Thursday, April 2, 1998 | 9:58 a.m.
A man and wife who joined a group of protesters objecting to an open pit gravel mine on Bureau of Land Management property near Cactus Springs withdrew their opposition at a hearing Wednesday.
BLM officials will decide in about 45 days whether to grant a year's lease to Bob Graham of Corvette Sand and Gravel Co., Lake Havasu City, Ariz., for the purpose of mining 100,000 metric tons of gravel.
Michael and Cheryl Verrilli, who are starting several businesses at a site in the community about 45 miles north of Las Vegas, said they approved of an alternate site for the proposed mining operation offered by Graham Tuesday.
However, there are still plenty of protesters to keep BLM officials under the gun.
Among them are:
Graham, seeking finalization of a year-long contract that will allow his company to mine gravel, offered an alternative site a mile west of the location that Pearlman said was only a few hundred feet from the temple and her nearby residence.
The new site, however, did not please anyone but the Verrillis, who intend to put in a truck stop, doughnut shop, sandwich shop and other businesses on U.S. 95 across the highway from the temple.
Pearlman and others want the proposed mine moved at least five miles further from the existing location.
Mark Chatterton, the BLM's assistant district manager for non-renewable resources, and Ed Seum, the BLM's case worker on the project, will assess the objections and Chatterton will make a decision on whether to grant the lease.
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