The Silvi Group announced its purchase of the 1,440-acre Belle Mead quarry, located three miles north of Princeton, N.J., from 3M. Silvi will operate the Belle Mead Quarry under the name Gibraltar Rock of Belle Mead and plans to begin selling stone to the construction, railroad ballast and jetty rock markets. By selling 267 acres of the Belle Mead property to Somerset County for preservation and a commitment to donate a circa 1770 house and surrounding land to the Van Harlingen Historical Society, Silvi says it has made a significant contribution to the preservation of open and historical space. In a separate transaction completed on May 27, Silvi sold 220 acres of land to the New Jersey Green Acres program, assuring its ecological status in perpetuity. The quarry’s reserves are calculated at 250 million tons, and the plant is rated at 1,000 tph.