I would like to congratulate the people responsible for rubbing the salt into the wounds of the families on Snow Creek Road.
They have succeeded in making our lives just a little bit more challenging.
Congratulations to the people who have nothing better to do than to look for any potential property violations of the opposers' of the proposed biodiesel plant may have.
They are doing a fantastic job of wasting the taxpayers' dollars with ridiculous and petty complaints that satisfhy their own amusement.
For those who find it funny to squeal your tires and kick extra dirt on the neighboring driveway that belongs to the owners of the newly rezoned property, thanks for the extra kick in the teeth.
Congratulations to the ones who recklessly drive on the edge of my property right in front of my face. They really know how to push buttons. Some of the people involved are teenage children.
Do we really need to involve them?
Congratulations to the hunters who were permitted to use this same property to hunt on.
They succeeded in making my son's fourth birthday one we will never forget. We were really impressed with how clever they were to park their ATVs with armed men and teenage boys 15 feet from my property line and shoot doves into my yard.
Thanks for that cherished memory.
I will admit, I have lost some sleep since we opposed the plant. If that was the intended goal, it has been a success.
Not only have the ones involved affected my quality of life, but the way I see it, their own integrity has been compromised.
It seems like integrity has been the issue for the supporters, not rezoning.
With the recent complaints, it's apparent that the threatened repercussions have begun.
We were served wit ha property violation and threatened to comply or have to tear my mother's home down. We were silly to assume we could actually occupy both pre-existing dwellings on our own property.
Grow up, people. We are still neighbors. Can we at least be civilized?
Sheree Leach
Statesville
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Letters to the Editor: Audrey Abshire
Please stop suggesting a biodiesel plant at the old FCX. Some people in the community have worked hard for almost 20 years to get the place cleaned up.
Now we are seeing some success, and another company is spending lots of their time and money cleaning up Burlington Industries, which is behind FCX.
You may consider us a heavy manufacturing area, but we have lots of homes all around. A lot of this moved in on us.
We don't just have school buses going by and others driving to school, we have a school with hundreds of children only a couple blocks away.
I'm glad you have researched these plants. I know it is a chemical plant and a flammable product. I know much more about cleaning up FCX. Research on FCX might be a good idea before it is suggested as a site.
You only have county commissioners to work with, who are responsible for this.
We had to work with the federal government.
I know you don't want this plant, I don't blame you, but think of other people, their property and families before you suggest another place.
Audrey Abshire
Statesville
Now we are seeing some success, and another company is spending lots of their time and money cleaning up Burlington Industries, which is behind FCX.
You may consider us a heavy manufacturing area, but we have lots of homes all around. A lot of this moved in on us.
We don't just have school buses going by and others driving to school, we have a school with hundreds of children only a couple blocks away.
I'm glad you have researched these plants. I know it is a chemical plant and a flammable product. I know much more about cleaning up FCX. Research on FCX might be a good idea before it is suggested as a site.
You only have county commissioners to work with, who are responsible for this.
We had to work with the federal government.
I know you don't want this plant, I don't blame you, but think of other people, their property and families before you suggest another place.
Audrey Abshire
Statesville
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Another opponent faces complaint
For the second time in a week, a member of the Iredell Neighbors for Rural Life received a zoning citation spurred from a complaint to the Iredell County Planning and Development Department.
In a Notice of Violation dated Sept. 13, Bryan and Sheree Leach were informed that Sheree’s mother, Dorothy Carney, was living in a home in their back yard that violates the county zoning ordinance.
For the full story, click here.
In a Notice of Violation dated Sept. 13, Bryan and Sheree Leach were informed that Sheree’s mother, Dorothy Carney, was living in a home in their back yard that violates the county zoning ordinance.
For the full story, click here.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Letter to the Editor:Loraine Watt
Two recent letters have prompted me to finally write concerning the proposed biodiesel plant in Iredell County. I am a member of the group Iredell Neighbors for Rural Life (INFRL) which recently dropped the word “North” from its name.
The group believes that this issue is a county issue, not a Snow Creek Road issue or a North Iredell issue. This is a belief I have had from the beginning. I do not live in the Snow Creek Road area.
I spoke at the county commission meeting in August, expressing my objections to placing the plant in a residential area. It concerns me greatly that the county commissioners, with little thought and deliberation, rezoned a R20 residential area to heavy manufacturing. This is the area where the local residents had fought hard to get zoned R20 in 1998. The commissioners also ignored the County Land Use Plan, which states that this area is to remain residential.
I am not opposed to a biodiesel plant in Iredell County. I oppose a plant in a residential area on a narrow two-lane road where school buses, high school drivers and bicycles travel, and where the infrastructure is not in place for a chemical plant.
I have researched biodiesel plants and am in favor of them. I want such a plant located in an appropriate location, where danger can be minimized and where zoning can be respected. After all, don’t let anybody be fooled: a biodiesel plant is a chemical plant with inherent dangers.
I agree that the FCX Plant might be an appropriate location, but there are several other appropriate sites in Iredell County. This plant does not need to be located in a residential area.
I have not only expressed my objections to the location of the proposed biodiesel plant but have also committed financial resources to fight this battle.
Loraine Watt
Statesville
The group believes that this issue is a county issue, not a Snow Creek Road issue or a North Iredell issue. This is a belief I have had from the beginning. I do not live in the Snow Creek Road area.
I spoke at the county commission meeting in August, expressing my objections to placing the plant in a residential area. It concerns me greatly that the county commissioners, with little thought and deliberation, rezoned a R20 residential area to heavy manufacturing. This is the area where the local residents had fought hard to get zoned R20 in 1998. The commissioners also ignored the County Land Use Plan, which states that this area is to remain residential.
I am not opposed to a biodiesel plant in Iredell County. I oppose a plant in a residential area on a narrow two-lane road where school buses, high school drivers and bicycles travel, and where the infrastructure is not in place for a chemical plant.
I have researched biodiesel plants and am in favor of them. I want such a plant located in an appropriate location, where danger can be minimized and where zoning can be respected. After all, don’t let anybody be fooled: a biodiesel plant is a chemical plant with inherent dangers.
I agree that the FCX Plant might be an appropriate location, but there are several other appropriate sites in Iredell County. This plant does not need to be located in a residential area.
