Quarry gets new owner

By Mike Fitch,Journal Staff WriterThe 150-year-old Cool Cave Quarry southeast of Auburn has a new owner.The limestone and aggregate quarry was acquired recently by Teichert Materials Co. from a subsidiary of Texas-based Imperial Sugar Company, the largest refined sugar supplier in the United States.The 573-acre quarry is located on the east side of Highway 49 just north of Cool.Bob Guftafson, Teichert business development manager, said Friday the quarry was an attractive acquisition because its location will help his company serve the greater Auburn area better.He emphasized Teichert also wanted the quarry because it has high-quality limestone that isn?t available from other company aggregate plants.Guftafson said he?s not sure how the quarry got its name, but said it apparently has been around since the 1850s. ?I think there actually was a cave there at one time,? he said.Teichert declined to say how much it paid for the quarry.Teichert Materials is a division of Teichert Inc., a Sacramento-based construction firm that has been around since 1887.The firm bought the quarry from Spreckels Limestone Products Co., the Imperial subsidiary.Spreckels used limestone while processing sugar. Guftafson said limestone has an assortment of other uses, noting it is needed in farming and making glass.Rock from aggregate quarries also has many uses. For example, it?s an ingredient in ready-mixed concrete, is needed in road construction and can be used as decorative rock.In a press release, Teichert also announced it acquired Rancho Cordova-based American River Aggregates last month.?American River Aggregates will be operated and renamed as the Teichert Grantline Plant, allowing us to serve our customers in Folsom, El Dorado Hills and Rancho Cordova more effectively,? said John Halverson, president of Teichert Materials.For the last couple of years, Teichert also has been in the limelight locally over plans for opening an aggregate quarry about four miles north of Lincoln. A consultant hired by the county is scheduled to finish an environmental impact report on the project by Nov. 7.Teichert Materials operates aggregate, asphalt, ready-mixed concrete and precast-concrete operations through the Sacramento area and Central Valley.