Gateway residents express frustrations over proposed mine site

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Gateway residents express frustrations over proposed mine site

Gateway residents held a meeting Tuesday to discuss the future of their neighborhood following the announcement of a proposed mine site.

The Troyer Brothers, a potato farm in Lee County, are looking to rezone over 1,700 acres of property on State Road 82.

“The traffic here is really, really, bad. The trucks they can go three lanes across people get impatient,” Gateway resident Deborah Riker said.

Residents argued the proposed mine would destroy wildlife habitat, threat nearby farmers, jam traffic and endanger lives.

“The fact that they’re going to spend 35 years excavating limestone or limerock, and we need food. We need to be able to support our tables and our kids,” Gateway resident Barbara Tursky said.

But company officials said if approved, they would restore and reclaim the land at no cost for taxpayers.

A final decision is scheduled to take place on June 26. If officials approve the recommendation for rezoning, it will then go to county commissioners.

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