PITTSBORO - Plans for a rock quarry in Chatham County's Mount Vernon Springs community may be crumbling after part of the site was sold to opponents of the project.

Maryland-based ISP Minerals had plans to build a 1,076-acre quarry off Old U.S. 421 southeast of Siler City. The Siler City Board of Commissioners approved them in July.

But locals unhappy with living near a quarry -- for the manufacture of roofing granules -- sued ISP, along with the town of Siler City and various Siler City officials who had a part in approving the plans.

The plaintiffs -- Horizon Cellars winery, the nonprofit Friends of Mount Vernon Springs and three nearby property owners -- had hoped a judge would overturn the rezoning decision allowing the quarry to be built.

But that may turn out to be unnecessary.

Two property owners and lawsuit plaintiffs, Bobby Branch and David Watts, have a contract to buy 115 acres the owner originally planned to sell to ISP.

ISP had an option to buy the undeveloped land, owned by Siler City board member John Grimes. But as the lawsuit went on, the option, a nonbinding agreement to buy the land, ran out, and ISP did not renew, Grimes said.

Branch and Watts saw their opportunity and approached Grimes about buying the land.

"We just didn't think [ISP] would be good neighbors," said Branch. He and the other plaintiffs cited health risks, noise and traffic as potential problems of having a quarry nearby. Branch says he will likely replant the land with pine trees to sell for timber.

Both Branch and Grimes declined to reveal the amount of the offer.

Quarry opponents hope that without Grimes' land, ISP will now be forced to abandon its plans.

News of the contract was revealed by ISP's lawyers Monday during a hearing at the Chatham County courthouse, surprising some of the plaintiffs and their lawyers.

A continuation of the lawsuit hearing has been put off until May in light of the new information, but John Runkle, lawyer for the Friends of Mount Vernon Springs, said that ISP will probably give up its pursuit of the quarry within the next week or two.

"We'll know within two weeks whether it's a flat-out victory or not," said Runkle. "If it is, we'll have a party; if not, we'll keep on fighting."

ISP lawyers would not comment on the situation.

Supporters of the quarry said it would have brought up to 150 much-needed jobs to the area. Three outgoing Chatham County commissioners voted last year to give ISP nearly $3 million in incentives to open the quarry. ISP said a quarry would not harm neighbors' health and would bring no more traffic than a fast-food restaurant.

Siler City Mayor Charles Turner said he had heard that some of ISP's options were running out but that he doesn't know what the company plans to do.

"ISP didn't live up to what [they] said," Turner said.

Guy Loeffler, owner of the Horizon Cellars winery, said he looks forward to an end to the uncertainty, as he has had to put off plans for winery improvements while waiting to hear what would happen. "I just want it to be over," he said.

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