Public hearing on proposed asphalt plant draws 200 or so concerned citizens
Student and adult Highlander fans shuffled through the hallway past Glenvar Middle School cafeteria and forum to get to basketball games after 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 22, where around 200 concerned residents gathered for a community meeting about the proposed asphalt plant on the site of the old Salem City water plant – and voiced their strong opinions against the idea.
Adams Construction Company of Roanoke is filing to change the site from its current zoning as a low-intensity (I-1) industrial site to a high-intensity (I-2) industrial site with a special use permit for an asphalt plant with the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors. The property is still owned by the city of Salem, but Adams plans to buy it if it is rezoned for their purposes.
Plans for the plant include using many of the existing buildings as containment structures, something that has never been done in the United States before. Sprinkler suppression systems, an earthen berm around the facility with native trees as well as the most current baghouse equipment and technology – run off of natural gas, will cut emissions from the plant by 99.5%, the company presented.
Adams is pursuing the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for the project. The tallest storage stacks would be painted Glenvar green, even perhaps with a white “G.”
“It is my backyard. My house is approximately 1700 feet from the property line,” Gary Wright, the company’s president said. He says he wants to do what makes sense to the community and the environment. Adams Construction’s strongest evidence for their clean operation is their large plant in Harrisonburg. The city’s schools acquired the adjoining property and built two schools within plain view of the asphalt plant: Smithland Elementary School and Skyline Middle School.
“It was kind of a reverse situation,” said Rick James, the executive v.p. of the company. “We are used to going to the community, not the other way around.” Harrisonburg’s situation did little to assuade the Glenvar residents.
“They should know their EPA and DEQ designation requirements and design to it instead of requesting a blank check – that’s what they’re asking for,” said Suzanne Nicewonder, a parent of Glenvar students and an engineering teacher at Arnold R. Burton, who spoke close to last, at 9 p.m. “If I were Mr. Church, I would demand that information before I made any kind of decision,” she said towards the end of the meeting.
Residents voiced concern over the noise and the hours of operation, the possible pollution – no matter the small amount, and the odor.
“I thought for sure that a berm of trees was supposed to be built in front of Kroger [distribution center],” resident Herman Lowe said before the meeting. “It seems like this end of the county, we get dumped on a lot,” he said. His comments, one about how the smell from Koppers, Inc. already made it unpleasant to sit out on one’s porch in Cherokee Hills drew applause and even a few “amens” from his fellow Roanoke County citizens.
The most upset, it seemed, were those concerned about the health of the children in the nearby Glenvar High, Middle, and Elementary schools. Parents printed out copies of a flier from www.besafenet.com about asphault plant pollution and handed them out.
“I live right behind these schools and I have children that go to these schools,” Dawn Smith said. “My biggest concern is the contaminant in the air and the endangerment to the health of my family. We already have one big plant causing contamination in this area, Koppers, and we don’t need another cause.”
Judy Conyers, a parent and resident, came to the meeting prepared with her own presentation. She had done some of her own research on possible EPA citations by Adams Construction, and she presented it along with her concerns about health problems such as high blood pressure, sinus problems, headaches, and shortness of breath. She concluded by “asking Adams Construction Company to withdraw their request for rezoning.”
Adams Construction Company’s air quality and environmental consultant, Art Nunn, said that the studies indicating asphalt plants as a major source of pollutants were conducted on older and larger plants in the North Carolina and northern Virginia area. By his calculations, the emissions from this potential site would be the equivalent to four or five families burning wood stoves for heating purposes or less than the emissions of a small, neighborhood-sized gas station.
“Thirty years ago that was the stereotypical asphalt plant,” James said. “Much has changed, much like your automobile, just like the technology in industry.”
“We just hope that the board of supervisors have not already made up their mind, that this is not a done deal,” resident Diane Beason said.
The meeting for the approval or denial of Adams Construction’s zoning request is 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 3 at the Roanoke County Administration building right off of Electric Road. “Bring a friend … We’ve got four floors, we can hold you,” Roanoke County supervisor Joseph “Butch” Church told the crowd.
