Greetings to all.

I write this as a very concerned land/home owner in Muse. I attended a recent meeting on the Mining Ordinance and discussion of the proposed mine and am one of the many voting residents who oppose a new mine in Muse. There will be plenty of educated, professional, and knowledgeable people who will give you other sound reasons for the opposition, but I would like to give you a word visual:

Months ago I was traveling north on Walter Greer Road when a dump truck pulled out of Pollywog Road by the Glades School. He made his turn, I followed behind him and two other dump trucks subsequently pulled out of Pollywog Road and turned right, following behind me. I was driving the speed limit. As our caravan passed the Mudge Ranch, the dump truck behind me, PASSED ME obviously going well over the speed limit. Needless to say, I was rocked, then incensed. As we all approached Silver Lake Road (on which I live) the two dump trucks in front of me took a left onto Fernwood. I followed them. The third dump truck that was behind me continued as well.

I kept following them (not knowing where I was going) until we all landed at a dirt mine. Everyone stopped in a cloud of dust.

I got out of my car as they got out of their trucks. (Picture this: three scruffy men now standing by their trucks; me, a woman at 73 years old, 5’3”, 105 pounds approaching them. They stare at me incredulously.)

One walked toward me. Calmly I said, as I pointed to the guy who passed me, “You guys are driving WAY too fast. You pass me in my small SUV, while I’m going the speed limit and you are in a what? A 70 ton truck? This is wrong. You’ve got to slow down. That’s all I have to say.”

He apologized, I turned, and went back to my car.

A fourth man approached me from somewhere and held up a phone for me to take. I put it to my ear. “What are you doing on my property?” a man barked.

I responded coldly, “I’m on your property because your men in these massive dump trucks are driving too fast on the roads. I’m in a small SUV. No match for dump trucks. I told them to slow down! (I might be paraphrasing, but that was the gist of it.) He apologized then, and said he’d speak to his men. I tried to leave, but I got lost in an intersection of dirt roads. Fortunately a woman in large white SUV followed me and showed me the way out. She also apologized for the drivers.

The point of my story is that my experience is REAL. For those of you who support the mine, you have no idea what it’s like to taste the danger of a speeding dump truck passing you. And it’s likely that this proposed mine will have how many dump trucks visits a day? 150? More? Do you really think they will all be cautious, speed-limit drivers? Absolutely not!

And what about the Glades School? Have you given any thought to kids, parents, and bus drivers vying for a spot on a narrow road with fast moving dump trucks who cannot easily stop with a full load? And do you REALLY believe they will be doing 20 MPH during mandated hours? If so, you are dreaming.

So, if you have special interest in this project, which I suspect some of you do, all I can say is that you are putting the financial well-being of one owner to the detriment of ALL residents, their families, and guests of Muse. And sadly, there could well be a tragic circumstance. Dump truck vs. compact SUV.