I have not only expressed my objections to the location of the proposed biodiesel plant but have also committed financial resources to fight this battle.
Loraine Watt
Statesville
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Letter to the Editor: Cindy Reavis
We live on Snow Creek Road. We decided to raise our family there because of the beautiful countryside, friendly neighbors and because we defintely did not want to live in the city near commercial property and industrial parks.
Now it seems that it doesn't matter where you live, it could still become an industrial site.
Last month, with the planning board recommending against it and 72 neighbors there in opposition, the Iredell County Commissioners voted 4 to 1 in favor of spot zoning eight acres of land on Snow Creek Road from residential to heavy manufacturing for a biodiesel plant. Commissioner Steve Johnson stated after the vote that you should be able to do whatever you want on your land. If that's the case, why do we have zoning laws?
Phil McLain stated in a recent R&L article that he was disappointed in his neighbors. Has he ever thought that his neighbors may be disappointed in him?
Our wonderful community is not what it used to be. There is bitterness between the neighbors that has not been there for the 20 years we have lived here. I just can't see how the McLains think this is such a great idea for the community when it is already causing such strife and the facility is not even in operation yet.
Cindy Reavis
Statesville
Now it seems that it doesn't matter where you live, it could still become an industrial site.
Last month, with the planning board recommending against it and 72 neighbors there in opposition, the Iredell County Commissioners voted 4 to 1 in favor of spot zoning eight acres of land on Snow Creek Road from residential to heavy manufacturing for a biodiesel plant. Commissioner Steve Johnson stated after the vote that you should be able to do whatever you want on your land. If that's the case, why do we have zoning laws?
Phil McLain stated in a recent R&L article that he was disappointed in his neighbors. Has he ever thought that his neighbors may be disappointed in him?
Our wonderful community is not what it used to be. There is bitterness between the neighbors that has not been there for the 20 years we have lived here. I just can't see how the McLains think this is such a great idea for the community when it is already causing such strife and the facility is not even in operation yet.
Cindy Reavis
Statesville
Letter to the Editor: Paul Sink
Has the editorial staff gone off the deep end? The editorial in Sunday's edition was almost threatening in nature.
I have appreciated much of the reporting on the Snow Creek controversy over the proposed biodiesel plant, but this commentary was way over the line. The lines about people living in glass houses made the hair stand up on my neck.
For your words to imply "friends in high places" and then recommend the Iredell Residents for Rural Life "be prepared to invest in bulletproof windows" makes it sound like a threat on the lives of those residents. If the R&L cannot report or comment on hot issues without sending no-so-veiled threats, perhaps the staff should let someone else cover this sort of story. If I lived on Snow Creek Road, I would be worried. My prayers are for all the residents of this area, that a peaceful resolution come in this controversial situation. It would certainly help if the editorial board would stick to factual reporting and steer away from threatening jargon.
Paul Sink
Statesville
I have appreciated much of the reporting on the Snow Creek controversy over the proposed biodiesel plant, but this commentary was way over the line. The lines about people living in glass houses made the hair stand up on my neck.
For your words to imply "friends in high places" and then recommend the Iredell Residents for Rural Life "be prepared to invest in bulletproof windows" makes it sound like a threat on the lives of those residents. If the R&L cannot report or comment on hot issues without sending no-so-veiled threats, perhaps the staff should let someone else cover this sort of story. If I lived on Snow Creek Road, I would be worried. My prayers are for all the residents of this area, that a peaceful resolution come in this controversial situation. It would certainly help if the editorial board would stick to factual reporting and steer away from threatening jargon.
Paul Sink
Statesville
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Editorial: Playing hardball
Members of the Iredell Residents for a Rural Life, the group waging a court battle against the Iredell County commissioners and a North Iredell family that wants to build a biodiesel manufacturing plant, better get used to playing hardball.
The fledgling group got its first lesson in public relations this week after Randy Bridges, the group's de facto spokesman, was forced to start cleaning up his property off Snow Creek Road after the county planning department received an anonymous complaint about his illegal collection of junked vehicles.
When contacted by the R&L, Bridges said all the right things: His wife had been after him to get rid of the cars and he really wanted to be a good neighbor. The complaint provided some timely motivation, he added.
If you're going to put yourself on a pedestal as a champion for the environment and protector of property values, you better have your house in order. A group that claims to cherish clean groundwater and worries about the effects of pollution has to be squeaky clean or its public statements and court pleadings start to look self-serving and more than a little bit hypocritical.
The critics of this group - and it has some in powerful places - will be searching high and low for ways to damage its credibility.
There's an old saying about people living in glass houses and throwing stones. The Iredell Residents for a Rural Life should get their act together or be prepared to invest in bulletproof windows.
The fledgling group got its first lesson in public relations this week after Randy Bridges, the group's de facto spokesman, was forced to start cleaning up his property off Snow Creek Road after the county planning department received an anonymous complaint about his illegal collection of junked vehicles.
When contacted by the R&L, Bridges said all the right things: His wife had been after him to get rid of the cars and he really wanted to be a good neighbor. The complaint provided some timely motivation, he added.
If you're going to put yourself on a pedestal as a champion for the environment and protector of property values, you better have your house in order. A group that claims to cherish clean groundwater and worries about the effects of pollution has to be squeaky clean or its public statements and court pleadings start to look self-serving and more than a little bit hypocritical.
The critics of this group - and it has some in powerful places - will be searching high and low for ways to damage its credibility.
There's an old saying about people living in glass houses and throwing stones. The Iredell Residents for a Rural Life should get their act together or be prepared to invest in bulletproof windows.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Bridges' cars draw complaints
A member of Iredell Neighbors for Rural Life received notification from the county planning department this week that he was in violation of the county ordinance regarding “junk cars.”
For the full story, click here.
For the full story, click here.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Letter to the Editor: Patricia Perkins
I have no problem with public official’s salaries being published in the R&L, such as Mitchell Community College President Douglas Eason; I think he does a great job and is worth every penny.
I would, however, like the names and numbers for the Iredell County Board members published. I want to know who not to vote for in the next election. I would like to contact the present county board members, in regards to the recent decision to allow the biodiesel plant to open on Snow Creek Road.
