Quorum Court Speech & Thoughts

Here was my planned speech:

Good evening, Washington County Quorum Court, neighbors, and concerned citizens.

I would like to start with a quote from my father-in-law, Larry Stephens, as related to me from an older lady who just had her generational property trampled, trespassed and disrespected as Mr. Stephens took a dozer and trampled, without respect or notice, her property line so he could divide up West Fork acreage and make his profit. When the missus came outside to see him knocking down her fencing, shed, etc. his response to her was “Go ahead and sue me, I got more money than you and better lawyers too, I’ll win”. I recite this story because this is the attitude of, I would guess, the majority of land developers and wealthy private developers in this area. My father in law is the one to sold to Bobby Morris the acreage in question. It is disturbing and hurtful knowing now that my own “family” knew of the intentions Morris had for the gorgeous forrest that I once enjoyed and reveled in years ago, now brought down to dust.

I’m here to expose the illegal dirt pit activity at Heritage Farms, 15204 Draper Road, Fayetteville, operated by MMSW, dba. Heritage Farms under Bobby Morris and who is now tied, and in business, with disgraced Tom Terminella.

What Mr. Morris is conducting is a full scale 4 tier quarry operation when he was beholden to only a 2 tier-20 acre operation, ie.-it’s a commercial quarry exploiting Arkansas mining law loopholes, wreaking havoc on our community. Understand that I fully understand the Arkansas Open Cut Mining Act and what that allows and doesn’t allow, I am not ignorant to state law, what I am, is disgusted by state statutes being written with the ability to loophole and undermine local residents and Arkansas constituents who have to actually live with the repercussions.

Photos and videos from August 13th and 14th show phases 3 and 4 escalating: dust clouds choking our air, heavy trucks endangering roads, and relentless excavation tearing up our quiet Fayetteville neighborhood. This increase of community defiance and abuse began directly after Tom Terminella joined forces after being shut down by local county prosecution filed an injunction. The days after Terminella’s operation shut down he moved his equipment into Bobby Morris’ property, starting to plan a 3rd and 4th tier phase of operations. I suspect this is in violation of the 20 acre limit accord to his Mining Pit Permit. I have a website blog in which I have been recording this behavior at www.arkansasagainstenvironmentaldestruction.

I would also like to bring up the fact that this exact court denied Mr. Morris his CUP permit and this dirt pit/quarry years ago. I would like to ask a question of Mr. Leming on your panel. Mr. Leming you are quorum court judge why are you profiting by sending your trucks into this mine and buying dirt from this illegal operation when you sit on the court that denied it to begin with? Is this not a clear conflict of interest, and can you explain to me if it isn’t, if how? Is this not a court of law? You have a clear conflict of interest, and I find you to be in the club of the good old boys of construction and dirt work in this area, you should remove yourself from this panel ash you are criminally profiting from local county and appellate court decisions.

Whistleblowers/employees and truckers confirm this operation is defying local court rulings, including the planning commission, quorum and the appellate circuit court rulings denying the ability to run a commercial quarry in this location. Drivers are being asked at the gate if they want Bobby Morris’ dirt for $45/load or Terminella’s at $65/load. They are driving at full speeds down 18 foot wide dirt roads with 90 degree turns and 45 degree slopes. Our local Farmington Bus transportations are finding the 100-200/day trucks are too dangerous to drop off our children from school. Dead animals are common now and I have dash cam footage(on website) showing the dust and almost head on collisions.

Why put our children and families in danger to make this already rich banker from Chicago more money. In addition allow another failed political candidate like Tom Terminella who was put out of business, for this exact type of business, to combine forces? Especially, when there is a legal dirt pit 1.6 miles away that is legal? I’ll tell you why, because it’s slightly cheaper to go to the illegal Heritage Farms pit. The other dirt pit is not in a neighborhood, and doesn’t affect the surrounding families. There is NO need for Heritage Farms, they are cutting their prices lower to try to put an actual legal pit out of business for their own profit without care to our neighborhoods, house prices and safety.

Why is this allowed? It is because there is a loophole in our state statutes allowing him to do whatever he pleases while he is in the appeal processes during ongoing litigation. Mind you, this has been happening for 6 years and the state has approved in general use permit once and then again for renewal until 2029. This means that the state has approved the CUP General and Individual permits regardless of what local and appellate courts are deciding as case law.

How in the world have we allowed the state to use this loophole at the detriment of their own constituents? What’s even worse, is that we cannot have another legislative session to close this loophole until 2027!  The only way to shut this illegal operation, and when I say “illegal” I refer to the fact that local courts and appellate divisions have deemed it illegal and have denied his usage for that land as a quarry mine. The state will not recognize these local rulings and currently deem it not illegal at a state level because of the loopholes. I believe it should be labeled as illegal at a state level, or at least as a cause of permit denial due to court decisions on record.

Our local county attorney Brian Lester needs to file for an injunction immediately and shut down this operation forcing Mr. Morris to follow the decisions of the local courts. It is disgusting that his lawyers and the ADEQ are allowing for this illegal behavior to go on.

In closing, their deep blasting for new wells is shattering our crystal drinking water shelves, risking contamination of our upper water tables. This was done at least twice by Cook’s Water Systems in Lincoln. This threatens our drinking water, our health, and our environment. Numbers are looking to be 30,00-40,000 tons of material with 100-200 trucks/week removing material from Heritage Farms on a dangerous, small, dust filled country road. We no longer are safe to live a country lifestyle, including riding horses, allowing our children to ride their animals/four wheelers or even get even get dropped off from school safely.

Heritage Farms is required to submit yearly reports regarding their activities, they are public knowledge and I have requested copies from Ashlon Wasko, but have received nothing. Their General Use Permit requires this yearly submission by June 1st. We demand copies of these reports, especially since they are not required πto start reclamation until they finish operations and the ADEQ continues to renew their permitting against court rulings.

We demand action: Investigate this site, enforce mining permits, close loopholes, and halt operations until compliance is met. Protect our water, our land, our Natural State. Raise your voices, submit evidence, demand accountability. Together, we stop this destruction. Thank you.

at least, this was my plan speech, as the corn cord it only gives you like three minutes and runs you through like cattle. Willy Leming was there with his stupid little smirk and his little wink after I called him out for conflict of interest after watching his trucks go in and out of this illegal dirt pit next to me all day long yesterday. If judge let him vote on that ordinance last night after being told straight to their faces that he has a conflict of interest, I think all of Fayetteville needs to know.

I had to pick bits and pieces out of my speech to try to stay with my limits and get my point across anyway anyways. I could feel the vitriol coming from the old men on that panel. The dude sitting next to Willy Leming I guess Used used to be the chief of police for Greenland, oh the stores I've heard about that man!

Washington County needs to elect real for quorum court judges. There is a young man to my left. That literally looks so bored he could die and probably didn't understand half of what was being said.

The judge was not only rude. He showed his obvious distaste for his own constituents. He tried to stop me from outing Leming when he had no right to.. why protect such a shady character who is Know known to cheat on his women and has been married so many times, all the while consistently coming on to quite a few few women I know in the Lincoln in Prairie grove area. His snarky little wink at me read a novel on how to be a rich old boomer, who is taking advantage of the system. Every chance he gets at the cost to the common man.

How many other people sitting on that quorum court are compromise and have conflicts of interest too? I don't know, but I'm gonna make it my plan to find out.