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Show Page 3 Editorial Supplement to Beaver County Monitor Truth continued from page 1) It appears that Circle 4 Farms wants the same terms that Willma wanted. Let's take an objective look: 1 . The people of this county were told that the company was putting in a "state of the art" operation that would be practically odorless. It stinks, and I for one, have a hard time believing that the company didn't expect that pig waste to stink before they invested several million dollars. 2. The people were told that the company would start with a pilot farm. Once the company started building, they kept building. 3. The confinement hog feeding industry has a black eye not only nation-widbut world-widInformation of pollution, political corruption, illness and just plain nuisance is constantly being reported on television and in newspapers other than the Monitor. Renee, did you consider the Raleigh News and Observer to be a bias and destructive tool when that paper won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Meritorious Public Service in covering the '"Boss Hog" story? Additionally, if you really want an eye full. ..try the Internet! There are more than 300 articles.. .most of which deal with listed under "hog industry". pollution, stink, political graft, and human misery Are all of those reports criticisms, too? 4. Water quality? Reed Mower's study was compiled in 1974. Much of the information was gathered as far back as the 50's. If one of your children had a serious illness, would you want a remedy from the 50's or would you prefer a second wells and other pumping in the valley, coupled with a few opinion? The minor tremors raise serious question as to the accuracy of that report. 5. As for integrity of the company, I was advised in late November that there was an incident involving minor pollution. (No, I did not get the information locally. It came from a source in Salt Lake City.) On two different occasions between that time and when it became public knowledge, I deliberately directed conversation with a top level Circle 4 employee to a point where he almost.. .not quite, but almost....had to deny the existence of pollution. Not knowing that it was actually a very serious incident, I rnistakenry....yes, my mistake used it as an opportunity for a test He didn't pass. His comment when we discussed "trust" "You set me up." 6. A September 19, 1996 letter, regarding the August violation, from Circle Four Farms to Department of Environmental Quality states. "The total amount of water which was siphoned into the well is unknown. The occurrence began sometime between Friday evening at 5:00 p.m. and Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. when the situation was detected. " This statement was amended in a public relations letter from Circle Four Farms dated January 29, 1997, which states: "Pumping started sometime late in the afternoon on August 2nd and was checked at 8: 00 p. m. that night. At that time everything was observed to be in good working order. At approximately 9:00 a.m. the following morning the pump was found to be " Should these inoperative. conflicting reports further enhance my faith in the integrity of the company? 7. Discussion of a more recent violation in which a clean out pipe was reportedly broken led to another interesting discovery: DEQ did not require the concrete used in construction of the barns to be held to any particular specifications. It doesn't take a very close inspection of the western half of the county to see that concrete quality is historically very poor. 8. As early as February, 1995 the Raleigh, North Carolina News & Observer began printing references to the use of county jail inmates as a source of labor in the hog industry. (Friday, February 25, 1995: The smell of money - county jail inmates are used in the slaughter plant because ofthe high turnover in employees) Beaver County Commissioners, acting as building authority officers, voted Monday to authorize signature of a contract to build a "prison for profit." What kind of profit? Can we expect a processing plant located next door to the prison ? Renee, you may consider this a "chance for growth mentally, physically and spiritually as well." I disagree. In my book, forced labor at a job free men and women will not do is called oppression. It's even dirtier when it is subsidized by tax dollars to enhance the profits of large corporations. History has repeatedly shown that the oppression which begins with the most hated members of society (in this case "criminals" in the Third Reich it was the Jews) leads to the fall of nations. 