TOWN OF MANLIUS – After more than 50 years of mining, the T.H. Kinsella quarry on Route 5 east of Fayetteville is nearing the end of its useful life.
Now the operators of the quarry are looking to transition their operation to a new site about a mile east of the current location.
Last week, Tom Kinsella presented the Manlius Town Board with preliminary plans for a 250-acre quarry site, south of Route 5 at the intersection of Route 5 and Route 290. If granted all the necessary permits from the town, county and state, the new quarry would support Kinsella’s operations for several decades, he said.
Plans call for about 215 acres of the site to be used for mining. There would be a setback of several hundred feet from Route 5 before mining operations begin.
The transition from the old quarry to the new location would take approximately five years. There are several options for reclamation of the old quarry, and Kinsella said he’s already had discussions with solar farm operators about possibly siting a solar installation on the site.
There are a number of hurdles the proposal must pass before work could begin.
The 250-acre site is composed of six different parcels which are zoned either commercial or restricted agricultural. Kinsella is seeking a zone change to a natural resource removal district in which mining is permitted. The Onondaga County Planning Agency will also provide a recommendation.
If the zone change is approved, the project would then proceed to the state Department of Environmental Conservation for mining permits and to the state Department of Transportation for a permit to reconfigure the intersection of Routes 5 and 290 for an access road to the quarry.
Most of what is mined at the Kinsella quarry is limestone, which is used in variety of building processes, from road construction to drainage and sewer systems to buildings and bridges. Kinsella spoke of a number of local projects that his quarry has provided material for, including the recent renovations at Wellwood Middle School. Having a local source for high-quality building materials is an important resource for area residents, he said, because it reduces transportation and construction costs and limits the environmental impacts of transporting resources long distances.
“Everything we use, everything we do, requires crushed stone,” he said. “It’s something everybody uses, even if they don’t know it.”
Town attorney Tim Frateschi said he would gather questions from town board members over the next week to provide to Kinsella for his responses at a future presentation. The town board will seek public input and may hold an informational meeting specific to this project before making a decision on the zone change.