A Lewis County resident living near Toledo has had enough with the operations of a nearby gravel mine as he alleges the neighboring mine that has bothered his family for many years expanded its hours of operations this summer, violating the little peace he had left.
“Did everyone have a good summer?” Scott Crossfield asked the room during a Lewis County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday.
“My neighbors and I didn’t. We live near an unregulated gravel mine, which decided to operate almost every weekend from May to September.”
Scott Crossfield and his wife, Lawna, gave public comment during the Lewis County Board of Commissioners’ regular Tuesday business meeting concerning the large gravel mine located within view of their house across the Cowlitz River from the city of Vader.
After more than a decade of voicing their concerns, a lawsuit could be brewing.
The Crossfields have dealt with the noise and interruptions of the L Rock Industries mine for roughly 14 years, but they warn it has finally gone too far.
“Yes, we have been dealing with this for 14 years, but this summer has pushed us over the edge,” Lawna said Tuesday.
In his testimony, Crossfield pleaded with county officials to regulate the mine in a way that would limit operations based on “reasonable hours and noise.” As an example of his demands, he referred to the regulation of Goods’ Quarry located halfway between Winlock and Napavine, which operates under restrictions on its hours and has faced stiff opposition from neighbors when seeking to expand beyond that, most recently when seeking a special work permit from the county.
He thanked the members of the board of commissioners for hearing him out and for Commissioner Scott Brummer agreeing to speak with the owners of the mine, but also seemed to take little comfort in their cooperation, citing previous experiences speaking with the board of commissioners over the last 14 years “more than a dozen times.”
Crossfield concluded that if the county failed to enact some regulation on the operations of the nearby mine, he would resort to filing a lawsuit against the county on the grounds that it has failed to protect its constituents.
“At this point, I believe the only course of action is to pay a lawyer $525 an hour to help us sue the county to do their job,” Crossfield said. “That, my friends, is pathetic.”
Crossfield went on to explain conversations with the late Lewis County Commissioner Gary Stamper, who he claims had been frustrated with the county’s inaction on the issue.
As Lawna informed the room on Tuesday, and as has been previously reported, the Crossfields moved to the Toledo area more than 14 years ago to enjoy Scott’s retirement from the U.S. Army. They sought a peaceful and quiet home in particular to benefit Scott, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and injuries sustained during his service.
The couple recalls finding a home above a verdant valley near a Christmas tree farm at the time. Shortly thereafter, they saw equipment arrive to begin removing top soil and developing a gravel mine.
The Crossfields purchased their home in 2012, which, according to the Lewis County Parcels website, is the same year that Eagle Cliff Northwest LLC purchased the nearby property. Reporting by The Chronicle from 2014 shows development of the gravel mine started shortly thereafter.
Over the years since then, the Crossfields have spoken out a number of times and have been cited in articles by The Chronicle’s newsroom and in columns by longtime Chronicle opinion columnist Julie McDonald.
Crossfield recalls speaking with the board of commissioners many times over the years as well as attempting to speak with the owners of the mine, but to no avail, leaving litigation as possibly his only option for relief.
“Is this another bad decision that will cost the county more because of another lawsuit?” Crossfield asked.
Crossfield believes the county is shirking its duties to regulate the mine and claims county officials have told him that their own legal counsel has advised them they do not need to take action on the mine.
Lewis County officials declined to comment on the issue.
