Sahuarita, Arizona (KVOA) – Hundreds of residents in and around the Quail Creek retirement community in Sahuarita are calling for a halt to plans for a high-temperature asphalt production site near the community.

Vulcan Materials, an international company based in Birmingham, Alabama, recently applied for a conditional use permit to begin hot asphalt production at a facility it already owns off the Old Nogales Highway.

This location is about half a mile (0.5 miles) from Quail Creek. Vulcan has been using the site for aggregate mining for many years and wants to ramp up its operations.

David Wolf and his friend and neighbor Randy Langham live on Quail Creek. They are concerned about the impact the site will have on their peaceful neighborhood.

“We think the factory needs to be well-located, which means there aren’t too many seniors and residents in communities of 55 or more,” says Wolf.

Langham said he recently left Rio Rico after a similar facility operated by another company opened near his home.

“This is like our worst nightmare starting over,” he said.

They both hosted petitions to sign in the community and received over 1,500 signatures against the project.

“It’s not about us, it’s about the community,” Wolf said.

Residents are concerned about many potential problems such as bad odors, airborne dust, airborne toxins, and increased truck traffic. The entrance to the site leads straight over the tracks, fearing the danger of derailing trains.

Vulcan Materials has a lot of interest in Arizona as the state continues to experience significant growth. The company currently operates three asphalt facilities in Pima County and 19 in the state.

News 4 When Tucson Investigators asked Vulcan Materials about the concerns of Quail Creek residents, Corporate Communications Director Jack Bonnikson said the company takes such community concerns seriously and even flew from Alabama to Tucson to fly them explained the position of

He gave N4T agents a tour of the company’s Marana facility. The facility is already hot he is producing asphalt and is a much larger facility than what is planned for Sahuarita.

We were driven through the facility by Bonixon and two on-site supervisors who have worked there for decades. They described the details of their work and the steps they would take to reduce or eliminate impacts beyond the worksite.

It was a windy day, we were about 1,900 feet downwind from where they produce hot asphalt, and there was no odor. He was much closer than half a mile to Quail Creek. I also didn’t hear any activity from the area where the asphalt is being produced. Even standing right next to a truck full of hot asphalt, the smell was minimal.

Bonixon said many regulations from various government agencies need to be passed to ensure that the business does not pose a threat to people or the environment.

“We have and need to have air, land, water, security and other permits across the board so that we can operate in a safe and reliable manner,” he said. Told.

All the materials produced are important to help the ongoing growth in this area, especially for road construction.

Bonixon said he puts all asphalt into local projects because of its “shelf life,” which requires it to be put into a project within an hour of the facility.

Bonixson said that using the land they already own and uses for raw materials will make their operations more efficient and, in fact, they won’t have to transport raw materials to an out-of-the-way asphalt mill. He said it would reduce the number of trucks on the road.

Sahuarita Mayor Tom Murphy said there is still a long way to go in the permitting process and perhaps some conditions need to be met.

“Environmental concerns and safety concerns are certainly top priorities for us as a council,” Murphy said.

He said town officials will be out in the Quail Creek community next Thursday at 10 a.m. to give a presentation and answer questions from residents.

We also plan to discuss permitting at the May 1 board meeting.

Wolf and Langham have heard the explanation, but are not convinced the site will change the face of their community.

N4T Investigators keep you up to date.

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