You can weigh in on the rezoning issue of the asphalt plant by clicking the “Comment” button below.
For another read on the meeting, click here to see Roanoke Times’ reporter Cody Lowe’s front page story from today’s (Jan. 23) newspaper.
January 23, 2009 - 2:51 PM
I live in cherokee hills. I used to work in road constuction and asphalt. These plants start work very early in the morning.(4:30 am) making asphalt to start loading at 6 am. For every truck load of asphalt that moves out of the plant, a truck load of material is trucked in. These are big diesel trucks that move very slow and help destroy our highways.They polute the air with smoke and fumes. They are very noisy with compression brakes, and the equipment working in the plant will making loud noise and smoke and dust, starting very early in the morning. I have nine grandchildren who love to come to our house and swim,ride thier bikes, and play outside. I do not want this stinking dusty noisy plant in my backyard with my little grandkids.
I was at the meeting last night and was the one who questioned the chemist about the microscopic particles in the air. The chemist representing Adams Construction stated that the smell of asphalt was microscopic particles in the air. It does not matter if you give the chemicals a “Pine smell” or not; they are still classified as deadly toxins to inhale. I then asked if anyone would drink a cup of liquid asphalt that was in the next room and stated that breathing these chemicals is the same thing.
What I want to know is why the media says that Adams Construction has interview most residents and businesses near the site and that 80 percent say they are O.K. with the project. I was never notified and neither was the majority of my neighbors. Also, how come now one is reporting the document that Mr. Church so boldly discussed about the 1 million dollars that Roanoke County is going to pay the sister construction company and partial owners of Adams construction company to not build the plant in North Roanoke and basically build it in the Glenvar areas instead?
I understand the need for reporting and would like to note that Judy Conyers clearly stated that she did not have any children; she said she was concerned for all the children. I applaud Judy and anyone else who will take a stand with me and say no to this proposal that will most likely create adverse health affects to me, my family and my neighbors.
Darik Wade
I also was at the meeting….did you wonder what kind of fish lens Adams used to make the proposed site look much further from the road? We all know that the small blue holding tank is spitting distance from 11/460. And what about the proposed map for our area? Why then did they take the beautiful Glenmary property and make it industrial??? The choices for this end of the county have no rhyme nor reason. So… consider that most interstate paving IS done at night, Adams will NEED to operate at night. VDOT uses Adams asphalt, so you connect the dots. So… consider the truck traffic may not directly impact the bussed students, but what about after school traffic right in front of the State Police barracks where ther is an accident at least 3-4 times a month. Our new student drivers plus atletic events being well attended lead to accidents. By the way, where will the trucks be parked when not inservice? Finally the Al Salem eyesore was cleaned up, is this the trade-off? Twice their rep denied the question of an incentive or money coming their way upon locating in west county for their purposes, yet could not deny it when Church made it clear that it was public knowledge that money WILL change hands. Shades of the days of Elmer Hodge, could it be? IS this something he initiated when Adams began looking in this area “3-4 years ago” and located 11 or was it four ??? possible sites. I’m so confused by the double speak at the meeting that I am afraid, once again, dear neighbors of Glenvar, west county, that WE HAVE BEEN HAD!
Shirl Trumbull Chittum
I too attended the meeting with Adams Construction and just completed reading the articles in the Roanoke Times (Sunday Feb 1). It seems to me the petitioner has spent all of their time presenting their case for why the proposed plant won’t hurt the area (or won’t be too much of a negative impact). However, shouldn’t this sort of petition to change the zoning for an area be based on the good that it will provide? As a resident of Cherokee Hills I am one of 700+ stock holders in this part of the community (property taxes combined are significant). I would argue that the County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors should make this decision based upon the benefit it would provide to the stock holders who live in the vicinity as well as the community. I have heard no discussion of how this will benefit anyone other than the petitioner. Where is the business case for this? Where is the analysis that says by having this plant in our community we can expect increased tax revenue by $$$. …we can expect increased draw to the area by new residents that would further support home values and create $$$ in property tax growth? …etc. Why is this not a transparent decision based on sound analysis rather than something more nefarious?