Alexco Resource Corp. and the citizens of Keno City will sit down this evening at the Keno City Public Library to discuss the company's plans to begin surface operations, including some blasting at their Onek adit site.

"We're starting a surface program at the new Onek adit, adjacent to Keno City,” Brad Thrall, the company's executive vice-president and chief operating officer at Alexco Resource Corp., told the Star Monday afternoon.

The mining company is working in the Keno City area, which saw United Keno Hill silver mine operations cease in January 1989.

"We have plans to do some surface work, trenching and some blasting, as part of the construction of a portal,” Thrall said.

The company has claimed several deposits, in addition to its Bellekeno mine site, including the Lucky Queen site and Onek adit, for which it is still going through a Yukon Environmental Socio-economic Assessment Board review process.

The company does have a mining land use permit for the surface work, said Thrall.

The company's relationship with the community has often been a turbulent one.

A report showing high levels of cadmium and zinc in a nearby well was released in January.

That sparked concern among neighbouring residents and prompted YTG to contract an independent consultant to conduct a health impact assessment, being planned for June.

The surface work, which will include blasting, is scheduled to last four to five weeks, said Thrall.

The information hasn't been received well by some residents in the community, who believe that the work represents the beginning of a project they don't believe has had proper environmental, economic and human health considerations taken into account.

"No one has had a choice,” said Jim Millie, a local home and business owner and volunteer fire chief for the community.

"What these meetings are is basically the company meeting with all of us and saying, ‘This is what we're going to do to your community,'” he said.

Alexco's operations, he said, will not provide added infrastructure nor measurable employment to the community.

"We are one of the most pro-mining communities you are going to find,” said Millie.

"Both historically and in that many people in the community have worked in placer mining ... it's been a lifeblood in the region, and we have had excellent relations with everyone, except Alexco.”

Millie is also concerned about possible dust contaminants and what he calls the "unproven” technique of dry stacking the company's tailings, despite the practice receiving approval by official regulatory bodies.

"Everything should stop until the baseline study is complete,” he said. "That's the point. Not enough consideration has been made.”

The company is scheduled to begin the surface operations at the end of the month.