9. Yes, Circle 4 Farms is paying taxes but how long will it take for those taxes to catch up to the cost of services required by growth related to the company. Beaver County did not have impact fees in place, nor can such fees be imposed retroactively. Instead, the county is in the process of forming an improvement district, borrowing money to build roads to service the company. The company will agree that they arc the primary beneficiary of the roads, assuming an assessment of a levy to retire all or part of those bonds. A two edged sword? The county will not only be ultimately obligated for the bonds they will be obligated to guarantee that Circle 4 makes enough profit to pay the levy. Debt is control. With this scenario, it is Circle 4 not the county.... that will be in control. e, e. one-sid- Geo-Ther- ed 10. State law governs GO Bonding limit of the county. Beaver County's limit is currently about $7.5 million. Beaver County voters approved a $6.5 million bond to build a jail. Through the building authority, the county is in the process of adding Lease Revenue Bonds to cover the remaining cost of that facility'. Through a County Improvement District for Circle 4 roads, the county will add Industrial Revenue Bonds. It's called "BONDAGE". you know like the Children of Israel. Commissioner Gary Sullivan says he thinks the county- - commission can do nothing to control Circle 4 now; Realistically' Gary, just who do you think will be controlling whom after the county signs on to that much debt? 11. While Utah was helping Circle 4 set up shop with no impact fees, North Carolina was establishing user fees on hog production facilities to fund state permitting and enforcement programs. In February, 1996 the N. C. Blue Ribbon Commission on Animal Waste recommended annual inspections of hog farms and rules to reduce odors. That "Hog Summit" also recommended eliminating state and federal subsidies and payments to slaughterhouses or to hog farms of greater than 1 ,000 animals. Could it be that those folks know something we don't? 12. In calculating Milford City's tax benefits from the company we can not be so bias as to forget that the city, through actual outlay, payment in kind and grants had approximately $200,000 in the Industrial Park which was donated to Circle 4. At $35,000 per year taxes on the mill it will take almost 6 years to break even. 13. Anyone with a good BYU education like yours, Renee, should know that cartoonists often use a trade name. The Monitor is proud to publish HayDuke's Please be cartoons, and will continue to do so as long as they are available. reminded of Shakespeare's words, "Many a truth is told in jest." 14. The boar stud facility, like the syphoning incident is a wake-u- p call. I visited the proposed site, talked with Mark Novak and Fred Pearson from DWQ, read letters submitted to the planning & zoning board, listened to company employees and Milford City residents before voting to reject the site. Factors effecting that decision include, but are not limited to: a. Lagoons at the site do not require state permitting or monitor wells. b. There is some indication that ground water movement rate is considerably accelerated in locations on the benches, such as the boar stud site and the lagoons at 107 & 108. c. Odors in town are most noxious when there is no wind and an inversion sets in. With the site located on a ridge above town, it is likely that such odors would be a nuisance. e. Residents who lived here when the old city dump was located west of town remember that facility as being a source of nuisance odor. f. The closest neighbors, Normand and Sherrie Thompson, have considerable interest in property which may be devalued by placement of such facility. The March 5th vote actually meant nothing. The boar stud facility is back on the March 19 P&Z agenda, where it will either be passed or rejected by a full quorum. If the CU.P.is not approved in that meeting, the County Commission is in the process of setting up a board of adjustments with the power to over rule the planning board 15. Immediately following the planning & zoning meeting, Larry Sower voiced what could be considered a threat directed toward the circumstances surrounding a piece of ground my husband is in the process of buying north of town. Please step forward, Larry, and explain exactly how that is connected to the Circle 4 Farms boar stud facility. 16. My daughter and work for Circle 4 Farms. Is the status of their jobs controlled by my vote on the planning commission or the content of the newspaper? Does the company want fear and obedience from their employees, their employee's families.... and anyone the employee may be seen talking to, or do they want a fair day's work for a fair day's pay? 17. The company will now have to fly it's true colors. Will they look for another acceptable site, or will they opt for total control of our county as has been the case in other areas? son-in-la- w have absolutely no illusions about the grace with which "this good company run by great men" will accept this taste of reality. The newspaper? I'm not quite starved out yet, but it's close. It would be the joke of the n year for a dollar" corporation to close down a weekly newspaper run by a grandmother from an extra room in her house so that's out. Some kind of suit? Not by the company; that would be too tacky. Maybe by an employee. (Too many people heard the woman who approached mc Wednesday so that would be transparent!' 1 8. 1 "multi-millio- (Continued on page 4) |