An interesting perspective was composed to more fully assess RDUAA’s and Wake Stone’s plans to put an open mine pit on the Odd Fellows tract and to put parking lots on much of  Tract "286."  It discusses several pieces to RDUAA’s land use puzzle. Some are known and being considered. However, there are several pieces that are missing and not being honestly evaluated. Some (but not all) of these puzzle pieces include:

1) Why does RDUAA manage the Odd Fellows tract and the 286 tract in the first place and why does RDUAA continue to manage these tracts?

2) Do the physical locations of Odd Fellows and 286 East fit better with operations of the William B. Umstead State Park or RDU Airport?

3) How do RDUAA’s plans for the Odd Fellows tract fit in with RDUAA’s Sustainability Plan (SMP) or their RDU Forest Management Plan (FMP)? How does Wake Stone’s open mine pit and massive bridge over Crabtree Creek just upstream of Umstead State Park fit into RDUAA’s SMP?

4) For financing RDU operations, are there alternatives to destroying land that is on the NC State Parks critical acquisition list and part of a long-established and highly used Recreation Corridor?

5) What are the potential short-term and long-term liabilities to RDUAA and the public resulting from Wake Stone’s open mine pit on the Odd Fellows tract? Wake Stone Corporation’s liability ends shortly after quarrying operations end but the liability for RDU and the public will never end.

6) What about the Sunset Clause on the current Triangle Quarry? If Wake Stone had not convinced a new DEQ-Mining staff and Interim DEQ Division Director to un-do this long-established clause in the Triangle Quarry Permit by changing the word “sooner” to “later”, could they even consider an open mine pit on Odd Fellows?

7) Does Runway 14-32, the WWII era runway that is only used in only one direction for landings and take-offs create income for RDU? Should this runway be eliminated so that funds directed at this runway could be directed to the main runways?

8) What about the reasoning RDUAA used to justify proposing to fence off the remote lands they manage?

Read the entire thought piece here.