Commissioners table decision on a petition from the Rock Creek Stone Quarry
By HOLLY GASKILL
Every seat in the audience, and then some, was filled for a public hearing with the Wells County Commissioners Monday evening.
The hearing was scheduled regarding a petition from Rock Creek Stone Quarry Inc., 781N 500W in Bluffton, which requested the county vacate a portion of County Road 500 West from CR 100N and stretching south past the Whitelock Ditch, approximately 1,650 ft. This closure would sever access to and from Ind. 124 through CR 500W.
After the hour-long hearing and contentious debate, the commissioners ultimately chose to take the matter under advisement. The agenda for their regular meeting, which directly followed the hearing, had included an opportunity to vote on an ordinance regarding CR 500W. All three commissioners — Mike Vanover, Blake Gerber and Jeff Stringer — were present.
Chase and Dave Fiechter, representing their business, explained they planned to expand their operations across the road. Given the nature of the work, they expect to be crossing with heavy machinery frequently. While vacating the road would ultimately help their business operations, they also advised it would save the county from a safety and traffic nuisance.
Chase Fiechter emphasized that the business has tried to have an open dialogue with property owners and concerned parties, but there’s been mistrust and misinformation.
“The material we’re carrying across the roads could fall off, which could be 100 lb. rock on the road. If a vehicle collides with that, that is one of our bigger concerns, as well that we are trying to prevent by not having road access there,” said Chase Fiechter.
“We feel like we’re here for a need for the community too,” said Dave Fiechter. “It’s not just for ourselves, I think it’s a win-win. As far as the road being closed, a lot of people say, ‘Hey, it’s only for financial gain,’ for ourselves as a quarry … but we feel like if we can produce for a lesser cost, it’s going to funnel down to all the customers in Wells and Huntington counties.”
Jon Bomberger, their legal representation, additionally explained that the business is willing to take on several projects to assist in the transition. The business would agree to cover the costs of creating a cul-de-sac at the end of the roadway, moving any utilities, and adding a dry fire hydrant. They also discussed postponing the closure until Dec. 31, 2025, after currently scheduled county projects that would use CR 500W as a detour.
Bomberger noted the business had consulted with local emergency services and paid for a traffic study, which found the road saw a maximum of 87 cars daily.
Comments from the public on Monday, however, were overwhelmingly in disagreement with the proposition. While disdain for the detour was a part of the conversation, it was largely in the background — instead, many expressed their frustration with the quarry operations altogether.
Laura Roberts, 1275N 500W, stated she didn’t want to “burn bridges” with the Fiechters, but took issue with minimizing the road closure itself and its impact on area residents, who are already affected by the quarry.
“I’m not sure now I even want them to expand because many people out there already have foundation issues from the blasting — and now 100 lb. rocks in the road,” Roberts said. “It just doesn’t sound like a great plan all the way around.”
Gary Mounsey, 48N 500W, explained that properties within the area have just 2-6 ft. of soil before the bedrock. He claimed this shallow depth allows the reverberations from excavation to be much stronger than other quarry areas. Mounsey further alleged the quarry has been negligent and disrespectful to the neighboring property owners.
This was later echoed by Ron Marshall, 1539 Parlor City Dr., who said he had previously lived in the area for over 37 years. “It’ll be a win-win for them, but not for anybody else — they’re not that good of neighbors,” Marshall said.
Dan Gordon, 4445W 100N, and David Hedrick, 4977W 100N, also spoke against the request.
“Everything that I have heard so far in this presentation is liability issues on the Rock Creek Stone Quarry,” said Hedrick.
Todd Fiechter, 4197E 1200S-90 in Bryant, however, took a different tone. Todd Fiechter advised he wasn’t associated with the business and hadn’t even attended the meeting with this matter in mind. However, considering the county was willing to approve a 10-year total tax abatement for Paddlefish Solar — an out-of-county business — Todd Fiechter expressed that the county should be able to make sacrifices that would lead to economic growth for local businesses as well. He noted that the competitive, local pricing has been advantageous to many local businesses and projects, including county operations.
Regarding the safety element, Jon Gray and Trent Markley, representing the Markle and Liberty Center volunteer fire departments, ran multiple routes to determine the effect on possible emergency response. They subsequently found that new alternative routes would be nearly five minutes in response time to three affected households in the area.
Markley stressed the closure could force fire trucks to cross the bridge on CR 100N or a further detour.
“Our main priority is public safety,” said Gray. Markley added, “Minutes are everything … You’re really hurting the people that live in that area.”
Later in the meeting, Chase Fiechter was permitted to respond to the comments. While affirming these safety concerns, Fiechter saw no issues with these alternative routes, specifically with a bridge that is supposed to handle that weight.
“Even if they hit their brakes and come to a complete stop, they should make it to Rockford quicker than traveling the additional half mile traveled down 500W,” he said. “So, I don’t fully understand why they won’t be taking that route. It definitely seems like a quicker route to get to any emergency in Rockford.”
From the audience, Markley called this argument “grasping for straws.”
Bonberger also noted that there are growing pains with any change but that the growth of the quarry would ultimately lead to more tax revenue and continued employment opportunities for the county.
Concerning complaints about the business operation, Chase Fiechter concluded, “We are more than willing to correct any mistakes our quarry has on any of our neighbors.”
holly@news-banner.com