How many of the board members are from North Iredell? I can tell you folks on Snow Creek that once built, there will be no attempt by the board members to monitor or attempt to regulate any hazards, odors, etc. I do not understand the mentality — or lack thereof — in allowing this. I have read in the paper that Steve Johnson feels that a person ought to do as he pleases with his property. That is a statement that if reported correctly is saying, "I don’t care about the law, particularly the zoning laws. I am for the individual rights regardless of the consequences to my neighbors, or to the group as a whole."
This is why Iredell is so backward in so many areas: laws allowing six junk cars on a person’s property; littering continues to go unrestrained by unsecured junk and trash going down the highway; lack of minimum housing standards.
In other words, it is the old Republican philosophy of "buisness first, people last." Simply put, money talks. I venture to say that Steve Johnson would not want this plant in his back yard, either. It is, however, the attitude of the entire board that seems to say, "It’s not in my yard, it’s OK." It does not seem to matter to this board that allowing things to happen by not having minimum standards and by not following the law adversely affects other folks’ property values — sometimes many thousands of dollars. I can guarantee once built, this plant will have no interference from the county board in regard to anything they want to do.
Nothing — not odor or safety or property values, nor the decreased quality of life for those living in Iredell, especially those close to this plant. I would like to see the board members’ names and numbers published. I would like them to explain their lack of backbone in regards to this issue.
Patricia Perkins
Harmony
I would, however, like the names and numbers for the Iredell County Board members published. I want to know who not to vote for in the next election. I would like to contact the present county board members, in regards to the recent decision to allow the biodiesel plant to open on Snow Creek Road.
How many of the board members are from North Iredell? I can tell you folks on Snow Creek that once built, there will be no attempt by the board members to monitor or attempt to regulate any hazards, odors, etc. I do not understand the mentality — or lack thereof — in allowing this. I have read in the paper that Steve Johnson feels that a person ought to do as he pleases with his property. That is a statement that if reported correctly is saying, "I don’t care about the law, particularly the zoning laws. I am for the individual rights regardless of the consequences to my neighbors, or to the group as a whole."
This is why Iredell is so backward in so many areas: laws allowing six junk cars on a person’s property; littering continues to go unrestrained by unsecured junk and trash going down the highway; lack of minimum housing standards.
In other words, it is the old Republican philosophy of "buisness first, people last." Simply put, money talks. I venture to say that Steve Johnson would not want this plant in his back yard, either. It is, however, the attitude of the entire board that seems to say, "It’s not in my yard, it’s OK." It does not seem to matter to this board that allowing things to happen by not having minimum standards and by not following the law adversely affects other folks’ property values — sometimes many thousands of dollars. I can guarantee once built, this plant will have no interference from the county board in regard to anything they want to do.
Nothing — not odor or safety or property values, nor the decreased quality of life for those living in Iredell, especially those close to this plant. I would like to see the board members’ names and numbers published. I would like them to explain their lack of backbone in regards to this issue.
Patricia Perkins
Harmony
Letter to the Editor: Steve Johnson
In response to Robert Taylor's letter in the Sept. 12 R&L, he should get his facts straight before he accuses anyone of saying anything.
I never said what Mr. Taylor accuses me of saying. What I said was "part of me says if you don't like the smell of cow manure, you should move into town, while I am sensitive to some people's concerns about their neighborhoods."
My suggestion was, we should consider an agricultural zoning district that would protect farmers and keep them profitable. Profitable farmers will remain farmers, thereby preserving farmland and slowing urban sprawl.
With subdivisions popping up in rural areas, we are receiving an increased number of complaints regarding the sights, sounds and smells of farming operations. There are many problems in a growing county -- this is one of them.
My comments made no reference to Snow Creek Road and no reference to what Mr. Taylor calls a "chemical plant." Our attention was on a countywide land use plan. My comments were made in that context.
In a later discussion with the reporter, I used the term "honey wagon" and explained it in graphic detail.
Twisting someone's words so that you can advance your argument is unethical and hinders legitimate debate. Debate on biodiesel is good. Distortion is wrong.
Commissioner Steve Johnson
Statesville
I never said what Mr. Taylor accuses me of saying. What I said was "part of me says if you don't like the smell of cow manure, you should move into town, while I am sensitive to some people's concerns about their neighborhoods."
My suggestion was, we should consider an agricultural zoning district that would protect farmers and keep them profitable. Profitable farmers will remain farmers, thereby preserving farmland and slowing urban sprawl.
With subdivisions popping up in rural areas, we are receiving an increased number of complaints regarding the sights, sounds and smells of farming operations. There are many problems in a growing county -- this is one of them.
My comments made no reference to Snow Creek Road and no reference to what Mr. Taylor calls a "chemical plant." Our attention was on a countywide land use plan. My comments were made in that context.
In a later discussion with the reporter, I used the term "honey wagon" and explained it in graphic detail.
Twisting someone's words so that you can advance your argument is unethical and hinders legitimate debate. Debate on biodiesel is good. Distortion is wrong.
Commissioner Steve Johnson
Statesville
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Letter to the Editor: Steven Hendry
While the continuing saga of the McLain Family versus their rural neighbors over the biodiesel plant has given some odd entertainment in the R&L lately, it is apparent the situation is only going to get hotter and the parties each more entrenched.
The only winners will be the lawyers.
How about a solution? I drove by the old FCX Plant the other day. At one time, no one wanted it or would claim title to it as it was a former SuperFund site.
It has loading docks, rail access and is close to the fire department. There has to be a number of sites like the FCX Plant in Statesville that could be donated — yes, free of charge — for a period of years to get this fledgling industry off its feet.
And if it makes money, charge the McLains back the taxes and maybe some rent.
Statesville and Iredell County would get jobs, taxes and maybe a more progressive reputation that would would draw other innovative industries to the area.
The present solution is obviously not going to work.
Steven L. Hendry
Statesville
The only winners will be the lawyers.
How about a solution? I drove by the old FCX Plant the other day. At one time, no one wanted it or would claim title to it as it was a former SuperFund site.
It has loading docks, rail access and is close to the fire department. There has to be a number of sites like the FCX Plant in Statesville that could be donated — yes, free of charge — for a period of years to get this fledgling industry off its feet.
