July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Fish plant plans OK'd (02/26/07)
Jay County Commissioners
By By MARY ANN LEWIS-
Plans for the construction of a fish processing plant in Redkey's Industrial Park moved forward today when the Jay County Drainage Board approved the new plant's drainage design.
Michael Miller, an Albany resident and owner of Bell Aquaculture, submitted the plans to the board today.
"He's met all the requirements," Jay County Surveyor Brad Daniels said of the plans.
Miller has purchased 28 acres in the park, located southwest of Redkey along Ind. 67. The purchase also included the Rinker Farm Equipment property; he will now serve as Rinker's landlord, he said.
"We're trying to bring more employment to Jay County," Miller told board members Faron Parr, Gary Theurer, and Milo Miller Jr.
He said he hopes construction can begin in early April, explaining he is awaiting final state permits. Once those are received, he said, he would be obtaining required local permits from Bill Milligan, Jay-Portland Building and Planning director.
Initially the plant will have five employees in addition to several office personnel, Miller said. It is expected to process 800,000 to 1 million pounds of yellow perch the first year.
The fish are being raised at Miller's ponds near Albany and will be brought to Redkey for processing.
He said the fish carcasses will be frozen and he is looking at a market that can use that by-product for fertilizer for area farmers.
Additionally today, commissioners heard Jay County Sheriff Ray Newton express concern about the e-mail service at the jail.
Commissioners noted that since the county signed a contact with PhoeNX for technical support, about 50 percent of the county's computers have lost e-mail capabilities.
Parr explained that when PhoeNX took over technical support to the county, technicians made changes in the system and now some of the programs don't work.
"This was supposed to make it all easier for us," Parr said. "That's one big reason to get these guys. We're no better off than we were. It's creating more problems.
"You can't make that many changes and disappear for one week," he said about the technicians.
The goal of the change was to bring all departments into one domain that would be easier to manage.
Newton also told commissioners that the department's two new police cars have been delivered and should be road-ready in about two weeks.
Also today, commissioners heard area residents Paula Confer and Janet Walker continue to suggest ways to better manage the construction of confined feeding operations and confined animal feeding operations.
Walker presented figures representing CAFOs in Jay County that show these larger operations have a total of 4,667,194 animals, including beef and dairy cows, along with veal calves; layer and pullet poultry; and sow, nursery and finish swine. The large majority of that figure is in poultry, including more than 1 million chickens at Minnich Poultry in Noble Township.
"That doesn't include the CFO," she said about the smaller operations.
Confer suggested commissioners hire a county planner that would have intense knowledge of state and county zoning ordinances.
"We need to hire a planner," she said, "we've been fighting this for a number of years. We need to get someone educated on planning and zoning."[[In-content Ad]]
Michael Miller, an Albany resident and owner of Bell Aquaculture, submitted the plans to the board today.
"He's met all the requirements," Jay County Surveyor Brad Daniels said of the plans.
Miller has purchased 28 acres in the park, located southwest of Redkey along Ind. 67. The purchase also included the Rinker Farm Equipment property; he will now serve as Rinker's landlord, he said.
"We're trying to bring more employment to Jay County," Miller told board members Faron Parr, Gary Theurer, and Milo Miller Jr.
He said he hopes construction can begin in early April, explaining he is awaiting final state permits. Once those are received, he said, he would be obtaining required local permits from Bill Milligan, Jay-Portland Building and Planning director.
Initially the plant will have five employees in addition to several office personnel, Miller said. It is expected to process 800,000 to 1 million pounds of yellow perch the first year.
The fish are being raised at Miller's ponds near Albany and will be brought to Redkey for processing.
He said the fish carcasses will be frozen and he is looking at a market that can use that by-product for fertilizer for area farmers.
Additionally today, commissioners heard Jay County Sheriff Ray Newton express concern about the e-mail service at the jail.
Commissioners noted that since the county signed a contact with PhoeNX for technical support, about 50 percent of the county's computers have lost e-mail capabilities.
Parr explained that when PhoeNX took over technical support to the county, technicians made changes in the system and now some of the programs don't work.
"This was supposed to make it all easier for us," Parr said. "That's one big reason to get these guys. We're no better off than we were. It's creating more problems.
"You can't make that many changes and disappear for one week," he said about the technicians.
The goal of the change was to bring all departments into one domain that would be easier to manage.
Newton also told commissioners that the department's two new police cars have been delivered and should be road-ready in about two weeks.
Also today, commissioners heard area residents Paula Confer and Janet Walker continue to suggest ways to better manage the construction of confined feeding operations and confined animal feeding operations.
Walker presented figures representing CAFOs in Jay County that show these larger operations have a total of 4,667,194 animals, including beef and dairy cows, along with veal calves; layer and pullet poultry; and sow, nursery and finish swine. The large majority of that figure is in poultry, including more than 1 million chickens at Minnich Poultry in Noble Township.
"That doesn't include the CFO," she said about the smaller operations.
Confer suggested commissioners hire a county planner that would have intense knowledge of state and county zoning ordinances.
"We need to hire a planner," she said, "we've been fighting this for a number of years. We need to get someone educated on planning and zoning."[[In-content Ad]]
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