Dear Neighbor,

As you know, we made a commitment last spring to conduct a thorough evaluation of operations at our Val Vista plant. To that end, our team has been working to reach an outcome that is mutually beneficial – improving your overall experience with the operation while we continue to supply growing local demand. The modifications that we made as a result of the evaluation are not required by local, state or federal regulations, but we have implemented them in an effort to respond to questions and concerns raised by some of our neighbors.

The hot mix asphalt (HMA) plant upgrades are now operational, including:

  • New air capture system
    The air capture system that was installed includes fans, filters, and ductwork. The system helps capture steam at the finished product conveyor, storage silos, and customer loading area. The steam is then sent through a six‐stage filtration system that includes a total of 84 filters. The filtration system has a 98 percent capture efficiency rate.

  • Drum and burner enhancements
    Specialized asphalt drum flights, or “paddles,” were installed inside the drum that mixes the aggregates and asphalt. Paddles wear over time and can impact aggregate drying efficiency, which can lead to increased fuel consumption and reduced output. This upgrade will help reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

  • Enhanced tank controls
    Vent condensers were installed on the liquid asphalt tanks to condense liquid asphalt vapors to a liquid that is returned to the tanks. Any vapors that are not converted to a liquid are captured by a carbon fiber filtration system.

  • Customer loading area side curtains
    Side curtains were added to the customer loading area to trap steam emanating from the customer trucks during the loading process. The steam is then captured by the new filtration system.

Last year, we also implemented a “Nighttime Work Policy” and best practices for operations and maintenance. And, in case you were not aware, the on‐site ready‐mix concrete tenant ended their lease and we do not currently have plans for a new tenant.

Our goal throughout this process has been to improve your overall experience with our Val Vista facility. As such, we made significant financial investments over the past year to improve our operations. As with all of our facilities, we will continue to evaluate our operations and make adjustments to improve operational efficiency and performance. Your feedback is an important part of this process, and we thank you for it. To help us explore potential issues, it is essential to have as many details as possible. So, when providing feedback, please include the exact time and describe your experience.

We greatly appreciate the dialogue we have had with our neighbors over the past year, and it was a pleasure to meet so many of you at the Open House last summer. Since then, we have initiated a productive partnership with Ishikawa Elementary School, and we look forward to hearing more ideas about partnership opportunities in the community.

If you are new to the area, please visit VulcanValVista.com to learn more about Vulcan and the improvements at Val Vista. In order to cut down on paper and printing, future updates will be emailed and posted to the website.

Finally, please keep in mind that even before the upgrades were installed, our facility was, and remains, in compliance with all laws and regulations and is considered by local, state and federal regulatory agencies to be protective of public health and safety. Emissions from the HMA plant range from 30 to 70 percent below the permitted limits set by the Maricopa County Air Quality Department.

If you have a question or feedback to share, please contact us at (623) 289‐1966 or at [email protected].

Sincerely,

Val Vista Team