Red Granite conditions?

[matt t.]

Anybody been around Red Granite lately to check the ice?

[Vtach]

I don't know if there is anything open yet but I'm sure that the rain we received up here didn't hurt.  If I get some time this week I will take a run up there and see how conditions are.

[jrkmbeck]

Anyone been to Redgranite yet to see how the ice is???

[matt t.]

Nope. Looks like you're hired. Let us know how it is  ;D.

[jrkmbeck]

Since Matt anointed me to go to Redgranite and check it out that's what I did.  First, the ice news.  There is a small open ice area along the east end shoreline going around along the inside north shore of the peninsula.  The opening is only out about 10 to 15 feet.  It looks to me like we would need about a weeks worth of sunny days for the quarry to be open. 

Next the real news.  When I got there I couldn't believe what I was seeing.  There was a digger there and all the trees on the north end were gone.  Granite rocks half the size of a Volkswagen bug were piled up all over the place.  The dumpsters are gone and the road is all torn up, there;s a ton of landscaping going on all over the south, north and east ends of the quarry.  I went into town to the sporting goods store and asked the people there if they knew what was going on.  They didn't know a lot because no one is really sure what is going on as far as specifics.  What they did know was that a private individual or company bought the restaurant, bank, pickle factory and all the land along the north, east and south sides of the quarry.  They also said that they heard that this person wants to put up condos on the north side, which would explain why all the trees are gone on that side.  I asked about access and they were not real sure what was going on with that.  I will have to email the village to see if they are going to ask for a right of way into the quarry.  They have changed the look of the quarry a bit.  The big peninsula that started on the east side and pointed west, the one with the metal dock is really different.  They took the end of that peninsula down to the water line.  This is the place where most of the kids dove off the rocks in the summer.  No more diving there, it's gone. I will post more after i get a response.

[matt t.]

Thanks for checking out the quarry for us. I'm sure that there will still be diving access over on the south west corner at the park behind the post office. Guess we'll have to get scooters to get over to the better areas of the quarry.

[jrkmbeck]

Matt,
I guess I am elected to try to find that out also.  When I asked the people in the sporting goods store they were unsure about access.  The park signs are gone on the east end but the area behind the post office looked the same.  Obviously the village owned the part that was sold as they were in charge of the quarry.  If they maintained the west side as part of the village then I guess the area behind the post office would be where the access would be.  I will try to contact the village office Monday and see if I can get some clarification. 

[sjdive]

I would contact Sgt Dave Belfeuil of the Redgranite Police Department.  Talked to him at length when we dove the quarry last year.  He was a good source of the history of the site and stated that he would be the primary contact for quarry related issues.  He seemed like a pretty cool guy, so I would start there. 

[jrkmbeck]

Maybe I'll grab a dozen doughnuts and head over to the cop shop Monday and find out. 

[Dewit2it]

Emailed DNR about the snake cresches on the north side.  I'd hate to loose them.