In 2009, Valley upgraded its processing operation to make use of all available raw material. Steve Bareis, then a 13-year veteran with the company, came up with the idea of upgrading the crushers to handle round stone—turning these stockpiles, unsellable due to changes in the market, into in-demand sand. The idea paid of: On September 3, 2009, Valley set a company record by loading 4,726 tons into customer trucks that crossed the scale in one day. Digging in for the future Over many ownership changes, the Scottsville site continued to operate, but it was clear that mining could not continue into the next generation. The property had been an active site since the 1940s, and soon there would be nothing left to mine. To ensure the company could continue to operate, in 2006 Phil Brooks and Scott Ingalls had turned their attention to the inactive Avon site and begun the permitting process. The Avon west property had been purchased in 2001 for the future expansion of this site. Thomas “Murph” Murphy joined the company in February 2007 as Valley’s general manager. He was tasked with writing a business plan for the Avon site, and over the next eight years, he led the permitting process to get the site up and running. Murph completed a SEQR (State Environmental Quality Review Act) analysis—examining the environmental, social, and economic impacts of expanding the mine—for review by local, regional, and state government agencies. Just as importantly, he made himself available for questions and concerns from residents and public ofcials at hearings and in private meetings. The host agreement Murph negotiated with the town of Caledonia launched a strong business relationship for all the P&CG companies that continues to this day. At the state level, he met numerous times with the Department of Environmental Conservation and the State Historic Preservation Ofce. Murph and the Seneca Nation of Indians forged an agreement over digging on the land, which holds historic cultural importance to the nation. Murph facilitated negotiations through a former state senator, who was the tribal liaison ofcer for the Senecas. (For more on the history of the site, see The Seneca Connection, page 159.) The agreement means that tribal representatives are invited to be present when test holes are dug to see if the site contains any culturally sensitive artifacts or gravesites. If anything were found, it would be turned over to the tribe, and the project would be halted, perhaps indefnitely. However, nothing of signifcance has been unearthed yet. The Next Hundred Years 37 This rock, originally located at the Avon site, was moved to the Scottsville property after being inscribed by longtime customer Genesee Valley Cemetery Service.
