WILLIAMS, Arizona — On March 29, many community members flocked to the Williams High School cafeteria to ask questions to the U.S. Forest Service and express concerns about proposed mining activity at Bill Williams Mountain.

Emotions were heightened by some residents who expressed their deep ties to the mountains and the potential environmental and cultural impact of Drake Cement, LLC’s proposal to mine pozzolan on the mountain from which the community is named. rice field.

“Mining rights are coming to the edge of our property,” said Williams resident Mike Benham. “They follow our fence line. will stop coming, that’s the biggest thing for us, not to mention the dust, the noise, the other impacts, but the worst thing is that they’re destroying the mountains, which the Forest Service calls islands in the sky. It’s there, and it’s almost untouched.”

Drake Cement claims mining rights and is in the exploration phase of the project. The company is looking for pozzolane, a cement additive, in the south and east foothills of Bill Williams Mountain near Perkinsville Road. Before mining takes place, the company plans to dig eight trenches to collect samples and analyze them for pozzolans.

“Unfortunately, if they do more research, many areas around here will have pozzolans and have less of an environmental impact,” Benham said. I really hope they move to .I think they will face a lot of opposition.”

A Drake Cement representative was scheduled to attend the meeting, but was unable to due to illness, according to the Forest Service.

In a later interview, Drake Cement spokesperson David Chavez said the proposed exploration would determine whether the quality of the pozzolan present would determine whether it could be used to make concrete.

“Natural pozzolans have unique chemical properties and morphologies (physical shapes and structures) that make them perform well in concrete,” says Chavez. “No decision has been made to mine this claim yet. This is an exploration.”

Chavez said the company plans to begin the exploration process within a week or two of approval.

When asked if Drake was considering relocating due to significant concerns and opposition to mining at Bill Williams Mountain, Chavez said the company “sympathizes with the concerns they have heard.” ” he said.

“Drake has always kept being a good neighbor as a strong motivation for our work,” he said. “Despite the enormous amount of misinformation circulating about this exploration, we are open to answering questions and reassure our neighbors. No, quite the opposite, we are going to support the economy and create jobs.”

Benny Aja, third-generation Williams rancher, chairman of the Coconino Natural Resources Conservation District, and president of the Coconino County Agriculture Department, is concerned about water and transportation in his community.

“I have some concerns, but the most important is the watershed,” he said. “And the traffic too. only.”

Mayor Don Dent attended the meeting with City Councilors Mike Cowen and Lee Payne to share their views on the proposal.

“I think this is bad for the community,” Cohen said. “I think there are other places you can go. This place is probably one of the worst he’s had. Mainly because it’s in Williams’ watershed.”

He said the proposed mining would be on the side of Bill Williams Mountain and would flow into the Santa Fe Reservoir, which would flow into the city’s water treatment plant.

“This place is of great significance to the people of Williams and those who drive the South Road, both environmentally and aesthetically.

Dent said the project would not bring any benefits to the city of Williams.

“Citizens have asked me before how this could positively affect Williams,” he said. The biggest concern is water, which not only has the potential to pollute our water, but also has the potential to take it away from us.”

Coconino County District 3 Superintendent Matt Ryan said the opposition to the project was understandable.

“Whether it’s a cultural component or what the mountain means to the city of Williams, there are a lot of concerns,” he said. “The investments we have made in watersheds, the economy, and forest fire mitigation are a concern.

Ryan said supervisors are not against mining and understand the need for pozzolan.

“But they really picked the wrong place,” Ryan said. “We’re just trying to get mining to go elsewhere.”

Kaibab National Forest Ranger Debra Moret said the meeting was hosted by the Forest Service to ensure community members were kept informed about the proposals.

“We had heard from many community members who expressed interest in this project,” Moretto said. “I wanted to make sure people’s questions were answered. I also wanted to make sure they had the right people to talk to.”

Mollet said there will be more opportunities for public comment in the future.

“We want to listen to the community and gather their concerns,” she said. “We build it into our process as well.”