Fill dirt decision raises dust

Rankin’s Fox Run residents decry supervisors’ vote

Residents of Fox Run Road say they appreciate the quarter-mile drive for its tranquility.

But a measure the county Board of Supervisors approved Monday could cost the residents northeast of Brandon some of their peace.

Supervisors approved a conditional use request to allow a property owner at the end of the cul-de-sac to harvest dirt, which will be used on a nearby county road improvement project.

“I was disappointed in the fact they would not limit the operation time to Monday through Fridays,” said Fox Run resident Cynthia Montgomery.

Montgomery moved to Fox Run because it was a quiet place to raise her son. Now he’s an adult, but the idea of dump trucks pacing up and down the street has her worried for the other neighborhood children.

“We have a lot of kids that play on the street,” she said. “It’s going to be dangerous for them, especially on Saturdays.”

Montgomery said timbering of that same site several months ago disturbed the neighborhood and also posed a risk for the children with the traffic of large logging trucks.

Supervisors say the site will serve as a source of mud temporarily. Strings attached to the measure include working hours, set from daylight to dusk, and regulations allowing mud to only be harvested for the first phase of the Baker Lane road improvements.

The resolution lacked any regulations on what days work could be done because it could impede progress of roadwork, said the area’s supervisor, Walter Johnson.

Baker Lane, a road now under renovation, is expected to be finished in late spring or early summer, county engineer Buster Parker said Monday at the meeting. Johnson said the road is a critical artery in District 4.

“(The dirt) will be used specifically for the Baker Lane project,” Johnson said. “It shortens the length of haul times, so they don’t have to use as many dump trucks. “I apologize in advance for the people on Fox Run; I hope you understand it’s for Baker Lane.”

The conditional use request also was granted on whether tests reflect the soil is appropriate for road construction.

The Board of Supervisors hasn’t seen any studies yet, but the site’s owner, Barry Chalk, conducted studies and has indicated the ground has soil adequate for road construction.

“This could be a moot point if we get the soil report back and it doesn’t meet the requirements,” Johnson said.

Several neighbors, including Montgomery, said the area’s underground is composed of high amounts of Yazoo clay, dirt not appropriate for foundation.

Montgomery said a test on her property from several years ago showed the Yazoo clay to be 12-feet deep. Supervisors assured residents Yazoo clay wouldn’t be used on the road.

“We wouldn’t put Yazoo clay under the road,” Board of Supervisors President Greg Wilcox said.

The Clarion-Ledger, B2, 10/3/09