LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. — Residents in the Belle Mina area of Limestone County have a lot to be concerned about. "I have lived in the community since 1984," Clayton Garth shares. "My parents were from this community, my grandparents from this community and so I'm just not sure if we would be able to take what they're planning on doing as far as what they blast and this going to take place."
That concern, what proposed rock quarry and asphalt plants will do to their neighborhood. "It's a very historical area," Pastor Eddie Walton of New Beginnings Church shares. "Most of the structures, most of the buildings, most of the residential buildings, they are pretty aged, and I do not think they can withstand the blasting of the rocks. I think there was a report that the blasting could have an effect up to a five-mile radius. and so right here in Belle Mina it's in our front door, back door, side door."
Local pastors in the area are asking leaders to understand their concerns. "The county won't return our phone calls," Pastor Cody Gilliam of Bella Mina Methodist Church shares. "This community is filled with people that are impoverished and they're also a minority and they don't have the means to just up and leave if their property values plummet and even the talk of a quarry and an asphalt plant is going to stop people from wanting to purchase homes out here."
The community is coming together to make their voices heard. "We have a lot of local residents that does not have internet access," Walton shares. "Luckily, our church does have internet access and we want to do some online protesting. We have a letter of protest that they can fill out online, sign it and have it mailed to different political leaders."
"You know, a church is its own community, but first and foremost, it serves the community," Gilliam shares. "So, this is definitely part of the values of our church. and i know the values of new beginnings tend to be a place for the community to not only worship, but to gather."
Residents also share the importance of visibility. "We want as many eyes on it as possible so that we can take all actions that are available to us to voice our concerns until at least know that we are being heard trying to our best to prevent this, or we're going to need every bit of help that we can possibly get," Garth shares.