Greetings to all,

My name is Ronnie Heard and I have lived with my family in Alvaton, Georgia in rural Meriwether County (about one hour south of Atlanta) for more than thirty years.  I am humbly asking for your financial support on behalf of Citizens for Action in Meriwether, a non-profit organization that represents dozens of hardworking citizens that have lived in Meriwether County for generations.

We need your help in challenging the rezoning and permitting of a 756-acre parcel of property near our homes for construction of a rock quarry by an out of state developer.  The parcel is currently zoned residential and next to my home and the homes of many other citizens.  The parcel is close to the majestic Flint River and White Oak Creek, a major tributary of the Flint River, flows through the land.

The out of state developer has begun legal proceedings to force Meriwether County to allow unregulated hard rock mining throughout Meriwether County and to rezone the parcel from residential to industrial.  The Citizens humbly ask for your financial support to allow us to challenge the out of state developer’s efforts to rezone the parcel and build the quarry. 

It may take tens of thousands of dollars to effectively challenge the rezoning and permitting of the quarry.  The developer has retained a powerful lawyer in Macon Georgia.  A reputable environmental law firm in Atlanta has agreed to represent us.  To effectively represent us, however, our attorneys need support and funds to hire suitable experts in environmental science, economics, and other fields.

Please donate to our cause no matter where you live as the quarry would have local, regional, and national impacts.  The area at issue supports endangered species and has important cultural resources including Native American sites.  The quarry would adversely impact the groundwater and surface water of the White Oak Creek and the Flint River. Runoff from the quarry may impact downstream water supplies.

The quarry would have devastating local impacts.  White Oak Creek and the Flint River are important sources of income and recreation to our community.  The quarry would deplete stream flow in White Oak Creek due to long-term lowering of groundwater levels to keep the quarry dry. During droughts nearby wells may experience degraded water quality or go dry causing hardship to local citizens.

The blasting and mining activities would destroy the quality of life in this area.  The quarry could reduce property values, damage home foundations, contaminate drinking water wells, release large volumes of harmful dust, and destroy local roads through increased semi and dump truck traffic.  Please take a moment to consider how you would feel if this were your home and community.

Meriwether County would only generate an additional $150,000 in tax revenues from the quarry and the typical quarry does not have many full-time employees. Most of the material mined will be shipped out of state and not used in Georgia. It is not worth destroying a priceless community and natural area for these figures. Please help us challenge the rezoning and permitting of this destructive quarry.