HomeMy WebLinkAboutC.054.93011_1637the truck. We've watched the runoff from the thunderstorms thrust down from the field from this site, under
the culvert, and it blaws across our yard just inches from our well. If the plant goes across in our front yard,
we are notgoing to be able to live there. We do not know how long it will take to sell our home, nor do we know
how many tens of thousands of dollars that we may lase to sell it Perhaps someday, our home will became an
office for an industrial park. I don't know, but Ido know this, I love my family. I love my neighbors and I truly
care about my home. I truly care about our community and Iredell County. I trust and pray that you do too. If
you do, I'm confident that you will preserve this little part and parcel of what makes Iredell Countygreat. This
is the very heart and soul of the Snow Creek Road community.
Harry Watt (opponent): I live in the Trinity fire Department area, a few miles south of the Snow Creek Road.
I work in the wood products industry and a lot of factories We use things like methanol in our finishes. What
I would like to talk about today is fire issues and fire hazards for ten years, I was a fireman at Trinity
Volunteer fire Department, and I put out a lot of fires. In a rural area like the Trinity fire district, we have
trucks that may produce --we can pump say 1500gallons a minute through one of our trucks, but we always had
difficulty trying to feed water to them. In this particular location on Snow Creek Road, as I understand it,
there's hydrants on Snow Creek Church Road that will produce 900gallons a minute. And that will feed
sprinkler systems unless they are overloaded, but it won't feed but one fire truck. I was at the site 25 years
ago when we had a big silo fire in one of the silos and even though we had 20 trucks there, it's sometimes
inadequate for what actually happens, and things get out of hand quickly. Ida want to present as evidence --
herein Statesville we did have a biodiesel plant that caught on fire in 2006. It was not in somebody's back
yard It was in a 10,000 square foot building. So these things can have fire hazards and I'd like to present this
to the board Also, I'd like to present just a few cases of some biodiesel plants burning, and they do burn. If
you'll remember in the last two years herein North Carolina, we had serious fires at Morganton and Apex,
North Carolina. These caused huge problems The whole plants burned. There were explosions The whole
success depends on maintenance and quality control Even though I came from a farm background, farming and
chemical processing is not the same thing. Chemical processing is quality control, engineering, and consistent
attention to detail farming is a lot of, get her done, move fast, keep moving, get it close, and an industrial site
in a residential area --I don't think is appropriate.
Nelson Riddle (advocate): My family and I run a dairy -probably less than a half -a -mile from this proposed
site. When I first heard about the biodiesel, I had just read an article about the dairy farmers being able to
benefit from the biodiesel plant as far as using the by-products such as the soybean mill type product to feed
to their cows Right now, I'm getting about two hours away of having to pay to haul it in. So that was a plus
for me as for as using a product like that to feed the livestock I think it will be good for the farming
community in general As Phil mentioned awhile ago, the buying and selling markets that I could buy it locally
--some of the by-products to feed to the cows. It also provides a selling market for the people selling the
soybeans, the canola, and sunflower and all that stuff. Another thing I wanted to talk about is environmental
regulations that they'll have to adhere to. I can attest to that --back when hog lagoons down east and cattle
p/acesgot hit too. We have gone through a lot environmental regulations, things we have to deal with, things
we have to keep in code ....... regulations and inspections both. We get inspected state, federal for cow
manure --we get inspected for milk quality -- just milk producing. Trust me, these inspectors --they are going
to be picky because they like their jobs, and they want to keep their jobs. They are real strict people on what
they do. In the final, I want to say we've worked with the McLain for several years now, and I've found them
to verygood operators, very professional in how they do business They basically run a first class organization.
That's my experience I've found with them.
Chris Cartner (proponent): I live at 2436 Old Mocksville Rood, and my business is Country Boy Landscaping
Inc, located at 429 Old Mocksville Road I come here tonight to ask your support for the environment, small
business, and agriculture by allowing the construction of the biodiesel facility on Snow Creek Road. I
understand through personal experience, through my Old Mocksville Road facility of the importance of proper
zoning and a separation of business and residential areas However, I believe the applicants'current
stewardship of the land along with their current investment of personal residents adjacent to the proposed
facility bear evidence to the relatively low impact on residential and agricultural properties of the proposed
facility The proposed facility will increase overall environmental stewardship and provide economic
opportunity for Iredell County. With your approval, Iredell County can take another step forward in leading
North Carolina's changing agri-business landscape. The consequences of approval are enhanced environmental
stewardship and economic prosperity. I urge you to support this endeavor.
Dale Brown (pro t): I, too, am a fourthgeneration farm owner out in that Central community. I knew
theirgrondfather, J Hugh and father, Harry I've known theseguys... this family has set a standard for
agriculture way beyond what we've seen in this county before and the integrity is there. I honestly believe
with them living there ... with their attempt to provide a market which is so needed in this community. I know
mygrandfather operated a water wheel mill on the river down there which was a market for the grain and the
wheat to make flour and so on This market for the agriculture community is so needed. We have a cattle
market over there that provides a source for farmers to sell their cattle. We need a market like this to
provide a resource locally for grain instead of taking a discount to ship it elsewhere. With this restricted size
that he is taking on -- it's certainly controllable. I think someone made the comment that he'sgoing to be
dealing with chemicals and so on -- well those guys are dealing with more chemicals everyday then most anyone