New Ulm Quartzite Quarries (NUQQ) is an aggregate supplying quarry located four miles outside of New Ulm near the convergence of the Minnesota and Cottonwood Rivers. The first quarry on the site was established in 1858.

News of NUQQ’s closure came after OMG Midwest, Inc, which operates locally as Minnesota Paving & Materials, submitted a WARN (Worker Adjustment and Restraining Notification) letter to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) on a plan to shut down 14 facilities across central and southern Minnesota, including the New Ulm Quartzite Quarries (NUQQ) facility.

Minnesota Paving & Materials will also closed facilities in Becker, Mankato, Kasota, Owatonna, Rogers, Rosemount, Comfrey, Waite Park, St Cloud and Lakeland. In total, 297 employees will be laid off across the 14 sites.

The City of New Ulm was alerted to the NUQQ closure Monday after receiving a WARN notice. The notice stated company operations at NUQQ would cease on Dec. 19 and 15 employee positions would be eliminated on the same date.

The main office for New Ulm Quarttzite Quarries (NUQQ) located a few miles outside of New Ulm. The quarry is set to close operations in December along with 13 other facilities owned by Minnesota Paving & Material. A total of 297 employees will be laid off across the 14 facilities.

Though the quarry site has been a part of New Ulm since the beginning of the community, city leaders are not convinced it will stay closed.

New Ulm City Manager Chris Dalton said the last time the quarry was shutdown, it was ahead of the site’s sale to another company. Dalton could not confirm rumors another company was looking to buy the site, but he believed there was still plenty of materials to still be mined from the New Ulm quarry.

New Ulm City Councilor Larry Mack said there has been significant investment in the NUQQ site over the years and he doubted the facility would be abandoned. He suspected it would be picked up by another company.

Mayor Kathleen Backer said when she received the WARN notice, she was concerned New Ulm was losing another business, but said that concern was mitigated by the rumor the facility will be bought by another company.

“Let’s hope the rumor is true,” she said.

It has not been confirmed NUQQ or any of the 13 facilities are being purchased by another company. In addition, if any of the facilities are sold and reopened, it is not clear if the 297 laid off employees will be rehired.

The full list of Minnesota Paving & Materials to close include:

• 45755 571st Avenue, New Ulm

• 13983 Industry Avenue, Becker

• 1905 3rd Avenue, Mankato

• 544 460th Street, Kasota

• 1478 26th Street Northwest, Owatonna

• 742 460th Street, Kasota

• 14475 Quiram Drive, Rogers

• 15900 158th Street West, Rosemount

• 27593 County Road 2, Comfrey

• 402 28th Avenue South, Waite Park

• 440 33rd Avenue South, Waite Park

• 502 S 33rd Street, St Cloud

• 1010 158th Street West, Rosemount

• 15001 Hudson Road, Lakeland