The owner of a proposed yard waste composting business got another chance at approval Jan. 9, while opponents continued to argue for its rejection.

Robert Hamlin, owner of Warren County Organics LLC, was denied a conditional use permit (CUP) in November by the Warren County planning and zoning board. The proposed facility would be located at 239 E. Service Road North, just east of Wright City.

Hamlin appealed the denial before the Warren County Commission during a Jan. 9 public hearing.

“This is the environmentally correct thing to do, having a composting facility,” Hamlin argued. “This facility would only be permitted to accept yard waste. That means grass clippings and tree limbs. It also helps keep the problem away of people burning their limbs.”

Hamlin said contrary to some nearby residents’ fears, there would be no odor disturbance or harmful water runoff from the composting site.

Planning and zoning officials rejected a CUP based largely on concerns from nearby residents of the Forest Lake Subdivision, who complained that decomposing material would cause a notable odor or harmful chemical imbalance in their subdivision’s lake, along with other possible disturbances. The subdivision is just north of the proposed composting site.

Hamlin has denied the negative speculation, stating that he would follow industry best practices to avoid such problems, and would not accept compost material that would cause a nuisance.

“This type of compost does not have an odor. If you’re standing there you will not smell it. But if you pick it up in your hand, you’ll smell a musty smell,” Hamlin told the county commission.

But neighbors remain unconvinced that Hamlin’s assurances will turn out to be true, and fear that they’ll be forced to bear any negative consequences.

“If there is a problem, we live with it. If there is noise, we live with it. If there is pollution in the lake, we live with it,” said Forest Lake resident Jim Seidel. “These guys are still running their business. They’re still making money … and we’re the ones stuck holding the bag.”

Richard Gartner, an attorney representing Hamlin, said neighbors who live hundreds of feet away shouldn’t be able to control someone else’s property.

“If they want to purchase the property and leave it in its natural state, that’s cool. But they don’t,” Gartner commented. “What they’re trying to do is keep the property in pristine condition, so that they benefit by looking out on the property, at the expense of the person who owns the property.”

It now falls to the three-person county commission to determine whether Hamlin will be granted a conditional use permit for the yard waste facility, and what restrictions will be put in place if a permit is granted. The commission plans to reconvene on the matter Jan. 23 and deliver a final ruling.