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Virginia company tries again to secure permits for Waldo County granite quarry

The view upriver from the location of a proposed pier on the Penobscot River. The pier would be used by Bowden Point Properties, a Virginia-owned company, to load barges with processed granite taken from Heagan Mountain in Prospect.
Courtesy of Maine Department of Environmental Protection
/
via the Bangor Daily News
The view upriver from the location of a proposed pier on the Penobscot River. The pier would be used by Bowden Point Properties, a Virginia-owned company, to load barges with processed granite taken from Heagan Mountain in Prospect.

A Virginia-based company is trying again to secure the permits it needs for a new granite processing site in Prospect, which has generated local opposition.

Salmons, Incorporated has resubmitted its plans to the Department of Environmental Protection for a $12 million rock crushing site and pier along the Penobscot River.

The company wants to build a 50-acre site, where it will crush rock and load the material onto barges.

The DEP rejected the initial applications in January, citing a need for more information from the developers and more assurances about their ability to finance the project.

New applications from Bowden Point Properties, an affiliate of Salmons, Inc., included a reference letter from First National Bank, which says it would consider financing the project if approved.

Prospect residents have said they're worried about the project's impact on their water supply and their quality of life. Some recently formed an opposition group, called Save Heagan Mountain. On its website, the group said the project "sets a dangerous precedent for all coastal communities in Maine."

The DEP has until March 17 to review the new applications and determine whether they're complete.