Greenco eyes move to Dekalb
Greenco principal Tim Lesko testified in Lamar superior court Tuesday his firm is eyeing a move to a former rock quarry in Dekalb County though it may be early next year before he can get his permitting in place.
Incidentally has the EPA been notified they are composting dead animals?
$4642.75 - equiptment
$8,309.58 - land
If you add up all the property and school tax of the approximately 100 families plus the other businesses in the industrial park that are affected by the odor, it would be well in excess of the orignal 100k that you stated that Greenco is paying.
If Greenco's employees are not allowed to transfer to the new job site, then they need to take that up with the owners of Greenco. There is no reason that they should lose their jobs. They have no one to blame but the owners of the company who cannot or will not do what it would take to control the odor problem. We are tired of Tim whining about what it is costing him with no concern about what it has done to those of us who live here and have to put up with the stink. Our lives are just as important, no are more important than his business since this is where our homes are.
Once again, it is not the fault of the people who live nearby that the employees of Greenco will have to work outside the county. Most people who live here have to work elsewhere to have decent paying jobs. You need to take this up with your boss because he is the one that has caused this situation. Do not blame us.
Greenco has created this problem. Greenco is responsible for fixing it, including paying you enough to afford the commute to the new location. The citizens who have had to live with this for so long are at least going to probably give Greenco enough time to go through the permit process to relocate to the new location. The only reason that we aren't demanding that they be shut down on November 11th is because we do care about the employees and hope that Greenco will be able to relocate and stay in business for your sake.
So, before you continue to paint us a hard hearted people who don't care about you, you need to look at the source of the problem and that source is Greenco. Also, unlike you, who has asked God to "bring a storm" down on us, we hope that God will provide for you.
"We just want to be able to enjoy life on our land. The odor is so bad that it's hard to enjoy a meal at times, like last Thanksgiving for example. Maybe they should have gotten into a different line of work. As some of you like to say that we should not have bought property near the industrial park. This property was purchased over 20 years ago and we reserve the right to be able to breath!"
So when an INDUSTRIAL PARK was located near you, why didn't you object then? Why didn't you object to the smell emanating from the Jordan mill? No one yet has answered the question as to why the sawmill was allowed to expel smells and the Greenco operation wasn't.
I don't care how long you have lived there, when an industrial park was sited in this location, you should expect dirty, smelly industrial operations could be located there.
The industrial park is ideally located away from the central population center of Lamar. Only a handful of people are complaining about this issue. If they don't like it, they should move. Their land can be used for additional industrial sites.
Unless and until Barnesville/Lamar gets serious about locating industries here of all types, the area is destined for a steep decline as people leave the area in search of jobs. How many of the complainers are actually employed in Lamar as opposed to retired or working out of the county?
Take a trip over to Meansville if you would like to see what that future looks like. Textiles are dead in the south and Aldora has a dim future. Better wake up before it is too late!
You would be surprised at where I live...
But my concern is all this nonsense is going to have a negative influence on this area attracting industry in the future.
If the area is to prosper and retain residents, jobs are essential. Yet it seems every time something seeks to locate here, be it rock quarry or compost facility, a group is on hand to try to prevent it or make it go away.
Now, a question for you, anon 14.1. Are you currently employed at a job located in Lamar county? Retired? If you don't work in this county, your concerns about smells or industrial operations are irrelevant.
Hogwash! A person's employment status has absolutely no bearing to their right to express an opinion on something that directly affects them and their quality of life on property they own. The county's desire to have industry and more jobs should not be at the expense of property owners whose land ownership pre-dates the existence of the industrial park. You can't throw a segment of the taxpaying citizenry under the bus because it's a bad economy and we need jobs. We need responsible industry in the county that respects its neighbors and works diligently to minimize any negative impact on the surrounding area. Bringing jobs to the county isn't license to act without regard for the community. I believe most of us care about what happens to the county, but to tell the people in that area to put up with the stink because it brings jobs is just ridiculous.
"I believe most of us care about what happens to the county, but to tell the people in that area to put up with the stink because it brings jobs is just ridiculous."
Interesting how you don't answer the question however. Do you work in this county?
Where we you when the Industrial Park was proposed? Did you try to have it located elsewhere? If no, why?
Define "responsible" industry? The compost facility was invited to build their operation here and emits smells. Jordan emits a smell as well, yet I hear no outcry about that. How is it one is allowed and not the other? Is Jordan a (..was) a "responsible" industry? Look up contradiction in the dictionary.
Since you have lived in the area so long, were you one of those that raised such objections to the noise of the Rayonier drum debarker when that operation began?
What part of zoned COMMERCIAL do you people persistently fail to understand?
Unless and until all this whining and complaining about industry stops, no industry,"responsible" or otherwise will locate here.
I say hogwash also... Greenco was not "invited to build here". Greenco sought out Lamar County because of our past lax zoning laws.The owner of the company even stated that they searched out just such counties in an address at a meeting with other composting companies. Top that off with an IDA that does not enforce their very own agreements. Greenco signed an agreement that there would be no odor coming from the site. But they have not been able to live up to that signed agreement and the IDA has not enforced it, thus leading to the problems that we have now.
