News and Current Events
Ft. Pierce 1. SMI Restores Ft. Pierce Inlet Beach Stewart Mining Industries has recently provided beach sand to the city for the Ft. Pierce Inlet beach. The beach is a popular Ft. Pierce destination as it allows parking along the beach and is convenient for familes with young children. The new and improved beach still has convenient parking but now features soft, clean, beach sand instead of dirty, washed-up silt. What an improvement!   2. Turtles Love SMI Sand Stewart Mining Industries has recently been designated by several South Florida municipalities as a provider of high quality beach restoration sand materials. This material, formulated specifically for beach restoration and erosion control applications, has an added appeal to Florida’s turtle population: it is noticeably softer than competing products, and therefore facilitates the very important seasonal activity of turtle nesting on South Florida beaches.   3. SMI to Seek Permit to Expand Material Supply to Western St. Lucie County Stewart Mining Industries recently commenced the process of obtaining government approvals for an additional St. Lucie County location, located on Orange Avenue, west of Interstate 95. The location, which will feature a variety of quality coquina rock, base, sand, and fill material products, is ideally situated to serve customers throughout South and Central Florida. It’s proximity to projected key growth areas in western St. Lucie County makes the site ideal for anticipated land development, road construction and improvement, and water management projects, scheduled to commence in coming years. 4. SMI Awarded FLAI Safety Commendations For the third consecutive year, Stewart Mining Industries’ St. Lucie County operation received a Florida Limerock and Aggregate Institute award for outstanding safety achievements. SMI’s new Jasper, Florida location also received the award, presented to facilities with no MSHA recordable injuries for the entire year. 5. SMI Opens New Corporate Office in St. Lucie County Stewart Mining Industries recently established its second location in St. Lucie County, a dedicated corporate headquarters facility. The office, centrally located at the St. Lucie County International Airport, includes executive offices and a conference facility for use by SMI’s senior managers, customers, and business partners. Immokalee 1. Long Awaited Construction of SMI Facility in Immokalee Begins Stewart Mining Industries recently commenced the construction of its Immokalee Sand Facility, located northeast of the town of Immokalee on Highway 82 in Collier County. The site, which is anticipated to produce up to one million tons of sand products annually, will serve Collier, Lee, Hendry and Monroe counties in Southwest Florida. The facility has been designed to efficiently process the silica sand reserve into high quality sand products utilized in concrete products, beach restoration, erosion remediation, and golf course construction and maintenance. Particular attention has been paid to developing a facility which will be sensitive to the surrounding environment. Ultimately, the site will provide an aesthetic lake condusive to a fishery and aviary habitat.  2. Dredge Arrives at Immokalee Facility - Assembly Begins Dredging Supply Company of Reserve, Louisiana, delivered SMI's new 16x16 Marlin dredge. The dredge is capable of producing upwards of 1000 tons per hour. The enviroment played a critical role in the selection of the dredge; the all electric power source will all but eliminate concerns of fossil fuel spillage into the ground water while dramatically reducing noise levels.  3. SMI Spearheads Improvements to SR 82 in Collier County As part of continuing efforts facilitate infrastructure improvements in Collier County, Stewart Mining Industries has completed a road widening project on State Road 82 in Collier County. The project, wholly-funded by SMI, will facilitate improved road traffic conditions in the general area of SMI’s Immokalee Sand Facility. Palm Beach County 1. SMI Soon to Receive Final Mining Permits for USSC Site in Western Palm Beach County Stewart Mining Industries is reaching the completion of the governmental permitting process for its “USSC” site in Western Palm Beach County, located approximately 11 miles east of Lake Okeechobee and 20 miles west of the Florida Turnpike on U.S. Highway 98. The new mining operation is expected to yield in excess of 2.5 million tons of aggregate products annually, which will be used in the production of concrete, asphalt, and base material for the construction of buildings and roads in Central Florida. The aggregate available in this area is considered among the highest quality in Florida, and the USSC mine reserve is expected to last in excess f thirty years. In addition to providing aggregate rock for construction needs, the mining operation will create much needed water storage capacity in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA), as well as important opportunities for additional employment in the area. 2. Stewart Mining to Provide Significant Contribution to Environmental Causes in Palm Beach County As part of its long-standing commitment to the preservation and improvement of Florida’s valuable environmental resources, Stewart Mining Industries has committed to contribute a portion of the sales revenue from each ton of product produced at its new USSC Site to environmentally-related causes in Palm Beach County. The contributions, which Stewart has pledged as part of its overall plan for an environmentally-sensitive operation in western Palm Beach County, will provide millions of dollars to local environmental organizations over future decades. 3. SMI’s USSC Site to Bring Valuable Reservoir Benefits to the Everglades Agricultural Area As a significant component of its USSC Site in western Palm Beach County, Stewart Mining Industries, will implement the formation of a significant reservoir in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA). Cited by the South Florida Water Management District as a significant aid in the preservation of Florida’s valuable water resource, the reservoir formation will commence in early 2008. 4. Stewart Mining to Spearhead Clean Mining Practices at USSC Site in Western Palm Beach County As a significant aspect of its USSC Site construction and operating plan, Stewart Mining Industries will implement and practice new “clean mining” measures at the western Palm Beach County location. Stewart’s site plan includes environmental buffers around its perimeter, aquifer monitoring devices for the detection of potential irregularities in the water supply, and advanced measures to maximize water retention and curtail air and noise pollution. The surface stratum of organic material removed from the site will be utilized in providing a rich source of high grade soil for use in Florida landscapes. Jasper 1. Stewart Mining Industries Announces Shift of its Jasper, Florida Product Line SMI recently began a planned reclamation of its Jasper, Florida, sand facility. From the outset of the business commencement in 2003, SMI has anticipated that the sand products which have been produced at Jasper would be depleted and rock aggregate mining would begin. After a recent thorough analysis of the remaining sand reserve, SMI restricted its sand sales and has commenced the final steps needed in order to start producing aggregate products. Through the third quarter of 2007, Stewart will focus on attaining the final government approvals that will be needed in order to further develop the Jasper operation. The company will procure and install the specialized equipment needed in order to excavate, process, and inventory the aggregate material as well as develop stockpiles of material inventory for serving a growing market. Company management anticipates that SMI will begin marketing a full line of aggregate products inthe spring of 2008. For more information on the mining industry as well as current industry news, check out the following links: National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association Keep Florida Rockin |
