Residents oppose car wash
WHARTON TWP. – A group of concerned residents objected last week to a special exception petition filed by a Confluence man who is trying to build a 24-hour car wash in the township. Several residents attended a zoning hearing and expressed their disapproval of the business that Judson K. Anderson wants to build at the intersection of Route 40 and Rankin Road, about 1,200 feet west of the Farmington Pizza Hut.
Rita Graham, who lives along Rankin Road, said she is opposed to the new business because of the increased traffic that will be routed onto her road. The preliminary designs for the car wash have access to the site from Rankin Road rather than Route 40.
“This will increase traffic along Rankin Road, a residential road, a cutoff from Route 381,” Graham said. “There are a lot of young children along that road. We believe a car wash on our road will drastically affect our quality of life and put our families’ health and safety at risk.”
According to Graham, about 15 families live on the 1-mile roadway, including 10 children.
“The location will create hazardous conditions along the already congested Route 40,” Graham said.
She said she and other residents are also concerned that the car wash will be harmful to area drinking water, obtained from individual wells, not public systems. The National Pike Water Authority project, which includes the installation of nearly 20 miles of water lines to serve mountain residents, stops about a mile east of Rankin Road along Route 40.
“Just for the water to rinse they will use about 5,000 gallons of water a day,” Graham said.
She added that at least one well exists at the proposed site, and in addition to the drinking water for area residents, the car wash could affect the headwaters of Meadow Run, a trout stream that runs along Route 381 south.
The proposed site, which is owned by Anderson, is zoned agricultural and was the location of a residence before a fire destroyed it about two years ago.
Township residents also complained that the new facility will create noise and light pollution for neighbors of the car wash.
Graham said that in light of the large amount of opposition to the proposal, the hearing board continued the meeting until Wednesday, May 19, at 7:30 p.m. at the township municipal building.
Anderson could not be reached for comment.