Graymont Plattsburgh Quarry "Kid's Days" 2010

Plattsburgh, May 2010 – This year's Plattsburgh Quarry Kids Days were held on May 27th and May 28th, 2010.  The Plattsburgh Quarry facility always looks forward to these two days in May as the equipment and plant operators get the opportunity to showcase their machines and their abilities to an eager audience.  On Thursday we had 175+ 5th graders and their teachers from Peru Elementary School and on Friday we entertained 130 10th graders and their earth science teachers from AuSable Valley Central School, explained Scott Bombard, sales manager.  On Friday afternoon 110 5th graders from the AuSable Valley School district toured the grounds of Plattsburgh Quarries.

The students were met by quarry personnel, outfitted with hard hats, split into tour groups by grade/teacher and then either taken on a tour or brought under the big tent for presentations.  Scott Bombard began the presentation reminding the students that they were in a working quarry and that safety was our primary responsibility on the day.   They were also instructed to ask any questions they wanted to and of course they had to smile.  Bombard started the presentation detailing how Plattsburgh works their quarry in bench’s or lifts, removing overburden to get to ledgerock and then drilling, blasting, loading and hauling the materials to the crusher.  Bombard also detailed how we load a “shot” explaining the use of dynamite, blasting caps and ammonium nitrate (ANFO) to make the rock useable.  Two inert blasting caps were passed around the audience so that the students would know what to do in case they ever encountered live blasting caps in their everyday travels.

The presentation was then handed over to Nathan Dutil, mining engineer, who detailed the crushing, asphalt and ready mix operations as well as the everyday uses of mining and the materials extracted from the mines.  The term IF IT CAN’T BE GROWN IT HAS TO BE MINED is a familiar mantra for the mining industry which constantly reinforces the good which comes from our industry.

Bill Trudo, quality services manager, then finished the presentation telling the students about how all our materials are tested to ensure that they meet whatever project specifications apply, he discussed recycling and Graymont’s role and use of recycled materials in making our finished products.  The students were informed that the first and second most recycled material in the world is ready mix concrete and asphalt.

After the approximately 45 minute presentations, the kids were armed with hardhats and tour guides and sent out on a tour of the facility.  They toured the ready mix operation, asphalt operation and were allowed in the crusher shack to watch the stone being dumped into the primary crusher.  Tour guides and plant operators answered questions concerning operations and many interesting conversations could be heard between the students and the guides, their teachers and the Graymont chaperones.   We provided them with water and juice drinks to make sure they remained hydrated during their time at Plattsburgh Quarry.

The culmination of each groups visit was an opportunity to observe a small blast from a safe vantage point.  This obviously was the highlight of the trip for the 5th graders as well as the 10th graders.  Every student that visited received a shirt that said Plattsburgh Quarry Rocks on the back and Student’s Day on the front.