There will be peace in the valley.

Residents near a proposed rock pit in a historic valley near Lecompton were celebrating Wednesday after learning N.R. Hamm Quarry Inc. pulled its controversial request to put a quarry near the town.

“This is great. It’s fantastic,” said Paul Bahnmaier, who owns 242 acres next to the proposed quarry site. “It’s definitely a relief. But I can’t stress enough how great all the people have been in the greater Lecompton area. This was teamwork and everyone worked together.”

Residents surrounding the proposed site and up and down U.S. Highway 40 west of Lawrence had dotted the countryside with signs protesting the planned quarry.

“Save valley, no quarry,” many of the signs read.

Hamm officials said they had decided that opening the quarry wouldn’t pay off for them.

“The biggest thing it came down to is this quarry would be exclusively used for the turnpike project,” said Ramon Gonzalez, a rock sales manager. “This was purely a business decision.”

Hamm wanted the quarry on a 175-acre property near the intersection of North 1825 and East 350 roads in northeast Douglas County. The site is on the north side of the turnpike.

Hamm sought permission from county officials to open the quarry to supply rock for the widening of Interstate 70 between Lecompton and Topeka. The Kansas Turnpike Authority designated Hamm its rock supplier for the project. Putting a quarry near Lecompton would have eliminated truck traffic, Gonzalez said.

Audio: Bahnmaier on the Lecompton residents’ teamwork Audio: Davis on the quarry bringing neighbors together Lecompton residents want to block quarry (04-10-05) Quarry hearing postponed to July (04-02-05) Town blasts quarry plan (02-07-05)

Rock for the turnpike project now will come from Hamm’s quarry in Overbrook. That’s the quarry the company originally used for its bid on the project, Gonzalez said.

The 14-mile project will widen Interstate 70 to six lanes from four between the Lecompton interchange and East Topeka exit. The project is on schedule at this time and should be completed by spring 2007, a spokeswoman with the Kansas Turnpike Authority said Wednesday.

Hamm has no plans to pursue a quarry at the proposed Lecompton site in the future, Gonzalez said.

Lawrence attorney Charles Benjamin, who represented property owners near the proposed site, commended Hamm for the decision.

“My clients obviously are delighted, and I think Hamm made a smart decision business-wise, but politically as well,” Benjamin said. “I think it would have been a nasty fight and the residents had no intention of backing down. I commend Hamm for their decision and wish them the best.”

“If I was a company or a politician, I would listen to the taxpayers and the residents in the area,” Bahnmaier said. “What we have — it was a massive effort.”

Property owners near the site said they would continue to remain active in the Kaw Valley Neighborhood Assn., which was formed as a result of the quarry proposal.

Residents said the quarry would have threatened the community’s quality of life, environment and history.

“The one good thing that’s come out of this is that we have gotten to know our neighbors far and wide and it’s not just people within 1,000 feet. It’s the whole neighborhood,” said Deb Davis, who lives next to Highway 40 near where the quarry was planned.

Property owners likely will start to remove the protest signs staked in their yards.

“But we’ll probably save one sign for the museum in Lecompton,” Bahnmaier said.