July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
A local's view on proposed ag park (10/08/05)
To the editor:
I’m writing in response to your editorial in the 10/1/05 edition of the Commercial Review titled “Puzzled by anti-growth attitudes nearby.” I feel you are overlooking some key issues and I would like to present my point of view. I’m a former resident of Jay County (I spent the first 27 years of my life living near Pennville) now living in Delaware County near the proposed development.
I moved to Delaware County about a year ago to be closer to my job. The home I purchased is located on Highway 3 near the small town of Shideler. The house I purchased and now call home is located on the southwest border of the proposed “Ag Park” development you referenced in your editorial. In fact, my back door is roughly 75 feet from property that will be included in this development. I know it is the oldest cliché in the book, but this is literally in my backyard!
I take offense to the suggestion that the majority of the people in this area are anti-growth or in any way opposed to economic development. While I am opposed to this development, I know I personally am not opposed to economic growth. As a commercial banker, my livelihood depends on economic growth and development. I feel safe in saying that the majority of the residents in this area that are opposed to this development feel the same way I do. I (we) aren’t opposed to economic development, but we are opposed to diminished property values, water pollution, and air pollution. This development promises to bring all three to our backdoors.
The developers of the Ag Park are hiding behind the current geo-political situation, specifically high oil prices. All they want to talk about is attracting an ethanol plant. What they don’t want to talk about is the fact that this proposed development includes 806 acres and that an ethanol plant only needs 50-100 acres.
If these developers were interested solely in building an ethanol plant then why do they need 806 acres? The answer is simple — this development will include more than an ethanol plant! It is reasonable to expect that in addition to an ethanol plant, the development will include a bio-diesel plant, at least one confined animal feeding operation or CAFO, a fertilizer plant, a power plant, etc. None of these business ventures are welcome near residential housing and schools. Additional study is needed to more accurately determine alternative sites and to determine the environmental impact of the aforementioned businesses on this site as well as any other. With regard to the subject development, I believe that at least two studies are currently in progress (one is funded by the developers, the other by local citizens opposed to the project); however, it should be noted that it was not until the prospect of the development became known to the public and people starting asking questions that the possibility of completing any kind of study was raised. I applaud Jay County for taking the time to proactively study the landfill project.
It is true that in Delaware County a CAFO can be built in any “F” farming zone (and this site is currently zoned F).
However, one thing that isn’t prominently discussed is the fact that an ethanol plant will attract a CAFO (or CAFOs) to this development. Please consider that the waste product generated by an ethanol plant is animal feed. It only stands to reason that confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) will be salivating at the opportunity to build in this development. It is common knowledge that CAFOs (even more so than an ethanol plant) destroy property values and can negatively impact the environment. The manure lagoon for a 2,000 cow CAFO is measured in acres and/or millions of gallons. Combine that with Delaware County’s very loose regulation (at least nuclear waste and anthrax are closely regulated) of CAFOs, the inadequacy of IDEM (Indiana Department of Environmental Management), and you have the prospect for something that is very scary to residents surrounding this development. For example, did you know that a CAFO can be built within 200 feet of a residential dwelling in Delaware County?
In closing, this development is not located in a sparsely populated rural area. There are hundreds of people living near this development. The towns of Eaton and Shideler are close by, as are Delta High School and Delta Middle School. To help give you some idea of the severity of this situation, Downtown Muncie itself is only eight miles from this site. Please consider all of these facts before you blindly brand the opponents of this development as “anti-growth” and sacrifice my neighbors as well as myself at the altar of economic development.
Be careful what you wish for over in Jay County. When you consider the Governor’s desire to increase ethanol and pork production, a similar development could very well be headed your way. It may well be your backyard the next time.
William Schuhmacher
Muncie[[In-content Ad]]
I’m writing in response to your editorial in the 10/1/05 edition of the Commercial Review titled “Puzzled by anti-growth attitudes nearby.” I feel you are overlooking some key issues and I would like to present my point of view. I’m a former resident of Jay County (I spent the first 27 years of my life living near Pennville) now living in Delaware County near the proposed development.
I moved to Delaware County about a year ago to be closer to my job. The home I purchased is located on Highway 3 near the small town of Shideler. The house I purchased and now call home is located on the southwest border of the proposed “Ag Park” development you referenced in your editorial. In fact, my back door is roughly 75 feet from property that will be included in this development. I know it is the oldest cliché in the book, but this is literally in my backyard!
I take offense to the suggestion that the majority of the people in this area are anti-growth or in any way opposed to economic development. While I am opposed to this development, I know I personally am not opposed to economic growth. As a commercial banker, my livelihood depends on economic growth and development. I feel safe in saying that the majority of the residents in this area that are opposed to this development feel the same way I do. I (we) aren’t opposed to economic development, but we are opposed to diminished property values, water pollution, and air pollution. This development promises to bring all three to our backdoors.
The developers of the Ag Park are hiding behind the current geo-political situation, specifically high oil prices. All they want to talk about is attracting an ethanol plant. What they don’t want to talk about is the fact that this proposed development includes 806 acres and that an ethanol plant only needs 50-100 acres.
If these developers were interested solely in building an ethanol plant then why do they need 806 acres? The answer is simple — this development will include more than an ethanol plant! It is reasonable to expect that in addition to an ethanol plant, the development will include a bio-diesel plant, at least one confined animal feeding operation or CAFO, a fertilizer plant, a power plant, etc. None of these business ventures are welcome near residential housing and schools. Additional study is needed to more accurately determine alternative sites and to determine the environmental impact of the aforementioned businesses on this site as well as any other. With regard to the subject development, I believe that at least two studies are currently in progress (one is funded by the developers, the other by local citizens opposed to the project); however, it should be noted that it was not until the prospect of the development became known to the public and people starting asking questions that the possibility of completing any kind of study was raised. I applaud Jay County for taking the time to proactively study the landfill project.
It is true that in Delaware County a CAFO can be built in any “F” farming zone (and this site is currently zoned F).
However, one thing that isn’t prominently discussed is the fact that an ethanol plant will attract a CAFO (or CAFOs) to this development. Please consider that the waste product generated by an ethanol plant is animal feed. It only stands to reason that confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) will be salivating at the opportunity to build in this development. It is common knowledge that CAFOs (even more so than an ethanol plant) destroy property values and can negatively impact the environment. The manure lagoon for a 2,000 cow CAFO is measured in acres and/or millions of gallons. Combine that with Delaware County’s very loose regulation (at least nuclear waste and anthrax are closely regulated) of CAFOs, the inadequacy of IDEM (Indiana Department of Environmental Management), and you have the prospect for something that is very scary to residents surrounding this development. For example, did you know that a CAFO can be built within 200 feet of a residential dwelling in Delaware County?
In closing, this development is not located in a sparsely populated rural area. There are hundreds of people living near this development. The towns of Eaton and Shideler are close by, as are Delta High School and Delta Middle School. To help give you some idea of the severity of this situation, Downtown Muncie itself is only eight miles from this site. Please consider all of these facts before you blindly brand the opponents of this development as “anti-growth” and sacrifice my neighbors as well as myself at the altar of economic development.
Be careful what you wish for over in Jay County. When you consider the Governor’s desire to increase ethanol and pork production, a similar development could very well be headed your way. It may well be your backyard the next time.
William Schuhmacher
Muncie[[In-content Ad]]
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