Resident disturbed by Fayette zoning board
After reading the article by Mr. Jim Killinger, chairman of the Fayette County Zoning Board, I felt compelled to answer some of his questions. Mr. Killinger stated that I should have researched how my property was zoned and what would be allowed to be built near it according to the zoning. Well, Mr. Killinger we were concerned enough to do that.
Our property and all of the surrounding property was zoned agricultural, not industrial 13 years ago. How would anyone know 13 years into the future that there would be a natural-gas boom with gas drilling and compressor stations popping up everywhere?
How would anyone know that a gas company would have the right to apply for a “special exception” to build an industrial sized facility on a piece of ground zoned agricultural with “wet lands” that were never supposed to be disturbed? Sorry Mr. Killinger, we don’t have the ability to see what the future holds.
As far as work being started before the date of the hearing and reporting extended Sunday and night working hours of this company, I did. I spoke with Sue Martin, Fayette County zoning enforcement officer. I called her on the very first Monday morning after this company worked on a Sunday.
I am sure she has record of this as I spoke with her again. She told me that she would send out a citation and if they didn’t comply she could shut the job down. Well, I called her the next Monday also. Nothing could be done after finding out about the “extra permit”, signed by Mr. Killinger, that gave the petitioner permission to work five Sundays in order to pour concrete before winter.
I took your advice and called her this morning to tell her they have been working every Sunday including yesterday, so we will see what happens now.
You, Mr. Killinger need to reread the transcript because anytime my husband or our attorney tried to make the board aware of health concerns involved with the emissions from this facility, they were objected to. When we asked that you consider the de-evaluation of our property, the zoning board replied “they were not concerned with that.”
If anyone would look into this transcript, they would see that clearly this was a one-sided hearing.
Also, I never spoke of decibel levels in my article. I only commented that you approved something that had a compared sound of that of a “jet engine.” I never said that you had control over increasing decibel levels, nor did I know that there was a public hearing on this subject. When and where was it posted? You bet I would have been there if I would have known about it just like I was at this hearing.
And yes, even if all of the laws, rules and regulations are followed, you always have the option not to approve such a request on the basis of health concerns of the residents because of the potential emissions coming from this station each year: 73.84 tons of nitrogen oxide, 54.30 tons of carbon monoxide, 19.33 tons of volatile organic compounds, 7.66 tons of formaldehyde and 7.75 tons of hazardous air pollutants.
And no, we were not happy at all with the board’s decision of approval. We did not take this matter “all the way to the Supreme Court” as you stated, because we were advised it would have been very costly to fight a multi-million dollar company.
The fact of the matter is that it should have been stopped right there in that hearing. I did not expect that you would change your ruling, as it is a little late for that, just as I stated before, I wanted to make the residents of Fayette county aware of how our zoning board operates.
Kimberly A. Peck is a resident of New Salem.