And if it makes money, charge the McLains back the taxes and maybe some rent.
Statesville and Iredell County would get jobs, taxes and maybe a more progressive reputation that would would draw other innovative industries to the area.
The present solution is obviously not going to work.
Steven L. Hendry
Statesville
Letter to the Editor: Richard Alexander
Regarding the biodiesel hoopla, I read some interesting facts in the November issue of Petersen’s 4-Wheel & Off Road magazine, Page 16.
It states there are currently 148 plants producing biodiesel across the country and that number is expected to increase to 244 plants within 18 months. Or should I say to 245? It also gives other interesting facts.
I’m on the fence on this issue; I see both sides.
Richard L. Alexander
Statesville
It states there are currently 148 plants producing biodiesel across the country and that number is expected to increase to 244 plants within 18 months. Or should I say to 245? It also gives other interesting facts.
I’m on the fence on this issue; I see both sides.
Richard L. Alexander
Statesville
Letter to the Editor: Linda Waugh
A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. What food might this contain the mouse wondered. He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.
Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning: There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house! The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said “Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.”
The mouse turned to the pig and repeated the warning: There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house! The pig sympathized, but said, “I am so sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers.”
The mouse went to the cow and again, repeated the warning. The cow said, “Wow, Mr. Mouse. I’m sorry for you, but it’s no skin off my nose.”
So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer’s mousetrap alone.
That very night a sound was heard throughout the house. The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer’s wife, she was rushed to the hospital, but returned home with a fever.
Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup’s main ingredient. His wife’s sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.
The farmer’s wife did not get well. She died. So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them. The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.
So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn’t concern you, remember, when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.I hope this story has given you something to think about concerning the proposed bio-diesel plant on Snow Creek Road.
Linda Waugh
Statesville
Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning: There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house! The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said “Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.”
The mouse turned to the pig and repeated the warning: There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house! The pig sympathized, but said, “I am so sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers.”
The mouse went to the cow and again, repeated the warning. The cow said, “Wow, Mr. Mouse. I’m sorry for you, but it’s no skin off my nose.”
So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer’s mousetrap alone.
That very night a sound was heard throughout the house. The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer’s wife, she was rushed to the hospital, but returned home with a fever.
Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup’s main ingredient. His wife’s sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.
The farmer’s wife did not get well. She died. So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them. The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.
So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn’t concern you, remember, when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.I hope this story has given you something to think about concerning the proposed bio-diesel plant on Snow Creek Road.
Linda Waugh
Statesville
Monday, September 17, 2007
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Letter to the Editor: Jane Reavis
Those who criticize the plan to put a biodiesel plant on Snow Creek Road do not mean to offend anyone, certainly not the farmers. We continue to value and respect these hard-working individuals. Many times they are at the mercy of the weather and are never assured a consistent paycheck or a very big one, for that matter.
Not everyone can be a farmer. It takes a strong and patient person to work in the fields from sun up to sundown. We wish the farmers well. We hope the promise of dollars from biodiesel will come to fruition.
We understand why they would be excited about growing crops for a new source of energy.
Our only objection is the proposed location of the biodiesel plant. If the site was in an area already approved for industry, we would wish them much success. The rural neighborhood they have chosen is entirely unsuited for this plant and that is our issue. The fact is that they will not consider another site.
It does not make sense to build a chemical plant in a residential neighborhood. We are very concerned about tanker trucks whizzing up and down the road right along with school buses and teenage drivers. Snow Creek Road is not wide enough to allow for a margin of error and we can only hope that an accident won’t happen. More heavy truck traffic on this road will add to this possibility. We are trying to protect all who travel this area.
Iredell Neighbors for Rural Life strive for justice and a peaceful way of life.
Jane Reavis
Statesville
Not everyone can be a farmer. It takes a strong and patient person to work in the fields from sun up to sundown. We wish the farmers well. We hope the promise of dollars from biodiesel will come to fruition.
We understand why they would be excited about growing crops for a new source of energy.
Our only objection is the proposed location of the biodiesel plant. If the site was in an area already approved for industry, we would wish them much success. The rural neighborhood they have chosen is entirely unsuited for this plant and that is our issue. The fact is that they will not consider another site.
It does not make sense to build a chemical plant in a residential neighborhood. We are very concerned about tanker trucks whizzing up and down the road right along with school buses and teenage drivers. Snow Creek Road is not wide enough to allow for a margin of error and we can only hope that an accident won’t happen. More heavy truck traffic on this road will add to this possibility. We are trying to protect all who travel this area.
Iredell Neighbors for Rural Life strive for justice and a peaceful way of life.
Jane Reavis
Statesville
Plant cuts property values
Bryan and Sheree Leach’s home was a shell when they purchased it in 2005.
Bryan Leach said they had walls, but there was no kitchen, the roof leaked and it needed new insulation.
But the couple had fallen in love with 1904 farmhouse on Snow Creek Road over the Internet, so for nearly three years, Bryan Leach worked at his job at MACTEC Development Corp. in Atlanta and came to Statesville on the weekends to work on his home.
For the full story, click here.
Bryan Leach said they had walls, but there was no kitchen, the roof leaked and it needed new insulation.
But the couple had fallen in love with 1904 farmhouse on Snow Creek Road over the Internet, so for nearly three years, Bryan Leach worked at his job at MACTEC Development Corp. in Atlanta and came to Statesville on the weekends to work on his home.
For the full story, click here.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Timeline
Jan. 29, 2007
Phil McLain files a rezoning request with the Iredell County Planning Department.
March 7
Planning Board unanimously approved the McLains plans to rezone the property for a biodiesel plant.
July 24
Original public hearing date for the Board of Commissioners. Commissioners voted to postpone until Aug. 7.
Aug. 7
Iredell County Board of Commissioners voted 4 to 1 to rezone 8-acres of McLain Farms off of Snow Creek Road from single-family residential to manufacturing.
Aug. 21
In a 4-to-1 vote, commissioners approved four findings of fact to support their rezoning decision.
Aug. 25
Two storage tanks at Foothills Bio-Energies LLC in Lenoir catch fire. The fire is still under investigation.
Sept. 5
North Iredell Neighbors for Rural Life and 23 other plaintiffs file a civil complaint and petition against the McLains, county commissioners and the county.
