Friends of Rocky Prairie have considerable concerns with an industrial center at Rocky Prairie. You can explore each in detail here. We have included a summary of the major issues below. You can explore each in detail with the links above. test
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Semi Truck & Car Traffic – Up to 4,000 trucks and employee vehicles per day. Additional lanes and expensive road repairs would be needed since the capacity of Tilley Rd., Maytown Rd., Exit 95, Exit 99, and Tenino Grand Mound Rd./507 would be exceeded; emergency response times would slow dramatically; taxes for infrastructure could increase.
24x7 Operation – The facility would operate at all hours with non-stop semi truck and train traffic, light & noise.
Decreased Property Values – Nearby properties would be much less desirable and resale values in the area and along the train tracks could plummet.
Noise & Air Pollution – The noise and diesel pollution from thousands of semi trucks and constant train traffic will destroy the peace, tranquility, and air quality in Millersylvania State Park and for community members throughout South Thurston County.
Millersylvania State Park & Tourism – Millersylvania State Park is one of the largest tourism draws in Thurston County, with approximately 500,000 annual visitors. The park is an economic boon for the county, generating millions in local spending each year. The NorthPoint facility would drastically decrease visitation and result in the loss of many jobs both in the park and in the surrounding community.
Light Pollution – The facility will light the sky for miles around, disturbing local homeowners, campers, and sensitive wildlife, including multiple endangered species.
Well & Water Effects – Supporting their claimed workforce would require 140,000 gallons of water per day, lowering the water table and affecting well depths. County data describes this site as an “extremely sensitive aquifer.” Vibrations from this many trains & trucks could collapse local wells because of the nature of the sandstone soils; surface runoff could pollute the aquifer, area wells, streams, wetlands, and Deep Lake, home of Millersylvania State Park.
Train – Train traffic would be drastically increased in Thurston County (including the now seldom used Tacoma Mountain rail line) blocking traffic, greatly lengthening emergency response time, and increasing the likelihood of an accident with hazardous material spills.
Low job potential – Huge warehouse sites yield very few jobs, despite their claims, relative to their size. The low paying jobs created by the facility will likely be replaced by automation in the future. Further, there are already many warehouse jobs going unfilled in the county, especially in the Hawks Prairie area.
Sensitive West Rocky Wildlife Area – Rocky Prairie is one of only 20 remaining sites in the world made up of extremely rare native outwash prairie. The site also contains rare oak woodlands, mima mounds, and wetlands which support at least six threatened & endangered species. WA Fish and Wildlife and others have attempted to purchase the site to protect it.