Mine proposal pits Lapeer County village against Boy Scouts

(METAMORA) — Residents of a small community in southern Lapeer County oppose a square-mile gravel mine proposed by the Boy Scouts. Reports say the Boy Scouts’ Michigan Crossroads Council, along with American Aggregates of Michigan, applied in November for a zoning change that would allow mining at a scout camp located a mile from the village of Metamora. The Metamora Township Board of Trustees imposed a four-month moratorium on new mines in December so it could study the issue. The proposal calls for the extraction of 30 million tons of sand and gravel from the 497-acre mine over 30 years. Locals are concerned that the mine would bring 100 double-bottom dump trucks through the village each day.