Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 18, 1991 TAG: 9104180588
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ROCKY MOUNT LENGTH: Long
"I don't like it," Tyree said Wednesday. "But if they can stay on their side, I can stay on mine."
Landowners surrounding the 439-acre farm purchased by Roanoke Electric Steel have no choice but to get used to their new industrial neighbor.
The property - known as Peaceful Valley Farm - is in a section not covered by Franklin County's 1988 zoning ordinance.
That leaves residents with no say about an operation that each day will shred 400 automobiles, haul recycled metal to Roanoke and bury more than 100 tons of non-metallic waste in a state-monitored landfill.
Some residents say they are upset that the Franklin County Board of Supervisors kept the plans secret until minutes before approving the landfill Tuesday night. The public was given no opportunity to comment.
"That's no way to do any kind of business," said Herman Harrison, who lives next to Peaceful Valley Farm. "They just decided they'd ram it right through."
Another neighbor, Mrs. Calvin Hudson, said she didn't know anything about the car-shredding plant and landfill until she read about it in Wednesday's newspaper.
"I think it's a shame that they're going to take that beautiful land and turn it into a landfill," she said.
Franklin County Administrator Richard Huff said Wednesday that there was no public hearing because the law does not require one.
"The site is back so far in the woods that we doubt the impact on surrounding neighbors will be significant," Huff said.
Huff said his office has received only positive comments about the agreement with Roanoke Electric Steel, the parent company of Shredded Products Inc.
Shredded Products Inc. has been looking for a cost-effective way to dispose of fluff - made up of plastic, foam and non-metal car parts - since a stockpile of the material caught fire at its Bedford County plant and burned for 38 days in 1989.
In Bedford County, reaction was mixed to the announcement that Shredded Products would close its Montvale plant.
"It's not so satisfying to me," said Fred Westfield, who lives behind the plant and endured the prolonged fluff fire. "But if that is the best, that's the best."
Bedford County Administrator William Rolfe said, "While it's regrettable when any industry leaves Bedford County . . . a business has got to do what's best for the business."
Shredded Products was rebuffed in its attempts to dump fluff at the county landfill or set up a private landfill south of Bedford.
A.A. "Gus" Saarnijoki, chairman of the Board of Supervisors, said he did not believe Bedford County would get a reputation for discouraging industry.
"It's a question of handling waste of the magnitude of the fluff. That's going to be a problem to any community, and most industries are not in that situation," Saarnijoki said.
"We want to maintain Bedford County as a clean, environmentally safe area."
Shredded Products represented less than $20,000 in annual tax revenues, Rolfe said.
The company has until late July to remove an estimated 7,500 cubic yards of ash - residue from the fluff fire - from its Montvale facility.
"The only thing I'm concerned about is that they leave the place in an environmentally safe condition and assume responsibility for future damage to the environment there," Saarnijoki said.
In Franklin County, some residents near the proposed Shredded Products plant said they were wary of an industry that was all but shown the door in a neighboring county.
"If other counties won't have it, there must be a reason for it," Harrison, who lives next to the site, said.
"I don't know why [Roanoke Electric Steel founder] John Hancock and Roanoke Electric Steel don't put it over in Roanoke County if it's such a good deal."
Franklin County officials describe the arrival of Shredded Products as a great deal for the county.
The company will pay the county $3 for every ton buried in the private landfill, generating nearly $100,000 a year in new local tax revenue, Huff said. The plant also will generate machinery and tools tax and personal property tax revenues, he said.
Huff said the impact on neighbors will be minimal because Shredded Products will occupy 100 acres at the rear of the farm and put a 100-foot buffer around its landfill.
The rest of the acreage will be marketed jointly by Franklin County and Roanoke Electric Steel as an industrial park.
Huff said the county will seek state and federal grant money to bring water and possibly sewer service to the property.
Franklin County officials say they do not anticipate a repeat of the fluff fire or any other environmental problems.
The fluff will be buried each day, eliminating any large stockpiles that might ignite, said Supervisor Charles Ellis.
"They want to protect their investment," Ellis said. "They don't want to just come over there and bury the stuff."
The state Department of Waste Management will require Shredded Products to obtain a permit for a landfill under new stringent regulations that require a double synthetic liner and monitoring wells.
The landfill permit process is expected to take at least six months, Huff said.
Staff writer Monica Davey contributed information for this story.
by CNB