that both the company and residents had time to prepare.

Truckee Community Development Director Jeff Loux said in March that the five-year review is a chance for the planning commission to go through the conditions of approval set forth previously and determine whether those conditions are being met.

Town staff has said that some of those conditions have been met, like those pertaining to water and air quality monitoring. However, during the community meeting residents pointed out several conditions laid out in the 2002 review that were not being followed.

For example, one resident read aloud a condition that states, “The plant operator shall notify adjacent residential property owner/residents within 500 feet … of any night operations that extend after 8 p.m. in the evening.”

Some people present at the meeting agreed that they had never received any notification of nighttime operations, which they say cause both noise and air pollution.

Teichert has since emailed residents, who signed up for their email list, that they will be operating 24 hours a day between June 1 and July 30.

Other concerns ranged from the unpleasant fumes and the unknown health impacts on those exposed to the asphalt plant emissions.

One speaker requested that the company consider an updated environmental impact report, since when the plant was approved by the Nevada County Planning Commission in 1983, the operation was smaller and no report had been required.

Teichert representatives took notes of the concerns raised, and said they’d look into what they could do to deal with the effects of their operations. However, they also made it clear that they had no intentions of ceasing operations anytime soon.

The Truckee Planning Commission is expected to review Teichert’s permit during their regular meeting on June 20.

Amanda Rhoades is a news, environment and business reporter for the Sierra Sun. She can be reached at arhoades@sierrasun.com or 530-550-2653. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @akrhoades.

Correction (June 2 2:53 p.m.): An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the community meeting on June 8 will be held at the Best Western Plus Truckee Tahoe Hotel. The event was originally planned for this venue but had to be relocated to the Hampton Inn and Suites located at 11951 State Highway 267 in Truckee. The text has been corrected to reflect this change.

Correction (June 5 11:54 a.m.): An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the Truckee Planning Commission is scheduled to review Teichert’s permit on June 10. The commission will review the item on June 20, and the text has been changed to include the correct date. The Sun regrets the error.


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