Cobleskill Stone Products is holding off on a major shift of mining operations at its Howes Cave Quarry.
CSP wants to begin mining on the east side of Sagendorf Corners Road, but the project might require a tunnel under the road––and that’s making company officials pause.
“We’ve learned it’s going to be much more expensive than we anticipated,” said CSP attorney John Holmes. “With the size of the tunnel, just drilling and blasting would cost $1.8 million, and other costs would be off the chart. We’ll wait.”
The quarry is on both sides of the road, and CSP has been producing crushed stone from the west side for years. Those reserves are running low, so CSP wants to move to the east side.
Mining is allowed on the east side, and permits are in place for the work. CSP has been seeking approval from Cobleskill town officials for an at-grade crossing on Sagendorf Corners Road until the tunnel is built.
Now those plans are on hold.
According to documents filed at the town office, the tunnel would have been about 50 feet below the road and roughly 50 feet wide.
Building the tunnel would take only several months, but making a drop-cut on the east side––to reach the other end of the tunnel would take five to seven years, according to the documents.
Money isn’t the only factor. Mike Moore, also with CSP, said the company’s consulting geologist is concerned that the rock strength might not support the tunnel roof.
Mr. Holmes agreed.
“He’s questioning the strength of the rock,” Mr. Holmes said of the geologist.
Though the tunnel and drop-cut may be time-consuming and expensive, the access road for the crossing is no small job. It was to be 40 feet wide and paved for the first hundred feet on both sides of Sagendorf Corners Road, according to the proposal at the town office.
Culverts would re-direct storm water, and the access road would be gated.
But plans for the access road are also on hold, because trucking rock from the east side to the crushing operation on the west side wouldn’t be efficient, Mr. Moore said.
“We don’t want to be hauling across the top of the road forever,” he said.
CSP owner Emil Galasso is in Florida, and company officials will meet when he returns.
“We’ll wait and figure out what our best alternative is,” Mr. Holmes said. “It’s probably not going to a real, real quick decision.”
CSP “always knew” it would have to go to the east side because the west side reserves are limited, Mr. Holmes said.
The quarry is now one of Schoharie County’s Empire Zones. CSP didn’t apply for Empire Zone benefits, however, because it wasn’t sure of increased employment. Zone benefits are based on job growth.
“We couldn’t project accurately when employment would increase,” Mr. Holmes said. “We know it will; we just don’t know when.
“Companies have gotten in trouble with the state for over-stating employment increases. We didn’t want to do that.”
CSP’s Howes Cave plans aren’t related the proposed expansion of the company’s Schoharie quarry, Mr. Moore said. The Schoharie proposal is in litigation.