Romarco Minerals buys Cook’s Mountain in Lower Richland

Published: November 6, 2013

By SAMMY FRETWELL

RICHLAND COUNTY, SC — Canadian miners bought Cook’s Mountain last week for more than $3 million under a carefully constructed plan to develop a mega gold mine in Lancaster County and create a riverfront nature preserve in Richland County.

Romarco Minerals Inc. decided to buy the rare land formation from Northeast Landfill LLC after determining the cost of owning the property would be cheaper than continuing to make purchase option payments, said Diane Garrett, Romarco’s chief executive officer and president.

Cook’s Mountain and nearby Goodwill Plantation are part of a plan by Romarco to dig what could be the largest gold mine in the Eastern United States. As compensation for the scars the mine would leave in Lancaster County, Romarco proposed buying the 3,700 acres near Eastover and giving it to the state for use as a preserve along the Wateree River.

Now Romarco, headquartered in Toronto, is in control of Cook’s Mountain. The mountain makes up about 1,131 acres of the 3,700 acres that would be used to offset the gold mine’s impacts near the town of Kershaw.

The sale does not guarantee Romarco will give Cook’s Mountain to the state for the preserve, because the federal government has not issued a wetlands permit for the gold mine in Lancaster County. A decision on the permit won’t be made until at least next year.

Romarco, which has yet to purchase Goodwill Plantation, could resell Cook’s Mountain to the highest bidder if the plan falls through. Most of the heavily wooded mountain is protected by a conservation easement that prevents development. But the most desirable part of the mountain for development, the top 30 acres, is not included in the protection accord.

Cook’s Mountain is one of the tallest natural areas in Richland County, if not the highest. At 374 feet above sea-level, the property offers commanding views of the forested floodplain that surrounds it along the Wateree River at the Sumter County line. Because of the steep drop in elevation, it contains a wide variety of trees and other plants, and is filled with wildlife.

Garrett said Wednesday her company paid $3.7 million for Cook’s Mountain. Northeast Landfill LLC, a division of national waste giant Republic Services, paid $5.1 million for the land in 2012, records show.

Tombo Milliken, a local real estate agent involved in the Goodwill negotiations, said the Cook’s Mountain property is unlike any he’s seen.

“You have a one-of-a-kind mountain overlooking pristine riverine systems,’’ Milliken said Wednesday. “You don’t find mountains shooting up out of swamps just anywhere in South Carolina.’’

The property was owned for years by a group of Columbia-area business people, who built several homes on the mountain top and used it as a private nature retreat. But the owners made the forested property accessible to the public, routinely inviting school groups and others to Cook’s for tours.

In 2012, the landowners sold the property after running into tax troubles over a conservation easement. Northeast Landfill LLC bought the much coveted land and shut off public access. Republic Services then used the property as a bargaining chip to keep a Richland County garbage dump open. With that issue resolved, the landfill company put the land up for sale.

Romarco’s plan to offer Cook’s Mountain and Goodwill Plantation as compensation for the gold mine has left some conservationists, interest groups and Lancaster politicians in a quandary. While the property is impressive, some question whether it is worth destroying five miles of creeks and 120 acres of wetlands in Lancaster County for the gold mine.

At a hearing this past summer, a chorus of Kershaw area residents said their community was being asked to bear the brunt of the environmental impact of the mine, even though it will provide hundreds of jobs.

“We are the toilet for Columbia, that is what we are,’’ said Danny Terry, a vocal opponent of the Romarco mine. “This deal benefits us in no kind of way.’’