In a 2-1 vote, the Warren County Commission has denied a permit for a yard waste composting facility proposed on the North Service Road just east of Wright City.
The ruling was handed down Jan. …
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In a 2-1 vote, the Warren County Commission has denied a permit for a yard waste composting facility proposed on the North Service Road just east of Wright City.
The ruling was handed down Jan. 23 in response to an appeal by Warren County Organics LLC, owned by Robert Hamlin. Hamlin requested a CUP to grind and compost grass and tree limbs, then sell the composted material as mulch.
The business was previously denied by the county planning and zoning board, on the grounds that nearby residents feared odor or runoff pollution would disturb their homes in the Forest Lake subdivision.
Presiding Commissioner Joe Gildehaus and Northern District Commissioner Dan Hampson agreed with that reasoning, saying they would defer to the concerns of the homeowners. The subdivision is just north of the proposed composting site.
“I think it’s important to have (a composting facility) somewhere,” Gildehaus commented, but not in that location.
In making the decision, Hampson said the commission had to weigh the information given by each side and determine what would be best for the community.
“There were issues brought up about odor, breathing, property values, and a number of things like that,” Hampson said. “As a result ... my judgment is I’m going to have to vote in the favor of the people in that area.”
Southern District Commissioner Hubie Kluesner disagreed. He emphasized that the property proposed for composting is zoned for agriculture.
Neighbors might not like the composting proposal, Kluesner said, but other uses for the property could be more of a bother without ever requiring a county permit.
“I think you could feed about 600 head of hogs there,” speculated Kluesner. “I’m sure that would be much more detrimental.”
Hamlin, the business owner, expressed frustration with the permitting process and the outcome. Months of planning were put into the site on the North Service Road, Hamlin said, along with thousands of dollars and many hours getting pre-approval from state regulators for his business.
Hamlin disputed the factual basis for opponents’ concerns about odor or any disturbance to the Forest Lake properties.
“That was the most disappointing thing to us,” Hamlin commented. “We gave facts of how it was going to be a benefit, and wouldn’t be harmful.”
Hamlin said he is still committed to starting a yard waste composting site in Warren County, and is now searching for an alternate location.
