Prattville residents voice frustration about mining trucks constantly driving through quiet neighborhood
Some frustrated homeowners in Prattville are speaking out after years of dealing with noisy dump trucks driving through their once peaceful subdivision. Constant noise from trucks hauling clay out of a nearby mine can be heard inside and outside of homes in the Beacon Hills neighborhood.
“It is unbelievably frustrating to hear that all day long. You can’t go outside to talk on the phone because the trucks are going to be out there. You’ve got boats, houses, and cars covered in dirt and dust. You’ve got hydraulic fluid on the roads, and then we’ve got a road surface here that had to be replaced,” said homeowner Loyd Bittle.
The clay mine was not present when Loyd Bittle bought his home 20 years ago, and the mine has expanded in the last seven years.
“You can hear them through the house. And that’s the case for all of the neighbors on this main road in the main pathway to the mine. So you can hear them now, right? It’s constant,” said Loyd Bittle. Some of the 30 other homeowners have also attended city council meetings to voice their frustration about how the mine is zoned.
“The city took no action except they sent their police department here, and their police department went door-to-door and you know one would perceive this to be an intimidation tactic because I’ve got a threat for arrest warrant issued by the police department for code enforcement. They talked to us about our trash being in the wrong spot.”
The land the mine is on is currently zoned for Farming, Agriculture, and Recreation, not mining.
“A FAR zone would be like small farms, you know. Cow pastures, forest, and then, places where you could ride a four-wheeler, right? M1 and M2 (zones) are built and created for more industrial type activities. So that keeps, you know, the mine from being operated next door to say, the mayor’s house. Which is which I think would be important. And I certainly think the mayor would think that would be important,” said Bittle.
Prattville Mayor Bill Gillespie has responded saying, “As to Beacon Hills, I have tasked our City Attorney, Andrew Odom, with conducting a full and complete investigation into what has occurred and is still occurring. Additionally, I have asked Mr. Odom to provide an analysis as to where the City legally stands on this issue. This investigation includes talking with numerous individuals on both sides of the issue, as well as collecting and reviewing all relevant documents and information. It is anticipated that this investigation and analysis will be complete by the end of August.”
Bittle wants to know why this process has taken seven years. “So this company has won bids with the city and the city has bought material out of this mine. So meanwhile, they’re telling us they’re doing everything they can do to stop it, but that’s not actually what’s happening.”
We will let you know what is determined by the City of Prattville’s investigation at the end of August.
