I know the quarry is bad, but won't it at least bring jobs?
While Old Hazeldell Quarry notes they could provide only 10 onsite jobs, those are not guaranteed to go to local residents. Also, the quarry threatens Oakridge’s current tourism economy, which currently supports far more than 10 jobs. Tourism is Oakridge’s lifeblood — mountain biking, outdoor recreation, festivals, and hospitality. The quarry’s impacts (dust, blasting, truck traffic, degraded viewshed, water risks) could reduce tourism revenue and therefore eliminate more jobs than it creates.
It's the quarry's land. Why should I care what they do?
Besides the immense health concerns of living next to a quarry from Silica dust, multiple possible ground water concerns based on the Aquifer and Landfill, and concern of issues with Fire Mitigation impacts in our area due to loss of 5,000 gallons of water per day, there's also an often overlooked concern. Property values. On average, property within a mile of the quarry will lose about 19% of its value as soon as a quarry begins. Over half of Oakridge's homes are within that mile. If the quarry is approved, this could mean millions in lost property value and potential financial ruin for many. Not to mention how you could be impacted if there was ground water contamination. Citizens would not know until we would start getting sick. If the landfill in connected to any contamination, it would bankrupt the town, completely tanking any remaining Property Values in our homes. We would have nothing left and no equity to help us move on elsewhere.
What are you doing to help
The Save TV Butte movement has been fighting for roughly a decade to protect Oakridge from the Old Hazeldell Quarry. In 2021 we were successful in getting the permit denied. This took work - letters, phone calls, generating press, meeting with the county, and a lot of good old-fashioned work ethic. But Crown Properties has re-submitted its application and is throwing the full force of its millions behind it. We plan on putting an end to this once and for all, no matter what it takes. Oakridge Strong has been created to support the Save TV Butte Movement and in 2026 Oakridge Strong has been set up as an Environmental and Economic 501c3 Non Profit. This will allow us to spread the outreach for the Save TV Butte movement farther, involving corporations and working on grants to help fight our cause and to help build on Oakridge, Westfir and their rural areas, and in turn, bring more visibility to the Save TV Butte Movement.
Who owns Old Hazeldell Quarry?
Old Hazeldell Quarry is owned by Crown Properties, a trust of the King family including Ed King of King Estate Winery.
