Mistaken Identity

December 6, 2005

   After a couple of miles, the haul truck turns off to a construction site – probably yet another DIY big-box store going up – and you drive on. It’s just a quick irritation, so why think anything more about it?
   Think about the driver behind you. If there’s a nick on the hood or a divot in the glass, it’s likely that you’ll get part of the blame, because you’re one of those stone people.
   Yes, I do know the difference between dimensional stone and all the crushed-up stuff coming from local pits. (Despite what some of you may think, I’m not that stupid.) Aggregates and slabs fit nicely into that hoary old non-comparative of apples and oranges.
   To the average person out there, however, the distinction isn’t clear at all. Just like those clichéd apples and oranges, it’s all fruit for anyone who isn’t in the trade. A pound of 3/8” minus and a block of Juperana is all the same.
   You bet that’s unfair. And, unfortunately, the damage isn’t limited to chipped car hoods and pitted glass. It’s a problem when it comes to industry reputation, and the effects may end up as a sucker punch for the business.
   I have no quarrel with the aggregate industry, aside from the uncouth operators who slop gravel from overfilled trucks and send small missiles whirling to my windshield. As sure as we need granite countertops, we also need crushed building materials to fuel a construction boom. A fleet of haulers on the highway is the sign of a good economy.
   Invariably, though, every community in the United States includes a group of people who, for any number of reasons, see things differently. Sprawl is a word getting plenty of use. And, as abetting partners in this, other terms include pit, quarry, gravel, limestone and granite.
   For these people, there’s no difference between a temporary gravel dig and a long-term block quarry. Make the dig and you’re as unwelcome as the new Wal-Mart Supercenter; say the word stone and you’re part of the problem.
   I’ve quit counting the times when I tell someone that I’m working for a magazine in the stone trade, and someone starts going ballistic about a local gravel excavation. In many cases, they won’t listen to any distinction, and it’s an attitude far more prevalent than you might think.
   Quarries are also becoming community black holes for safety reasons, and it’s nothing to do with working conditions. A deep quarry often becomes an adventure-sport amusement park, with people crawling over natural climbing walls and starting impromptu cliff-diving contests.
   Think it’s a silly notion? Federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) figures on quarry deaths are being reported in a few newspapers in the same way they tallied drunk-driving accidents. And “Danger! Quarry!” reports are becoming a staple of local TV stations for ratings-sweeps months.
   It’s also easy to take potshots at that large target of any and all stone, and get away with it. Neighborhood groups do a great job of vilifying a materials excavator by parading out examples of high dust and the occasional coughing child, so a pit operator gets the usual “how could you do this” interrogation reserved for child molesters and migrant smugglers.
   Domestic block quarries often take the hint and attempt to operate in near secrecy. Eventually, though someone finds out, and the cycle continues.
   So who’s going to stand up for stone? Even if you don’t think it’s your problem, you’re still part of the solution.
   If anything, you should be dialed into the local construction trade to, at the least, provide some moral support. While you’re pointing out to some irate person that your type of stone isn’t the same as crushed materials, you should note the good job that aggregate producers are now doing in mitigating any impacts on the community. Yesterday’s working pit is often tomorrow’s green space and neighborhood lake.
   It’s also worth getting ahead of the curve and joining the movement to create safe and controlled recreation areas at U.S. quarry sites, as done with great success in areas such as St. Cloud, Minn. It’s a natural tie-in and shows the good side of stone by donating the fabrication of benches, curbing and signage from local materials, as well as other cleanup efforts.
   And, do your bit at home. Don’t run a sloppy stoneyard and make sure you’re not blowing dust all over the neighborhood. Make your shop part of the solution before it gets tagged as part of the problem.
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One more thing: Whatever your celebration for this month, happy holidays and best wishes for continued success in 2006. If you’re stuck on not wanting to offend anyone, join me in taking a page from the Republican Calendar – the one adopted after the French Revolution – and celebrating Granit, the 11th day of the month of Nivôse. Converted to our standard Gregorian calendar, the day of granite falls on Dec. 31.
I’ll drink to that.