Sept. 10
Iredell Neighbors for Rural Life accept a check for $1,250 from Rowan - Iredell Citizens for a Clean Environment.
Phil McLain files a rezoning request with the Iredell County Planning Department.
March 7
Planning Board unanimously approved the McLains plans to rezone the property for a biodiesel plant.
July 24
Original public hearing date for the Board of Commissioners. Commissioners voted to postpone until Aug. 7.
Aug. 7
Iredell County Board of Commissioners voted 4 to 1 to rezone 8-acres of McLain Farms off of Snow Creek Road from single-family residential to manufacturing.
Aug. 21
In a 4-to-1 vote, commissioners approved four findings of fact to support their rezoning decision.
Aug. 25
Two storage tanks at Foothills Bio-Energies LLC in Lenoir catch fire. The fire is still under investigation.
Sept. 5
North Iredell Neighbors for Rural Life and 23 other plaintiffs file a civil complaint and petition against the McLains, county commissioners and the county.
Sept. 10
Iredell Neighbors for Rural Life accept a check for $1,250 from Rowan - Iredell Citizens for a Clean Environment.
Phil McLain responds
Both the McLain family and Iredell County officials were served with copies of the civil complaint and petition filed by local residents.
Snow Creek resident Randy Bridges said Iredell Neighbors for Rural Life — formerly North Iredell Neighbors for Rural Life — received notification that all of the defendants in the civil case have been served.
The civil case was filed in Iredell County Superior Court on Sept. 5 against McLain Farms, the county and the Board of Commissioners.
The court documents ask the court to reverse the Aug. 7 decision to rezone eight acres on Snow Creek Road from single-family residential to heavy manufacturing for a biodiesel plant.
Phil McLain, who manages the farm with his brother Michael, said his family looks forward to the outcome of the case, but they are not going to litigate it in the news media.
“We are not surprised that they done this,” he said. “They threatened that even before the county commissioners’ decision.”McLain believes the county has a good case because commissioners listened to the facts and the experts.
“I’m afraid that the neighbors and the newspaper have not gotten all the facts,” he said. “I am disappointed in my neighbors. I hope they have all considered any repercussions if this case doesn’t come out the way they wanted it to. I don’t want them to be hurt financially because of this.”
County attorney Bill Pope said he knows the county has received the papers, but he hasn’t actually seen the documents.
He expects to look over them in the next couple of days and then formulate the county’s response.
The complaint filed against the county, commissioners and the McLains accuse the county and the commissioners of not following the proper rezoning laws and procedures when the commissioners voted to change the area’s designation.
Pope oversees many of the judicial zoning hearings by administering the oath to witnesses, and helps to enter items into evidence. He was present on Aug. 7, when the board approved the rezoning request.
“I am unaware of any improprieties,” he said.
Iredell County pays Pope a retainer of $1,400 a month, plus legal fees for work done, said Debra Alford, the county’s assistant finance director.
Snow Creek resident Randy Bridges said Iredell Neighbors for Rural Life — formerly North Iredell Neighbors for Rural Life — received notification that all of the defendants in the civil case have been served.
The civil case was filed in Iredell County Superior Court on Sept. 5 against McLain Farms, the county and the Board of Commissioners.
The court documents ask the court to reverse the Aug. 7 decision to rezone eight acres on Snow Creek Road from single-family residential to heavy manufacturing for a biodiesel plant.
Phil McLain, who manages the farm with his brother Michael, said his family looks forward to the outcome of the case, but they are not going to litigate it in the news media.
“We are not surprised that they done this,” he said. “They threatened that even before the county commissioners’ decision.”McLain believes the county has a good case because commissioners listened to the facts and the experts.
“I’m afraid that the neighbors and the newspaper have not gotten all the facts,” he said. “I am disappointed in my neighbors. I hope they have all considered any repercussions if this case doesn’t come out the way they wanted it to. I don’t want them to be hurt financially because of this.”
County attorney Bill Pope said he knows the county has received the papers, but he hasn’t actually seen the documents.
He expects to look over them in the next couple of days and then formulate the county’s response.
The complaint filed against the county, commissioners and the McLains accuse the county and the commissioners of not following the proper rezoning laws and procedures when the commissioners voted to change the area’s designation.
Pope oversees many of the judicial zoning hearings by administering the oath to witnesses, and helps to enter items into evidence. He was present on Aug. 7, when the board approved the rezoning request.
“I am unaware of any improprieties,” he said.
Iredell County pays Pope a retainer of $1,400 a month, plus legal fees for work done, said Debra Alford, the county’s assistant finance director.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Letter to the Editor: Robert Taylor
I have been a resident of Snow Creek Road for 27 years. This is home to my family.
We have good neighbors and friends in our community. I hope that I don’t have an enemy with Phil McLain because we disagree with the location of a biodiesel plant. In all honesty, it is a chemical plant.
I think Steve Johnson, our elected county commissioner, insulted all the Snow Creek residents with his comment in the R&L.
Mr. Johnson said if we didn’t like the smell of the honey truck, we the Snow Creek neighbors could just move back to town. What a wonderful solution to our problems on Snow Creek Road, from our elected county commissioner.
Does Mr. Johnson think that money issues are on the same level as the safety of our families and children?
Is Mr. Johnson not concerned with the devaluation of our property, and our community?
My question to Mr. Johnson is this: if this chemical plant was going into your neighborhood, would you have voted for it? I think you would have fought the location of the plant, as hard as our neighborhood is fighting against it right now.
Commissioners Johnson, Marvin Norman, Godfrey Williams and Kenneth Robertson all voted for something they really have no knowledge of. Or they just don’t care what dangers or effect it might have on our neighborhood.
These men were elected by Iredell County citizens to represent Iredell citizens. They have failed at their jobs probably because they did not represent the Snow Creek community at all.
I don’t know what the outcome of all of this will be.
I just know that in any coming elections for county commissioners there will be three votes against the four of you from my household.
Robert Taylor
Statesville
We have good neighbors and friends in our community. I hope that I don’t have an enemy with Phil McLain because we disagree with the location of a biodiesel plant. In all honesty, it is a chemical plant.
I think Steve Johnson, our elected county commissioner, insulted all the Snow Creek residents with his comment in the R&L.
