‘We’re Not Backing Down’: Rural Clay County Residents Mobilize to Block Ideker Quarry Expansion
Excelsior Springs, Mo. — Along the gravel-lined stretch of Cameron Road and in the surrounding rural Clay County area, residents are organizing against what they see as an escalating threat to their homes, health, and way of life: the expansion of Ideker Mining LLC.
The conflict centers on a petition filed by landowner David Rhodus to voluntarily annex approximately 89 acres of his property into the city of Mosby. Rhodus, who also sits on the Clay County Planning and Zoning Commission, intends to lease the land to Ideker for continued mining operations, an effort residents say will intensify blasting, worsen air quality, and accelerate damage to already-crumbling infrastructure.
On May 4, more than 30 neighbors gathered at Chris and Dave McClaskey’s property to share concerns and strategize. The meeting followed a surprise appearance by 12 area residents at the May 1 Mosby City Council meeting, where they successfully convinced the council to table a decision on the annexation until its next meeting on June 5.
“They did a really good job in the past about pushing their way through under the table by keeping silent,” said Dave McClaskey. “But this time, we found out about the meeting and we got the commission to table it.”
At the heart of the dispute is a history of broken promises, according to residents. In 2022, Ideker expanded north onto land owned by Renee Rhodus, with the understanding that mining would remain on the surface and efforts would be made to minimize disturbances to the area. Since then, neighbors say, blasting has intensified, and it has become apparent that the company is tunneling underground.
“There are two gigantic holes that they’re driving those huge trucks into,” one neighbor said. “Our understanding is they want to build underground warehousing just like what’s on 210.”
Aerial images captured on May 4, just before a recent sinkhole was filled in, imply that there could be subsurface activity. Residents believe these operations violate Clay County regulations and previous contracts. However, they worry the city of Mosby’s annexation could nullify those protections.
“The sinkhole that appeared recently was the size of a building,” McClaskey noted during a May 5 appearance before the Excelsior Springs City Council. “They filled it in once and then again just this week, right after we met.”
Chris McClaskey, who joined her husband at the Excelsior Springs council meeting, appealed directly to city leaders: “Right now, we are struggling to get anybody to care. We’re appealing to you about the roads. We’re searching for anybody who can help us stop what’s happening.”
Cracks, Dust, and Daily Blasts
Residents say the consequences of mining near their homes are no longer theoretical. Cracked foundations, shattered windows, and unlivable air quality are among the grievances cited at both neighborhood meetings and the Excelsior Springs City Council meeting.
“Our daughter was at the house when a blast hit. She thought we were having an earthquake,” said longtime resident Pam Smith. “Now we can’t open our windows. Our furniture is covered in dust. My husband is a VA vet… when that first blast went off, he hit the ground.”
Phil Skow, who lives on Cameron Road near the quarry, described structural damage to his chimney and driveway. “It used to be one big explosion—now it’s eight in a row,” he elaborated. “That’s not surface mining.”
Another neighbor, Michael Rentmeister, told Excelsior Springs council members that his new home is already showing signs of damage. “I’ve started seeing cracks all over. One of my windows is shattered, and doorways are warped,” he said. “My four kids are terrified whenever the blasts go off.”
Residents also worry about safety implications beyond their property lines. Charla Lee, another resident, pointed out that the new Cornerstone Elementary School does not lie far from the quarry. “This is valuable land for Excelsior Springs, too,” she told the Council. “Do you really want to annex land in the future that’s sitting on tunnels and caves?”
The Role of Governance
Compounding residents’ frustrations is what they describe as a regulatory gray area. Cameron Road runs through a patchwork of jurisdictions, Clay County, the city of Mosby, and the city of Excelsior Springs, all of which, according to residents, have dodged responsibility for maintaining the heavily damaged road.
“The road is not even drivable,” said David McClaskey. “We’re being told the road is Mosby’s, then the county’s, then Excelsior’s. We’re stuck in limbo.”
Speakers at the May 10 neighborhood meeting alleged that Mosby officials have allowed Ideker to operate with minimal oversight, and that Rhodus’s role as both landowner and zoning commissioner represents a conflict of interest.
“He knows the system. He’s on the board,” one resident said. “They’re doing this legally by annexing land to Mosby, because Clay County won’t let them.”
Residents have also voiced concern about Ideker’s recent shift to an LLC structure, suggesting it may limit the company’s financial liability in the event of lawsuits related to property damage or environmental violations.
According to the residents, Ideker has previously been cited by the EPA for violations at its Carthage, Missouri, operation. They’ve begun contacting a long list of regulatory agencies, including the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), and Missouri’s Attorney General.
Long-Term Plans, Immediate Actions
An email sent by Ken Ideker to one of the neighbors, Dylan Orbesen, states that Ideker’s project, at least in the area annexed in 2022, is authorized to continue through the year 2072. “This is not the five-year project we were told it was going to be,” said one neighbor. “They’re going to try and take every piece of rock under this whole area.”
Residents have formed a Cameron Road Neighborhood Association, organized information sheets, launched petitions, gathered aerial imagery, and are actively contacting the media. They say more residents, especially those unaware of the proposed expansion, need to be brought into the conversation.
“I’ve talked to friends who didn’t even know this was happening,” said Nathaniel Beeghly, who offered to canvass nearby neighborhoods. “I want to go around to all the houses that I don’t know… and spread the word. We have neighbors who are missing out, who maybe don’t even know this is happening.”
The June 5 Mosby City Council meeting is expected to be a flashpoint in the ongoing battle. The neighbors say they’re not just fighting for themselves, they’re fighting for the broader future of their rural community.
“We’re not very big,” one neighbor said during a meeting. “But we’re not backing down.”
Read previous coverage of the 2022 Ideker expansion HERE and HERE.
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