California, MD — St. Mary’s County Commissioner Mike Hewitt has a vision – and it doesn’t include the Chaney Enterprises concrete plant on Route 235 in California. Hewitt calls the plant, and the adjacent Genstar plant, an eyesore.
Hewitt’s vision for that property does include a new library there. Hewitt said he would like to see Chaney move the plant opposite Wildewood Center to the site of the new Chaney sand and gravel operation on Route 5 in Loveville. “It would be an ideal location for a library,” Hewitt said. Studies show the need for another library in the Hollywood-California area as the next step after the new Leonardtown library at the Hayden farm site.
Hewitt made the observation during the commissioners’ Aug. 4 meeting while talking about the opening of the new 12-screen theater in the Lexington Exchange shopping center. The Chaney operation is on the left at the shopping center entrance.
Both Hewitt and Commissioner President Randy Guy said they talked to Chaney representatives at the grand opening celebration of the Loveville sand and gravel operation. Guy said a Chaney representative seemed receptive to the idea.
The Loveville facility is at 27675 Point Lookout Road. It is “a state-of-the-art facility focused on producing high-quality material for spec work,” according to a Chaney press release about the opening. The plant produces pea gravel, three-quarter inch gravel and two-inch gravel as well and concrete and masonry sands.
The Loveville site was originally opened in 1996 but then the operation was put on hold while other sites were mined. The site is 220 acres.
Contact Dick Myers at news@thebaynet.com