THEY'RE BA-AACK STOP WINTER BROTHERS MATERIAL COMPANY

WE NEED YOUR HELP

Do you visit Rte. 66 State Park? Do you have family and friends who visit Rte. 66 State Park? Are you aware of the Meramec Greenway? The Meramec River Basin? Do you enjoy visiting the City of Eureka, its historic district and fine restaurants?

Do you travel in and around the area of Hwy. 44 and Hwy. 109? Do your children ride schoolbuses in and around Eureka?

If so, then you should be aware of proposal by Winter Brothers Materials for a sand and gravel pit mine located in an area directly south of Rte. 66 State Park. The dump trucks will be sharing roads with Rte. 66 State Park and, once exiting the park, will be using major intersections in order to gain access to Hwy. 44. (to travel east and west) and Hwy. 109 (to travel north and south). According to Winter Brothers’ own estimate, 20-25 dump trucks per hour will enter and exit the sand and gravel pit (at peak operation).

In 2001, Winter Brothers had requested the City of Eureka approve their proposal for a sand and gravel pit mine and to use city streets in order to transport their product. Amid much public outcry and concern regarding the number of dump trucks, traffic hazards and the use of City streets, Winter Brothers withdrew their application.

On November 12, 2014, Winter Brothers’ latest request to the City of Eureka resulted in an unanimous “NO” vote from the City of Eureka’s P&Z commission. Winter Brothers, once again, withdrew their application.

They had another plan...circumvent the wishes of the City of Eureka and its 10,000+ residents, by submitting their proposal to the County of St. Louis (the majority of the property is located in unincorporated St. Louis County).

Winter Brothers has been working, quietly, on circumventing the use of streets situated in the City of Eureka. MoDot has issued them a permit to use a portion of Rte. 66 State Park’s outer road in order to access Interstate Hwy 44. The estimated number of dump trucks that will be using this access is between 20-25 per hour (this is based on Winter Brothers’ own estimate). The MoDNR has granted Winter Bros. an easement and, when asked, said they do not require any oversight by the legislature nor do they need to notify or ask for the consent of Missouri taxpayers.

The sand and gravel plant would be directly south and adjacent to Rte. 66 State Park. Over 200,000 individuals visited Rte. 66 State Park last year, those individual included pedestrians, bicyclists, equestrians and automobiles. Many disabled athletes use Rte. 66 State Park for its easy access and even terrain.

The proposed sand and gravel plant will be located on 900 acres and the estimated presence in the valley is 40 years or more. Of the 900 acres, 245 acres are located within the City of
Eureka and is zoned R-1 (residential). Presently, there are 654 homes located near the proposed site, most of those are located within City limits, there is a nursing home and assisted living facility located within City limits and in unincorporated St. Louis County there are many homes (several recently built), near the proposed site.

We are asking the St. Louis County Planning and Zoning to consider the following:
• The relationship of extraction and associated activities with existing land uses.
• The impact on existing land uses in the vicinity of the property.
• The impact on property values in the vicinity of the property and along the proposed hauling route serving the property, based on credible evidence.
• The impact on pedestrian and traffic safety in the vicinity of the property and along the proposed hauling route serving the property.
• The impact on other identifiable health, safety, and welfare interests in the local unit of government.
• The overall public interest in the extraction of the specific natural resources on the property.
Let’s briefly examine these factors:
• Existing land use: The proposed gravel and sand mine site is zoned 245 acres Residential and the remainder is Floodplain Non-Urban. For decades this land has been leased to a local farmer and, currently, is used for farming. There are homes in the area, many depend on wells. There
are existing businesses located near the proposed entrance/exit. Clearly, a sand and gravel mine is not compatible with existing land use.
• Land use in the vicinity: The vicinity includes Rte. 66 State Park which allows and promotes, pedestrians, bike riders and equestrians is located in the area. It is also part of the Meramec River Basin and provides access points for boating and anglers. The noise, dust and constant truck traffic of a mine operation would completely disrupt all land use in the vicinity.
• Property values: Multiple studies (including Hite, Ericheck, Lansink) show that sand and gravel mining operations lower property values as much as 39 percent — if you can sell your house at all.
• Pedestrian and traffic safety: The proposed 20-25 dump trucks per hour represents a dramatic
increase in commercial truck traffic. This will create a hazard to pedestrians and cyclists in the
area. In addition, the traffic flow would be substantially impacted at the ingress and egress points to Interstate Hwy. 44, this is already a challenging portion of highway. The condition and quality of the roads in the area will also be negatively impacted due to increased weight and use of the
commercial vehicles.
• Health and safety: Potential threats to public health and safety include, but are not limited to, particulate pollution, noise pollution, impact on groundwater and wells and negative impact on habitat and Native American artifacts.
• Public interest: There are already two similar operations in the area. According to the proposal, any jobs created would, at most, be 5. Independent impact studies are essential to avoid conflict of interest in further assessing the proposed mine’s full impact. We also request Winter Brothers use the Full Cost Accounting System when calculating the economic impact on the community.

Jackie and Stephen Sanders M.D.
Save Our Homes Eureka

Ways in which you can help: Please attend the P&Z Commission Hearing on April 13th, at 7:00 p.m., 41 S. Central, Clayton, MO.
Or...
e-mail Gail Choate, St. Louis County Planning Commission
- gchoate@stlouisco.com

Visit our website and FB page: http://www.saveourhomeseureka.com/
https://www.facebook.com/saveourhomeseureka