July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Commissioners asked to take action on CFOs (05/08/06)
Jay County Commissioners
By By MARY ANN LEWIS-
The findings of a comprehensive study of confined feeding operations in Jay County, completed in May, 2004, seems to be a plan that would work for everyone, a group of Noble Township residents has concluded.
But why was it never put into action?
That was the question this morning for the Jay County Commissioners.
“These are good,” spokesperson Beth LeMaster told Milo Miller, Gary Theurer, and Faron Parr.
“How can we ever improve on it. But our question is ‘why there was never any action?’”
The study was completed in 2004 after several public meetings of committee members including health, conservation, and environmental personnel, commissioners, and agriculture educators.
At that time, those findings were presented to commissioners who failed to take action on the study.
“We just felt the state has so many regulations on those (CFO) operations now that we didn’t want to add any more,” Miller said about the commissioners decision. “Is it fair to the farmer, too?”
“Whose to say who is more important, though?” LeMaster asked.
The concerns of the Noble Township residents surfaced during the commissioners meeting May 1, when Jeff and Beth LeMaster said a proposed CFO was planned on land adjacent to their farm on county road 50 North in Noble Township.
The land was purchased from Ben Schwieterman by Joe Grubbe, but LeMaster said neighbors were never notified of the proposed construction.
Judy LeMaster, the mother of Jeff LeMaster, and also a member of the Jay County Council, told commissioners there are currently 83 operator/owners of CFOs in Jay County, making the county the highest livestock producing county in the state in terms of total animals, and those operators have a total of 314 buildings at those locations.
“It’s time we’re concerned,” Judy LeMaster said.
“When is enough, enough?” Beth LeMaster asked.
Barry Davis, a resident of Ind. 26 in Noble Township, also spoke to commissioners.
“I have no say on this. I have no vote,” he said, explaining how a CFO could be built near his home. “I don’t have any way out. What about us?”
See CFOs page 7
Continued from page 1
Beth LeMaster suggested someone be hired to keep track of the activities of such operations as well as new construction, noting that an Indiana Department of Environmental Management representative who oversees Jay County, also manages eight other counties.
“Hire somebody to police all this?” Miller asked.
“Why not?” LeMaster answered. “Is the county so poor it can’t do this?”
“Put someone else on the payroll?” Miller again asked.
“Why not?” LeMaster again answered. “We’re not trying to stop CFOs. We’re just trying to make it equal for all landowners.”
“If you had a town with 100,000 people, what would you do with all the manure,” Joe Randy Smith asked. “Make the CFOs do the same thing.”
Although he was in attendance for another matter, Dr. Stephen Myron, Jay County Health officer, addressed the subject as well.
“Some of these things we talked about are really good things,” he said referring to the 2004 study of which he helped initiate. “These rules are not going to hurt anyone.”
Offering no plan of action, commissioners agreed only to further study the situation.
Additionally today, meeting as the drainage board, members rescinded an action they took April 24, to pay for placing a drainage tile around a home on East Division Road.
During that meeting, Jay County Surveyor, Brad Daniels, explained landowners of a field behind the residence of Jim Jacobs at 1520 East Division Road, were planning to replace about 500 feet of the Cartwright Tile’s 15-inch drainage tile and as the tile extends through the field to a catch basin along Division Road, it runs under Jacobs’s house.
Lois Jacobs told board members today there are several sink holes under and around her home, and Daniels agreed to look at the situation before deciding what to do.
“I don’t think it’s broken down,” Daniels said, “I think its just bad joints.”
“I rescind the vote we took to pay for the new tile,” Miller said about the April 24 decision.
Concerning another drainage matter, the board heard Roger Meinerding, a resident of 3942 West Blaine Drive, Portland, express concern about water that consistently stands in his yard. He presented several photos of the standing water, including a sink hole that he said water can be seen coming from.
Daniels told the board that land around the location in the Wikel Watershed in Jefferson Township is owned by the Homan family.
The board said the tile on Meinerding’s land is only 8 inches, and county tile are 10 inches and larger.