Mr. Johnson said if we didn’t like the smell of the honey truck, we the Snow Creek neighbors could just move back to town. What a wonderful solution to our problems on Snow Creek Road, from our elected county commissioner.
Does Mr. Johnson think that money issues are on the same level as the safety of our families and children?
Is Mr. Johnson not concerned with the devaluation of our property, and our community?
My question to Mr. Johnson is this: if this chemical plant was going into your neighborhood, would you have voted for it? I think you would have fought the location of the plant, as hard as our neighborhood is fighting against it right now.
Commissioners Johnson, Marvin Norman, Godfrey Williams and Kenneth Robertson all voted for something they really have no knowledge of. Or they just don’t care what dangers or effect it might have on our neighborhood.
These men were elected by Iredell County citizens to represent Iredell citizens. They have failed at their jobs probably because they did not represent the Snow Creek community at all.
I don’t know what the outcome of all of this will be.
I just know that in any coming elections for county commissioners there will be three votes against the four of you from my household.
Robert Taylor
Statesville
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
RICCE supports plant opponents
North Iredell Neighbors for Rural Life received $1,250 from the Rowan-Iredell Citizens for a Clean Environment Monday night to help with legal expenses.
The North Iredell organization filed a civil complain and petition against Iredell County, the Board of Commissioners and the owners of McLain Farms to halt construction on the biodiesel plan and reverse commissioners' decision to rezone eight acres.
RICCE board member Mike Overcash said Snow Creek residents are facing the same problem it did in 1990 when it fought the state over the placement of an incinerator.
Overcash said the money was left over from $500,000 raised for that earlier battle.
The North Iredell organization filed a civil complain and petition against Iredell County, the Board of Commissioners and the owners of McLain Farms to halt construction on the biodiesel plan and reverse commissioners' decision to rezone eight acres.
RICCE board member Mike Overcash said Snow Creek residents are facing the same problem it did in 1990 when it fought the state over the placement of an incinerator.
Overcash said the money was left over from $500,000 raised for that earlier battle.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Interactive: Neighbors voice concerns
Click here for a map of Snow Creek Road and the neighbors affected by the rezoning.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Letter to the Editor: Bobby Kearney
As a citizen of Iredell County, I would like to take a moment to thank my community for the warmth and love I have received over the last 14 years. I consider Statesville my home and a place with people that I admire and respect. Most recently, however, I have been embarrassed by commentary in the editorial section of the R&L.
Often times, as neighbors there are issues that we will not see eye to eye on. One such issue is the development of a biodiesel plant by a leading family in our county, the McLains.
Whether or not you agree with the introduction of this technology in rural Iredell County, hopefully you will agree that the argument should be based on facts rather than a personal attack on the integrity of this family.
The McLains are a warm, loving, generous family with values that have made our country great. They have served this community unselfishly and with the highest moral integrity and honesty. They have given their time and resources not only to our fellow North Carolinians, but also throughout our country, and the world that we share.
To suggest an impropriety regarding the McLains receiving a farm subsidy, please allow me the opportunity to share the facts. An agricultural subsidy is a financial government assistance paid to farmers to supplement their income, manage the supply of agricultural commodities, and influence the cost and supply of such in an international market.
These programs date back to the 1930s and are a common practice that is by no means underhanded or illegal. In a 10-year period from 1995 to 2005, North Carolina received $2.8 billion in federal farm subsidy. Our state ranked 21st out of the 50 states. In this time frame, the McLains were ranked No. 53 of those farms that received a subsidy in our state.
Please reflect on how you would like to be treated when you find yourself involved in an unpopular position and let us strive to keep our community unique by treating our neighbors with love and respect regardless of our opinions.
Bobby P. Kearney
Statesville
Often times, as neighbors there are issues that we will not see eye to eye on. One such issue is the development of a biodiesel plant by a leading family in our county, the McLains.
Whether or not you agree with the introduction of this technology in rural Iredell County, hopefully you will agree that the argument should be based on facts rather than a personal attack on the integrity of this family.
The McLains are a warm, loving, generous family with values that have made our country great. They have served this community unselfishly and with the highest moral integrity and honesty. They have given their time and resources not only to our fellow North Carolinians, but also throughout our country, and the world that we share.
To suggest an impropriety regarding the McLains receiving a farm subsidy, please allow me the opportunity to share the facts. An agricultural subsidy is a financial government assistance paid to farmers to supplement their income, manage the supply of agricultural commodities, and influence the cost and supply of such in an international market.
These programs date back to the 1930s and are a common practice that is by no means underhanded or illegal. In a 10-year period from 1995 to 2005, North Carolina received $2.8 billion in federal farm subsidy. Our state ranked 21st out of the 50 states. In this time frame, the McLains were ranked No. 53 of those farms that received a subsidy in our state.
Please reflect on how you would like to be treated when you find yourself involved in an unpopular position and let us strive to keep our community unique by treating our neighbors with love and respect regardless of our opinions.
Bobby P. Kearney
Statesville
Friday, September 7, 2007
Neighbors hold press conference
Sheree Leach and her family are already feeling the effect of the McLain biodiesel plant, and it hasn’t even been built yet.
Leach said she tried to get her house appraised after commissioners rezoned eight acres of land next door from single-family residential to heavy manufacturing.
For the full story, click here.
Leach said she tried to get her house appraised after commissioners rezoned eight acres of land next door from single-family residential to heavy manufacturing.
For the full story, click here.
Letter to the Editor: Sheree Leach
I live in the closest house to where the future site of the biodiesel plant will be built off Snow Creek Road. It will be 500 feet from my home.
We are a middle-class family with three children. My husband and I found Statesville on the Internet when we decided to relocate two years ago. We didn't know anything about Statesville, but fell in love with Snow Creek Road. We bought our house in hopes of living the rest of our lives in a beautiful community. Well that all changed the night my back yard was rezoned for a biodiesel plant.
How does this kind of thing happen in America? Isn't this supposed to be the land of opportunity? Or does that only apply to the people who have the right connections or a large bank account.
