Request to Mine Ochre at Cartersville Ranch Will Be Heard This Week

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A local property owner’s request to mine ochre will be reviewed this week.

The Bartow County Planning Commission tonight will hear James Dellinger’s request to rezone 211 acres from R-1 (residential) to M-1 (mining) to perform surface mining at Cartersville Ranch LLC.

Tonight’s hearing will begin at 6 p.m. The second and final public hearing will be held 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3 when Bartow County Commissioner Steve Taylor will take up the request in the Commissioner’s Conference Room.

Dellinger owns the mineral rights to the property while Cartersville Ranch LLC, which is where the property is located, is the surface rights owner, Bartow County Zoning Division Manager Brandon Johnson previously told Patch.

The property sits north of Highway 20 east of Cline Smith Road in unincorporated Bartow County.

Johnson also said ochre is a common mineral in the area.

“Surface mining does not involve blasting or drilling,” he said. “The usual method is digging on the surface with an excavator or similar machine.”

Both hearings will take place at 135 W. Cherokee Avenue Suite 251 in Cartersville.