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ELKINS -- For the second time in as many meetings, the Randolph County Commission saw a presentation this week about a proposed underground mine testing facility on the Randolph-Pocahontas County line near Snowshoe Resort.
The property, a 460-acre tract near Mace, was purchased in 1988 by the Consortium for Silver Creek Group, which initially planned to sell the land to Snowshoe Resort. The plan was for the resort to create a north face ski slope with a 1,700 foot drop, along with a Route 219 entrance. That planned sale fell through, however.
Now, if approved, the Mace site will replace the Lake Lynn Experimental Mine that was operated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health from 1982 until 2012. It was located in Fairchance, Pennsylvania, and was shut down after the owner declined to sell or extend the lease on the property.
During the last commission meeting, a group of Pocahontas and Randolph County residents spoke out and voiced their opinions about why they didn't want the NIOSH to move the facility to the Mace location.
This week, David Litsey, the managing partner of Consortium for Silver Creek Group, and one of several property partners, Julian Elbon of Elkins, spoke to the commission about the situation.
Elbon talked about the land's original intended use being a ski slope for Snowshoe Resort.
"Fortunately they did not buy, and today it has the opportunity to serve a greater good -- health," she said.
One of the main topics discussed by the residents at the last meeting was with how the facility, which will be used as a testing laboratory for underground mine safety, would affect the drinking water in the surrounding community.
Litsey said this week that all the water used at the facility will be recycled during its time at the facility, and after one year the 5,000 gallons of water that has been used will be hauled away to a safe disposal site.
"The testing lab facility is carved inside Greenbrier limestone approximately 477 feet thick and running 320 feet below the surface, which provides a thick protective coat of insulation contained inside the stone," Elbon said. "The facility recycles the water it uses in testing, so no test water will be distributed to the land."
Another topic residents discussed at the last meeting was the site's close proximity to Snowshoe Resort and how it would affect the thriving winter mountain playground that attracts 480,000 skiers per year.
"The facility, in both leaf-on and leaf-off conditions, would not be visible from nearby Snowshoe and would not affect tourism," Litsey said. "Ground vibration limitations of explosions are limited by rule and are not to disturb a non-engineering frame or masonry structure 1,200 feet away. Snowshoe Village is from 2.0 to 3.7 miles away."
Some of the training activities that would possibly take place at the facility include: mine emergency and rescue, mine explosions, mine seals, ventilation, diesel exhaust, ground control, fire suppression, and new health and safety technologies.
"We are now awaiting a Final Environmental Impact Statement and a final recommendation," said Litsey. "They have been exacting and uncovering every detail that they are capable of. We don't have any part in the decision making, it's completely independent by an independent group that is unrelated to us."