Blue Rock Quarry

FORMER November 2025 News

Court Upholds!

Polk County & Blue Rock Quarry Permit

Yesterday, Polk County Circuit Court Judge Tolan denied the appeal request filed by several individuals from FORCE, the anti-quarry group. The judge listened to oral arguments by four attorneys (Force, Polk County, Board of Adjustment for Polk County and our attorney). After the orals, Judge Tolan rendered his decision and the whys, summarizing with this closing statement “…on the record that the petition for certiorari is quashed and denied.”

We predicted this would be the outcome when it was originally filed nearly one year ago. It was a baseless complaint that would fail yet again and this time in a court setting. Since 2023 Force lost at the permit approval stage, the BOA request to deny stage and now by a judge. I think the message is clear or should be. The quarry is compatible in the area, conditions laid out will be met and we look forward to joining the other quarries we have as well respected neighbors.

Thank you for those who attended the hearing and the many others who have expressed support over the years.

FORMER Summer 2025 News

A quarry supporter who also has a career in marketing sent me the above image. I looked at it and wondered, what does a quarry have to do with lumber. “Well,” he said, “How are you going to cut the trees down?” I easily replied, a chainsaw. And he said, “What’s that saw made of?” The light went off and I said steel and quickly added, steel from iron ore! There was not one component of a house that didn’t require some mineral or rock from a quarry someplace to make the product directly or indirectly. Even the carpet takes a loom, and that loom is made of steel.

If you take quarries away from the house building, you’ll find yourself sheltering under an animal hide, carved clean with a sharp rock you found. Ridiculous? Almost as much as the anti-quarry zealots saying, “No Quarries!” or “No Quarries Here” ( meaning they could care less if the rocks and minerals they need come from someone else’s backyard). Polk County clearly stated in their approval that our quarry Is Compatible in the Area and doesn’t require being somewhere else.

(The challenge to our permit granted by Polk County and then approved by the Board of Adjustment is winding its way through Polk County’s Circuit Court. We expect a favorable decision this fall rejecting the zealots and their Force’s unsubstantiated claims against the Polk County Environmental Services Committee, the Polk County Board of Adjustment and Blue Rock Quarry.)

FORMER January News: (Judge Tolan, Polk County, has now received both the appeal from a few anti-quarry group Force members and the rebuttal from Polk County and the Board of Adjustment. Blue Rock has also submitted a document refuting the claims of Force. We expect a decision from Tolan later this year supporting both Polk County and the Board of Adjustment’s issuance of our county permit.)

Based on Polk County Statutes, all of the No Quarry signs erected are in violation of laws in place. Many of the small signs are illegally within Polk County and Town of Osceola Right of Way zones and other signs on private property, both large and small, are two-sided and can only be in place for 90 days out of 365 days. None of the No Quarry signs have a valid permit for signs in place longer than 90 days and should be removed per a court order. Apparently permits for quarries are required while permits required for signs are not. Force is known for picking laws they like and ignoring laws they do not like.

FORMER April News: The Polk County independent Board of Adjustment (BOA) was petitioned by Force (Trishia Carlson, Agent and supported by Terilyn Wallis, adjacent Blue Rock property owner) to attempt an overturn of the approved Polk County Environmental Services Committees’ issuance of a conditional use permit (CUP) for Blue Rock Quarry. This unanimous vote by the BOA supports Polk County’s well-documented decision and reaffirms the validity of the CUP permit. Both of these legal unaffiliated groups recognize the jobs and the tax revenue Blue Rock will bring to Polk County and the Town of Osceola, all while operating within the rules and conditions of a well regulated industry. Blue Rock has been recognized as being compatible with the neighborhood by the ruling authorities – a major inconsistency with the rhetoric of Force. Yet Force continues with the “No Quarries” signs – humorous to the bulk of the Town of Osceola residents. No Quarries? No Rocks! and No concrete, driveways, landscaping, shingles, bridges, schools, etc. How ridiculous is that?

FORMER February News: After several months of trying to discredit and have a member removed from the Osceola Town Planning Commission (who is also wife of a Blue Rock owner), the Osceola Town Board unanimously dismissed a lengthy complaint. The Force* complaint document was registered officially and also verbally demanded through the Public Comments portions of two board meetings. While their tactics of “majority of elected officials against quarries” was successful 16 years ago, the same accusation against Cindy Thorman on a Plan Board of seven members was discarded. To us at Blue Rock, this is yet another scenario of attempts to diminish both the project and the families involved. We have a valid County issued CUP. And we have a fair-minded Town Board. It’s what we have always hoped for. Fairness based on rules of law.

*The long-standing Force Facebook group’s mission statement, “Our mission is to take a stance in our local government to eliminate any possibility of a new mine being allowed.”)

FORMER January News. On December 29th FORCE & their followers filed an Appeal to our county issued Conditional Use Permit. The Appeal will be defended and refuted by Polk County’s legal counsel, Malia Malone. The taxpayers of Polk County will bear the considerable expense of this frivolous attempt to overturn the clear and correct decision by Polk County’s Environmental Services Committee. The issuance of our Polk County Permit was sound. We fully expect a ruling against this panic Appeal late this coming summer.

(From Polk County’s Blue Rock Quarry CUP:) “The current proposal will have a positive economic impact for the area, due in part, to job creation, sales tax increases, and the residual economic value added to the County.” And added, “With mitigation from conditions, the proposed use is compatible with adjoining land uses.”

FORMER December News. The majority of both the Town of Osceola and Polk County residents clearly say Yes To Jobs. Yes to Tax Revenue. And Yes to Blue Rock. We don’t hide in Facebook secret groups like FORCE. Contact us anytime. We are completely transparent. Simply e-mail us at: NewBlueRockQuarry@gmail.com. Get the facts and science, not wild Chicken Little, scary & fictional tales. (Did you know WI Statutes & the DNR protects rocks/minerals to use as a natural resource just like lakes?) (Did you know our new quarry will create 30+ new jobs, both direct and indirect?)

FORMER October News. FORCE, Inc (Trishia Carlson, Registered Agent) and 3 activist families (Burch, Oye, Brundage) filed an appeal with the Polk County Board of Adjustment in hopes of overturning our CUP. We will be assisting Polk County’s attorney and the Environmental Services Committee in defending the correctly & fairly issued CUP against an appeal filed by these activists, several who live over a mile away from the quarry.

Background. After 13 years of battles with a few anti-quarry activists, Blue Rock finally received a CUP (Conditional Use Permit) from the county in August of 2023. This is a major win in protecting everyone’s property rights & we look forward to working together with the county and town to produce jobs, revenue & of course, desired rock for a multitude of uses.

Blue Rock receives calls regularly to quote rock prices and will soon be able to do just that and join the three other area operators by providing a Registered DNR Mineral Natural Resource.

Driveways, concrete, roads, landscaping – even shingles?

All your rock came from a neighborhood quarry!