Lafarge quarry in Cave-In-Rock receives service award
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Community involvement by Lafarge quarry in Cave-In-Rock has led to an award.
The Illinois Association of Aggregate Producers on Monday presented its community relations award to Lafarge rock quarry. In the past year the quarry has hosted a field trip by third grade pupils from Hardin County School District, helped in a cleanup of the Ohio River by collecting trash upstream from the quarry and working with Hardin County School District and Living Lands and Waters in an Earth Day project.
The team members helped middle and high school members of the Hardin County Cougar Outreach and the National Scholastic Sportsmen to plant trees, learn about animal life and the hazards of trash in the river, according to Shawn McKinney, outreach manager for IAAP.
"Lafarge strives to be a good corporate partner and member of the community," McKinney said.
The quarry, which employs about 50 people, has worked to improve safety and involvement in the community since it was acquired in 2006.
"With the company's support, employees working here have done a fantastic job to improve safety, efficiency, beautification and community involvement over the past few years. I am very proud of all of them," plant manager John Boyt said in a news release. "Receiving this award demonstrates that our peers in this industry believe we are on the right track."
The quarry originally opened in 1963, Jim Camp said during a tour of the quarry. The quarry strictly provided cement to a cement plant in Joppa until 1986. Martin-Marietta took over the lease and operated the plant as an aggregate plant. Lafarge took over the lease in 2006. In addition to the aggregate business, the quarry still supplies cement to Joppa.
All the stone taken out of the plant is shipped to points south by barge.
"This year we are forecast to do 2 million tons of aggregate," Camp said.
The quarry sits roughly 300 feet below the level of the river, so pumping water is a constant concern. The sandstone on top of the ground is at an elevation of 600 feet, Camp said.
The leftover spoils are reclaimed by putting soil on top of the spoils, then planting grass and trees.
"We'll put it back to hardwood forest," Camp said.
Lafarge is installing a new crushing system at the quarry. The current crusher is not big enough to keep up with modern production, Camp said. In the meantime, an outside company also helps crush rocks for the quarry, Camp said.