Why are predetermined zones allowed to be changed? Aren't these zones thought out carefully and put in locations where public safety issues are considered and addressed? I'm a little confused with this decision. Did they base their decision in hopes that nothing will go terribly wrong, like recent explosions and fires at the biodiesel plant in nearby Lenoir. My children's lives are just as precious as any of the people who were involved in this decisions. Why do they not care that they are putting our lives in jeopardy?
I just want all the involved people who put my family and the other families on Snow Creek Road to know how scared we are for our future.
We are not a bunch of angry Americans who want to stop progress and prevent someone from fulfilling their dreams, but this is our future and possibly our lives we are fighting for.
I wonder if the commissioners really know or even care how much they changed our lives. We have chosen to put our home on the market in hopes that maybe someone, for whatever reason, won't mind living next to a biodiesel plant. The people who made this decision still have there peaceful homes with full property value. The families on Snow Creek Road had that taken from us with this thoughtless choice to rezone. How American is that? I would like to invite anyone involved in this decision to please contact me and help me decide which direction to go? Should we stay in our home and endanger my family's health or should I just abandon our home and just pray it sells. Please tell me how to buy a safe place to live if we can't sell the one you the commission has essentially condemned?
How do the commissioners who approved this sleep at night after making such truly thoughtless decisions? When it's not your family's quality of life a stake, I guess it would be easy.
It's obvious with such an outpouring of letters in disbelief in the recent weeks since the rezoning had been approved that we, the citizens, are not going to just give up. I personally can't. I have no choice but to fight not for just our neighborhood but for yours as well. We need everyone's help in the fight to preserve our rights.
We need help funding our mission. If anyone can help, please contact us at our e-mail address ninfrl@yahoo.com.
Sheree Leach
Statesville
We are a middle-class family with three children. My husband and I found Statesville on the Internet when we decided to relocate two years ago. We didn't know anything about Statesville, but fell in love with Snow Creek Road. We bought our house in hopes of living the rest of our lives in a beautiful community. Well that all changed the night my back yard was rezoned for a biodiesel plant.
How does this kind of thing happen in America? Isn't this supposed to be the land of opportunity? Or does that only apply to the people who have the right connections or a large bank account.
Why are predetermined zones allowed to be changed? Aren't these zones thought out carefully and put in locations where public safety issues are considered and addressed? I'm a little confused with this decision. Did they base their decision in hopes that nothing will go terribly wrong, like recent explosions and fires at the biodiesel plant in nearby Lenoir. My children's lives are just as precious as any of the people who were involved in this decisions. Why do they not care that they are putting our lives in jeopardy?
I just want all the involved people who put my family and the other families on Snow Creek Road to know how scared we are for our future.
We are not a bunch of angry Americans who want to stop progress and prevent someone from fulfilling their dreams, but this is our future and possibly our lives we are fighting for.
I wonder if the commissioners really know or even care how much they changed our lives. We have chosen to put our home on the market in hopes that maybe someone, for whatever reason, won't mind living next to a biodiesel plant. The people who made this decision still have there peaceful homes with full property value. The families on Snow Creek Road had that taken from us with this thoughtless choice to rezone. How American is that? I would like to invite anyone involved in this decision to please contact me and help me decide which direction to go? Should we stay in our home and endanger my family's health or should I just abandon our home and just pray it sells. Please tell me how to buy a safe place to live if we can't sell the one you the commission has essentially condemned?
How do the commissioners who approved this sleep at night after making such truly thoughtless decisions? When it's not your family's quality of life a stake, I guess it would be easy.
It's obvious with such an outpouring of letters in disbelief in the recent weeks since the rezoning had been approved that we, the citizens, are not going to just give up. I personally can't. I have no choice but to fight not for just our neighborhood but for yours as well. We need everyone's help in the fight to preserve our rights.
We need help funding our mission. If anyone can help, please contact us at our e-mail address ninfrl@yahoo.com.
Sheree Leach
Statesville
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Neighbors sue county
North Iredell Neighbors for Rural Life and 23 other plaintiffs filed a civil complaint and petition Wednesday seeking to nullify the Iredell County Commission’s decision to rezone eight acres of McLain Farms, which cleared the way for the construction of a controversial biodiesel plant.
For the full story, click here.
For the full story, click here.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Fire Marshal looks at Lenoir plant
Iredell County Fire Marshal Lloyd Ramsey took an educational trip to Foothills Bio-Energies LLC to get an idea what a biodiesel plant required.
He said the trip was informative, but he still needs to see the plans from McLain Farms before he knows how to procede.
The Lenior Fire Chief Ken Briscoe said the fire at the Bio-Energies plant is still under investigation. He is still awaiting the lab results from the soy bean oil and chicken fat that caught on fire two weeks ago.
He said the trip was informative, but he still needs to see the plans from McLain Farms before he knows how to procede.
The Lenior Fire Chief Ken Briscoe said the fire at the Bio-Energies plant is still under investigation. He is still awaiting the lab results from the soy bean oil and chicken fat that caught on fire two weeks ago.
Letter to the Editor: Bill Pitt
At their regularly scheduled meeting on Aug. 7, Iredell County commissioners voted 4-1 to approve a zoning change request for an eight-acre portion of a farm on Snow Creek Road. The request was to shift the eight acres from R-20 ( Single Family Residential) to M-2 (Heavy Manufacturing) Conditional Use, for establishing a biodiesel refinery.
The request was approved over the objections of 72 of the neighbors to the site who attended the meeting and felt that it would be safer for all concerned to locate the refinery in one of the many already established industrial parks in Iredell County, where appropriate roads and other infrastructure are already in place.
According to the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at the University of Idaho, as of January of this year, there were approximately 100 commercial scale biodiesel refineries in the United States. Within the last 12 months there have been at least three devastating fires or explosions and fires at such facilities, some involving loss of life, some completely destroying the biodiesel operation. Catastrophic fires have been set off by static electricity, by welding, by a spark from faulty wiring, among other causes.
A chance that such a fire would take place at one of every 33 refineries or better sounds like risky odds. Just imagine if we were considering which of 33 gas stations was going to blow up next.
The odds become riskier still when you consider that the closest volunteer fire department to the proposed site is Trinity, which is approximately four miles away. The nearest full time fire department is Statesville Fire Station No. 2, 12 miles away, and the nearest hazmat team is at Mooresville Station No. 3, 34 miles away.