And as others have said many times on this blog.. any odor associated with Jordon is not disgusting like the odor coming from Greenco. We are not forced to keep our windows closed because of odor coming from Jordon or any other company in the Industrial Park.
The majority of the people that have been putting up with this for almost 3 years live up to 2 miles away from the facility. There are times that you can smell it on the 4 lane and even in Barnesville.
Communities have to coexist with industry. However, not when that industry creates a nuisance to the other businesses and citizens in the area.
Further, for your information, the area where people reside is not zoned commercial.. it is residential/agricultural.
You also stated "Now, a question for you, anon 14.1. Are you currently employed at a job located in Lamar county? Retired? If you don't work in this county, your concerns about smells or industrial operations are irrelevant." and then asked "Interesting how you don't answer the question however. Do you work in this county?"
Hogwash doesn't do justice to that idiotic statement, but B! S! does. What difference does it make if we work here or not. We live here and pay taxes here and that is more important than if we work here. Many people who live here are forced to seek employment elsewhere, not because there are so few jobs here, but because the ones that are here pay so little.
And as others have also pointed out, the problem is with Greenco and Greenco only, not the other tenants of the Industrial Park. In fact, the terrible smells coming from Greenco could stop other business from locating there.
There is neither a contradiction nor a misunderstanding of “responsible industry” unless you’re being deliberately obtuse, which I suspect may be the case. There are certain operations that are, by their very nature, odor-producing and/or noise-producing. Those facilities need to be located away from population centers, if feasible, or a buffer zone created around them to reduce the impact to the community. It’s not rocket science, but it does cut into the bottom line of the businesses, so it’s often not a priority and the promised remedies never materialize. If a business isn’t willing to invest in systems and procedures designed to shield the community from the negative aspects of their business, they shouldn’t be allowed to operate here. Period. The county should have specific rules that should apply to all of the industry in the park, not just Greenco. Responsible businesses follow good practices and respect the community in which they operate.
Why do you feel that the affected citizens should have no voice in the matter? The First Amendment gives them the right to have their grievances addressed by a governmental authority and the liberty to speak freely in a public manner. Your argument is fairly well-written, but incredibly weak, not to mention in complete disregard of the rights of individuals to protest against what they perceive to be an intolerable situation.
Come back and play when you can do more than "whine" about "whiners."
Please DO NOT give Greenco any extra time to further endanger our community. They do not deserve the consideration since they obviously don't care about the affects their illegal actions in taking dangerous waste causes any Lamar County citizens.
Small wonder Lamar is having little success in attracting industry.
Meanwhile construction is ongoing on yet another concern in the south Griffin area. More jobs, more taxes, more progress.
"Those facilities need to be located away from population centers, if feasible, or a buffer zone created around them to reduce the impact to the community."
What a laugh. The Greenco facility is located immediately next to a landfill, in the back of the Industrial Park facility. A look at Google maps sat view (Roger Brown Blvd, Milner GA) would be enlightening for CAVE dwellers. Only a handful of homes are located remotely close to the site. And only here would a street named "Industrial Road" be LINED WITH HOMES on BOTH sides!
Greenco is the second industrial operation to attempt to locate here, only to have the rug pulled out for under them. Remember the junk yard that was all set to locate across from the flour mill? The flour mill objected to the "ugly" nature of the operation and demanded that it be moved elsewhere? The IDA offered a location further away, but gave no help in construction of the necessary rail access that a junk yard requires? Kenny Roberts ginned up some "environmental" objections for the site, and the yard went to Griffin, taking more taxes and jobs with it.
Folks, stupidity and incompetence is on full display here. Both elected officials and residents seem to be two steps behind and trying to change the rules of the game as they go along.
But not to worry, your actions are just the thing to keep the sleepy backwater status of this place firmly in place. Keep it up! Vote YES for the next SPLOST!
Your biggest misconception is equating the jobs and taxes created our Industrial Park with progress. If the non-monetary price paid to acquire them is too high, the reward is just not there. It certainly can't be defined as "progress." You need to learn that you can’t put a financial price tag on everything, and the people who reside nearby shouldn’t have to carry the can for the rest of us. Quality of life for those people who live there around the clock should trump the desire for jobs where no commuting is involved.
Perhaps after the Greenco debacle, the commissioners and IDA should re-evaluate their policies and think about setting some standards and enforcing them instead of being willing for Lamar County to be the dumping ground for industries that other counties had the sense enough to turn away.
Excuse me, I think that you had better zoom out on your Google maps ....it would be nice if the only area that has been affected was "the hand full of homes" that you mention. The area encompasses Grove Street, Old Milner Road ( almost to Milner proper and then in the opposite direction almost to Hwy 18, Deerfield, Fellowship Dr.( which is incorrectly named Industrial Rd.) Old Hwy 41 and sometimes all the way into Barnesville. So get your head out of your behind and quit commenting on something that you obviously are not familiar with.
Thank you #20.1 and #18.3 for your comments!!