The Jefferson County Council is scheduled on July 14 to vote on a motion to deny the development of a waste transfer station off Old Hwy. 21 in Otto called Jeff County Industrial Court. Some council members have said the county needs to shore up its codes before such a proposal can be approved.
Kevin Duggins, who owns the 8-acre parcel where the waste transfer station is proposed has asked the council to rezone the property from planned commercial to planned industrial. His petition also included a development plan for a 100-by-60-foot metal building with a concrete floor for waste storage, pull-through lanes with scales and parking spaces, which would allow Duggins to operate a temporary trash holding facility there.
In May, the Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Commission recommended that the council deny the petition after several nearby residents complained that the facility may lead to an increase of vermin, loss of property value, pollution and odor issues.
The County Council, which has the sole authority on zoning matters in unincorporated parts of the county, seemed to disagree with the commission’s recommendation on June 9, and Councilman Billy Crow (District 2, Arnold) requested that the council approve the petition with added conditions, such as mandating that deodorizing sprinklers be installed at the facility and limiting operational hours.
Then, on June 23, when the issue was brought up again, Councilman Brian Haskins made a motion to add the petition to the next council agenda for approval with the conditions, but the motion failed 2-3, with Councilman Bob Tullock (District 7, House Springs) abstaining. Haskins and fellow Councilman Scott Seek (District 5, Festus) voted for it, and council members Lori Arons (District 3, Imperial), Charles Groeteke (District 4, Barnhart) and Tim Brown (District 6, De Soto) voted against it.
Groeteke then made a motion to deny the petition and add the issue to a future regular meeting for a vote. The motion passed 4-1, with Haskins switching his vote in favor of the denial. Crow was absent from the meeting.
The motion to deny the waste transfer station will likely appear on the July 14 regular meeting agenda. Council meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Monday of every month at the Administration Center in Hillsboro, 729 Maple St.
Complaints
About 40 people with signs attended the June 23 meeting in protest of the waste transfer station.
Cecilia Young, who lives in a house about 245 feet from the site, said the protestors arrived at the Administration Center about an hour before the meeting started.
“I think any reasonable person would object to this,” Young said. “Our property value is going to go down from this being too close. Nobody is going to buy my house if I want to sell it, right next to the trash transfer station. We don’t have any issues with people doing business, but we don’t want that type of business here.”
At the meeting, 24 people spoke about the waste transfer station proposal, with 14 opposing it and 10 supporting it. A majority of those who opposed it said they lived in the Otto area, and all lived in Jefferson County. Many of those who spoke for it said they resided in south St. Louis County, with none living in Otto.
Duggins, who lives in Imperial, said he would be disappointed if the council ultimately denies his petition.
The waste transfer station would accept about 90 percent of its waste from construction sites, with very little organic waste coming in, he said, adding that the county needs a transfer station like the one he has proposed.
Duggins has owned the property for three years and currently uses it as a temporary holding site for clean fill materials.
“I know I can do a good job helping Jefferson County residents,” he said. “Over the last three years, I’ve had countless calls, multiple times a day (asking about waste removal services). I would be able to keep things tidy and clean and help fellow residents of Jefferson County get rid of their unwanted items and construction debris.”
Growing county
Crow said he was unable to attend the June 23 meeting and sent his list of proposed conditions for the facility in advance to the council’s clerk and legal counsel. Haskins read his list at the meeting, detailing the ways the county could limit Duggins’ operations to alleviate some of the concerns nearby residents and business owners have.
Crow said the county is growing and needs services like those Duggins is willing to provide.
“I want Jefferson County to grow,” he said. “A trash transfer station is a unique thing – we don’t have a lot of places like that down here. If we’re going to be a community that is growing, the more problems we’re going to have, and we need to figure out how to do the right thing. I thought this was an opportunity to give that a shot.
“I would have loved to be there, to be able to communicate my viewpoints more and have a better discussion, but I’m not sure if that would have changed the outcome.”
Young said that even though it looks like the council plans to deny Duggins’ waste transfer station proposal, he can continue to operate his current clean fill business.
She also said if the station were to open, she believes it would deter other businesses from moving into the area.
“I’m all for businesses coming to Jefferson County,” she said. “We definitely need to build up Jefferson County because more people want to move out here, (but) I don’t think this business is right for the area, and it inhibits further development.”
Update codes
Groeteke said the county’s current code on solid waste transportation and management “leaves much to be desired.” It was written in 2008 and doesn’t appear to have been revised in the past 17 years.
“A lot has changed in Jefferson County since then, and to my knowledge, the county does not have a waste management plan in place,” Groeteke said. “While I’m usually not a proponent of more government regulations, I believe that before any new waste transfer station or landfill is approved in unincorporated Jefferson County, the county needs to review its current code, adopt a current waste management plan and adopt better related regulations on this activity to protect the general health and welfare of our citizens of the county.”
Duggins said he is working with both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to ensure his plans for the waste transfer station meet state and federal guidelines. He said he currently has a clean fill permit through DNR.
“If I can make them (the EPA and DNR) happy, I don’t know why I can’t make Jefferson County happy,” Duggins said. “I’ll have shorter hours than the concrete plant next door, so (no garbage trucks) would run on the weekends; the trash will be moved in less than 24 hours off-site. It’s a bit of overkill, the systems I’m putting in place, but I’m more than happy to do it for my future employees and residents. I don’t want to work in a stinky environment, either, so I get it.”