Gabbro

About noon every day, the ground beneath Church Lane in Cockeysville rumbles as if a subway train were passing through. A plume of smoke fills the air, pinpointing the site of the latest blast at the Redland Genstar quarry, known as the Texas Plant."

Because of a lengthy hearing on another matter, the Howard County Board of Appeals postponed last night action on developer Kingdon Gould Jr.'s proposal to mine rock on a property he owns in Jessup -- again dragging out one of the longest cases ever before the board."

After 10 months of testimony about developer Kingdon Gould Jr.'s proposal for a quarry in Jessup, the Howard County Board of Appeals this week finally heard the first of the closing arguments -- with proponents insisting the mining operation would benefit the community, the county and the state."

In their first attack on Kingdon Gould's proposal for a quarry in Jessup, opponents submitted to the Howard County Board of Appeals last night more than 40 pages of environmental charges filed against the developer's Frederick County quarry from 1989 to 1994.Included are charges of dust and air pollution, and damage to wetlands against Gould's Barricks quarry in Woodsboro, which is run by his Laurel Sand & Gravel Inc.Residents who have dubbed themselves the Stop the Quarry Coalition fear similar problems if a quarry is allowed in their community.

An attorney and experts backing developer Kingdon Gould's plan to quarry rock at a Jessup site used the last night of testimony on the project this week to try to discredit their opponents' concerns about traffic, protection of the environment and residents' safety.Wednesday night concluded nine months of testimony before the Howard County Board of Appeals. The board will hear closing arguments from the two sides and receive written reports before making its decision -- which is not expected before the end of October.

Dealing a blow to Jessup residents who support a proposed quarry near their homes, the chairman of the Howard County Board of Appeals said last night the panel might not require the project's developer to keep promises he made to get residents' support.George Layman, the chairman, said that the board might run into legal difficulties if it requires developer Kingdon Gould to build a "club house" and keep other promises he made to residents."I do have a problem with promises made being part of the special exception," Mr. Layman said.

Developer Kingdon Gould Jr. has proposed a $15 million quarry operation for 100 acres in eastern Howard County.The proposal is "in the very preliminary stages, and we are meeting with the community to seek its support," he said yesterday. "Without substantial community support, the project is a non-starter."He said the site, the 600-acre Chase property, which he owns, is zoned for industrial-type development."There is a unique deposit of Baltimore gabbro on the property, and I am told by the state that it is the only such deposit in Maryland," Gould said.

The county Board of Appeals last night gave initial approval to developer Kingdon Gould Jr.'s controversial proposal for a rock quarry in Jessup that is expected yield 1 to 2 million tons of rock a year for 25 years.Board members must sign astatement of approval and until they do, they have the authority to change their decision.Board members plan to review and sign the final document in February.Richard B. Talkin, an attorney for Gould, would not comment last night on the decision, saying, "When we see the final decision, we'll comment on it."

The developer seeking to dig a quarry in Jessup testified against a quarry proposed for his own neighborhood 27 years ago, according to transcripts of a 1969 case presented to the Howard County Board of Appeals this week.Kingdon Gould argued then that a quarry near his home on Murray Hill Road in North Laurel would be unsightly and dusty, create unsafe road conditions and harm his property's value -- the same concerns raised by opponents of the quarry Gould wants to build in Jessup."It's like we were plagiarizing his words [from the earlier case]

Some Jessup residents feel that they are caught between a rock and a hard place.The rock is called Baltimore gabbro, and it lurks beneath the soil on the edge of town. A quarry to retrieve it -- expected to be approved by the Howard County Board of Appeals tonight -- sounds like such a hard place that some neighbors fear it could endanger their quality of life and scare off newcomers."This will be a monstrosity," said Leah Woodbury, one of several leaders in the fight against the plan for a 546-acre wooded site bordered by single-family home and townhouse communities.