6/9/15 Rendering plant has commissioners talking zoning

  • By Nick Sabo
  • June 9, 2015
  • 960
                        
SUMMARY: Plant planned near Winesburg by chicken processor. A rendering plant coming to the Winesburg area has commissioners kicking around the ‘Z’ word. A new rendering plant planned by chicken processor Case Farms has the commissioners wondering wether zoning could have stopped it. “There are two of these plants in the state and we’ve got one of them in Holmes County and I’m not sure we want two,” Commissioner Joe Miller said. The rendering plant will be the second in the county, after Holmes By Products. According to Miller, the only other rendering plant in Ohio is located in Wapakoneta. Holmes County Economic Development Council executive director Mark Leininger said he has spoken with Case Farms about their plans for the rendering plant, and that Case has assured him the plant will be state-of-the-art and will exceed health regulations. The plant should be up and running by 2016. Case Farms has spoken with the county’s water board and has its own on-site treatment plant. Case appears to have all its ducks in a row and is ready to get started on the plant at any time, Leininger said. As things stand, there is nothing the county can do to block the plant, Leininger said. However, zoning may have been able to stop the plant. “I think you can create zoning if it’s something that creates an offensive odor or noise,” Leininger said. “Something like (a rendering plant) might be caught in that.” Leininger said zoning to block a rendering plant could be applied by the county, or by individual townships. Commissioner Ray Eyler said the county was unaware that Case was planning to install the plant until recently. Of course, Case doesn’t have to report to the county, and all of the permits needed for the plant would be obtained from state or federal agencies. Commissioner Rob Ault said that whenever zoning comes up, it tends to be a sensitive issue. Holmes County currently has very little in the way of zoning. Ault said that he believes the county could benefit from zoning if it offers protection in certain, very specific circumstances. “It might be time to look at some kind of zoning,” Ault said. “I’m not talking strict, but for something like (a rendering plant). I don’t think we want to force zoning on the residents or anything like that.” Case is also seeking to add another shift at the plant to increase its processing capabilities, Leininger said. The added shift and the new plant will increase truck traffic, and Holmes County Engineer Chris Young has made recommendations to Case about improvements to nearby roads to handle the increased traffic, Leininger said.


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