ROCKINGHAM — A company that has been mining in Richmond County for 50 years will soon be expanding its operations.
Vulcan Materials Company announced Friday that it will begin development of a 68-acre property north of Galestown Road to support its existing quarry. Vulcan has owned the land since the early ‘90s and it is fully permitted for mining, Vulcan officials said.
According to a press release, the North Site project will “will help the company continue its investment and hiring in Richmond County.”
“This project demonstrates growth and strength in the local and regional economy and will serve as a catalyst that will help us continue generating economic and community benefits in Richmond County,” Rockingham Quarry Plant Manager Matthew Medlin said in the release. “For more than 50 years, the Rockingham Quarry has served as an important economic engine for Richmond County and a local community partner, which will continue heading into 2020 and beyond.”
Construction is expected to begin later this month and be completed in the fall.
The North Site will be designed and operated to comply with state and federal regulations for Vulcan’s granite mining operations, according to company officials.
“The site will be screened from Galestown Road by existing vegetation and landscaped berms that will be planted with grasses, longleaf and Virginia Pines to provide visual screening and sound buffering,” reads the press release. “As part of the project, Vulcan will fund and make improvements to a portion of Galestown Road.”
There is also a 218-acre project in the works within the next few years, but Vulcan still needs to obtain the proper permits.
Company officials say the quarry “has produced construction aggregates that help grow and sustain the community while forming the building blocks for the region’s roads, bridges, homes, hospitals, schools, office buildings and places of worship.”
According to the press release, Vulcan and spent more than $3 million with Richmond County companies and donated more than $233,000 to local schools and organizations since 2014.
Last summer, Vulcan donated 450 tons of rip-rap stone to go along the banks of Hamlet City Lake, with the city purchasing an additional 350 tons in a two-to-one matching grant.
The Rockingham Quarry, one of 22 in North Carolina operated by Vulcan, opened in 1969 and currently has 70 employees.
Corporate spokesman Scott Burnham said Vulcan has several job openings now and that the new activity will allow the company to hire more employees, with additional positions anticipated later this year.
For more information on the project, visit www.VulcanRockinghamQuarry.com or call the community line at 980-296-1919 to ask questions or provide feedback. To see job opportunities, visit www.workforvulcan.com.