How long would it take Trinity or either of the others to muster a properly equipped team and get it on site in the event of a fire? How much loss of life or property could result? In the event of a fire and explosion, how much hazardous material would be spilled into one of Iredell County's most important watersheds before help could arrive to control the flow of liquid pollutants?
The fact that the proposed refinery won't be manned 24/7 only increases the potential for a disaster.
Accounts of the biodiesel plant fires were entered into the public record at the commissioners' meeting, but the commissioners chose to ignore them in their decision-making process.It evidently appeared to them perfectly reasonable to locate a refinery using volatile materials in a non-industrial, remote part of the county, far removed from the safety infrastructure which could provide assistance, when it was needed.
It does not, however, appear perfectly reasonable to the neighbors to this proposed refinery, who believe that Heavy Industry should be in industrial parks , which are designed to best meet the requirements of such applications.
What were the commissioners thinking? They were thinking about the economic benefit of the few, not the safety of the many who live in the area of the proposed refinery.
If you believe that the commissioners, zoning ordinances, and the Iredell County Land Use Plan are supposed to protect the Health, Safety, and Welfare of the public, join us at North Iredell Neighbors for Rural Life as we oppose this narrow and short sighted decision.
For more information, write us at NINFRL, 991 Snow Creek Road, Statesville, NC, 28625.
Bill Pitt
Statesville
The request was approved over the objections of 72 of the neighbors to the site who attended the meeting and felt that it would be safer for all concerned to locate the refinery in one of the many already established industrial parks in Iredell County, where appropriate roads and other infrastructure are already in place.
According to the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at the University of Idaho, as of January of this year, there were approximately 100 commercial scale biodiesel refineries in the United States. Within the last 12 months there have been at least three devastating fires or explosions and fires at such facilities, some involving loss of life, some completely destroying the biodiesel operation. Catastrophic fires have been set off by static electricity, by welding, by a spark from faulty wiring, among other causes.
A chance that such a fire would take place at one of every 33 refineries or better sounds like risky odds. Just imagine if we were considering which of 33 gas stations was going to blow up next.
The odds become riskier still when you consider that the closest volunteer fire department to the proposed site is Trinity, which is approximately four miles away. The nearest full time fire department is Statesville Fire Station No. 2, 12 miles away, and the nearest hazmat team is at Mooresville Station No. 3, 34 miles away.
How long would it take Trinity or either of the others to muster a properly equipped team and get it on site in the event of a fire? How much loss of life or property could result? In the event of a fire and explosion, how much hazardous material would be spilled into one of Iredell County's most important watersheds before help could arrive to control the flow of liquid pollutants?
The fact that the proposed refinery won't be manned 24/7 only increases the potential for a disaster.
Accounts of the biodiesel plant fires were entered into the public record at the commissioners' meeting, but the commissioners chose to ignore them in their decision-making process.It evidently appeared to them perfectly reasonable to locate a refinery using volatile materials in a non-industrial, remote part of the county, far removed from the safety infrastructure which could provide assistance, when it was needed.
It does not, however, appear perfectly reasonable to the neighbors to this proposed refinery, who believe that Heavy Industry should be in industrial parks , which are designed to best meet the requirements of such applications.
What were the commissioners thinking? They were thinking about the economic benefit of the few, not the safety of the many who live in the area of the proposed refinery.
If you believe that the commissioners, zoning ordinances, and the Iredell County Land Use Plan are supposed to protect the Health, Safety, and Welfare of the public, join us at North Iredell Neighbors for Rural Life as we oppose this narrow and short sighted decision.
For more information, write us at NINFRL, 991 Snow Creek Road, Statesville, NC, 28625.
Bill Pitt
Statesville
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Letter to the Editor: Becky Mishoe
We heard about the fire in Lenoir at the site of a biodiesel plant. We weren't really surprised since we already knew of the dangers.
The owner of this facility spoke at the Iredell County Commissioner's meeting before this insane petition was approved by four of the commissioners. Sara Haire Tice was the lone common-sense board member who opposed locating a chemical plant in a rural area.
If this fire had occurred at the proposed location on Snow Creek Road, we can only imagine the catastrophic damage. What with the drought conditions and wind, the fire would have spread very easily. Would our homes still be standing?
The Lenoir plant is located in an industrial zone, not next to someone's home. And what about the firefighter who was "taking a walk" when he saw smoke and reported the fire? Was there no fire alarm system?
Oh well, the expert who testified at the Iredell board meeting said the dangers "are fairly benign" and we see how true that is. If you have been questioning what all the fuss is about, now you know.
This is just one hazard associated with a chemical plant. There are other safety issues which we tried to explain to the commissioners. The majority ,apparently, is not concerned with the impact this decision will have on the lives of many of the very citizens who helped elect them.
Please don"t stand by and allow this to happen. It is time to speak out and help preserve rural life. Our support group, North Iredell Neighbors for Rural Life, is working hard. Please contact us by phone at (704) 876-4603 for more information.
It is a good feeling to stand up for a just cause.
Becky Mishoe
Statesville
The owner of this facility spoke at the Iredell County Commissioner's meeting before this insane petition was approved by four of the commissioners. Sara Haire Tice was the lone common-sense board member who opposed locating a chemical plant in a rural area.
If this fire had occurred at the proposed location on Snow Creek Road, we can only imagine the catastrophic damage. What with the drought conditions and wind, the fire would have spread very easily. Would our homes still be standing?
The Lenoir plant is located in an industrial zone, not next to someone's home. And what about the firefighter who was "taking a walk" when he saw smoke and reported the fire? Was there no fire alarm system?
Oh well, the expert who testified at the Iredell board meeting said the dangers "are fairly benign" and we see how true that is. If you have been questioning what all the fuss is about, now you know.
This is just one hazard associated with a chemical plant. There are other safety issues which we tried to explain to the commissioners. The majority ,apparently, is not concerned with the impact this decision will have on the lives of many of the very citizens who helped elect them.
Please don"t stand by and allow this to happen. It is time to speak out and help preserve rural life. Our support group, North Iredell Neighbors for Rural Life, is working hard. Please contact us by phone at (704) 876-4603 for more information.
It is a good feeling to stand up for a just cause.
Becky Mishoe
Statesville
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