“That’s not a county tile,” Miller said about who should replace the tile.
Daniels agreed to meet with Meinerding at his residence to see if a solution to the problem can be found.[[In-content Ad]]
But why was it never put into action?
That was the question this morning for the Jay County Commissioners.
“These are good,” spokesperson Beth LeMaster told Milo Miller, Gary Theurer, and Faron Parr.
“How can we ever improve on it. But our question is ‘why there was never any action?’”
The study was completed in 2004 after several public meetings of committee members including health, conservation, and environmental personnel, commissioners, and agriculture educators.
At that time, those findings were presented to commissioners who failed to take action on the study.
“We just felt the state has so many regulations on those (CFO) operations now that we didn’t want to add any more,” Miller said about the commissioners decision. “Is it fair to the farmer, too?”
“Whose to say who is more important, though?” LeMaster asked.
The concerns of the Noble Township residents surfaced during the commissioners meeting May 1, when Jeff and Beth LeMaster said a proposed CFO was planned on land adjacent to their farm on county road 50 North in Noble Township.
The land was purchased from Ben Schwieterman by Joe Grubbe, but LeMaster said neighbors were never notified of the proposed construction.
Judy LeMaster, the mother of Jeff LeMaster, and also a member of the Jay County Council, told commissioners there are currently 83 operator/owners of CFOs in Jay County, making the county the highest livestock producing county in the state in terms of total animals, and those operators have a total of 314 buildings at those locations.
“It’s time we’re concerned,” Judy LeMaster said.
“When is enough, enough?” Beth LeMaster asked.
Barry Davis, a resident of Ind. 26 in Noble Township, also spoke to commissioners.
“I have no say on this. I have no vote,” he said, explaining how a CFO could be built near his home. “I don’t have any way out. What about us?”
See CFOs page 7
Continued from page 1
Beth LeMaster suggested someone be hired to keep track of the activities of such operations as well as new construction, noting that an Indiana Department of Environmental Management representative who oversees Jay County, also manages eight other counties.
“Hire somebody to police all this?” Miller asked.
“Why not?” LeMaster answered. “Is the county so poor it can’t do this?”
“Put someone else on the payroll?” Miller again asked.
“Why not?” LeMaster again answered. “We’re not trying to stop CFOs. We’re just trying to make it equal for all landowners.”
“If you had a town with 100,000 people, what would you do with all the manure,” Joe Randy Smith asked. “Make the CFOs do the same thing.”
Although he was in attendance for another matter, Dr. Stephen Myron, Jay County Health officer, addressed the subject as well.
“Some of these things we talked about are really good things,” he said referring to the 2004 study of which he helped initiate. “These rules are not going to hurt anyone.”
Offering no plan of action, commissioners agreed only to further study the situation.
Additionally today, meeting as the drainage board, members rescinded an action they took April 24, to pay for placing a drainage tile around a home on East Division Road.
During that meeting, Jay County Surveyor, Brad Daniels, explained landowners of a field behind the residence of Jim Jacobs at 1520 East Division Road, were planning to replace about 500 feet of the Cartwright Tile’s 15-inch drainage tile and as the tile extends through the field to a catch basin along Division Road, it runs under Jacobs’s house.
Lois Jacobs told board members today there are several sink holes under and around her home, and Daniels agreed to look at the situation before deciding what to do.
“I don’t think it’s broken down,” Daniels said, “I think its just bad joints.”
“I rescind the vote we took to pay for the new tile,” Miller said about the April 24 decision.
Concerning another drainage matter, the board heard Roger Meinerding, a resident of 3942 West Blaine Drive, Portland, express concern about water that consistently stands in his yard. He presented several photos of the standing water, including a sink hole that he said water can be seen coming from.
Daniels told the board that land around the location in the Wikel Watershed in Jefferson Township is owned by the Homan family.
The board said the tile on Meinerding’s land is only 8 inches, and county tile are 10 inches and larger.
“That’s not a county tile,” Miller said about who should replace the tile.
Daniels agreed to meet with Meinerding at his residence to see if a solution to the problem can be found.[[In-content Ad]]
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