Dear Editor,

Today, May 9, 2018, exactly 6 weeks from the “Informal Hearing” 3-28-18, Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) director sent an email informing the community, that Star Excavations LLC has permission to blast. MDNR removed the condition of “No use of Explosives” basically for any kind of explosive necessary to be used by Star Excavations LLC, to get the rock out as fast and cheap as possible.

Some of us were optimistic that for the first time it seemed like MDNR was sympathetic to adjacent mine owners who live across from Star Excavations on Clifford Drive.

Representatives from MNDR actually toured the parts of the mine that two families own under their private property. I was there; I could see the concern in their eyes. They could see how the entire mine, no matter the owner, is one contiguous mine. But as the director of Missouri Department of Natural Resources said in his letter today, “The director does not have jurisdiction to address public concerns commonly raised during the review of the application for industrial mineral mining activity such as blasting, noise, or hours of operation.”

He then states that he listened to the public testimony, but it is not his jurisdiction. Well who is it? The City of Lee’s Summit who issued the special permit in 2013, are they responsible for making sure properties, health and safety are foremost and force Star Excavations LLC to be transparent and responsible?

Our hope is that the new mayor, mayor pro tem and sympathetic council persons will advocate for compromise and legal agreements in place to protect all residents in Lee’s Summit and KCMO. State notification process was not followed, this is a huge slap to taxpaying citizens.

Star Excavations has been experimenting with Autostem a type of explosive since 2013 another slap to the permit process. Star Excavations LLC mining operator did not know it was classified systems number 1.4s explosive until ATF wrote them a letter in 2017, after complaints were made to ATF.

What kind of research was done and by who? We the residents who live close have been hearing explosions for months after business hours, we cannot prove it was Star Excavations, but they cannot prove they did not. We will learn from this and be more prepared for Jeff City and the City of LSMO.
We will get to the bottom of this mess!

Rianna Deselich,

President of Unity Ridge POA, KCMO (Less than one mile from Pryor Road and Quarry Park Road)