Atwood Residents Take Issue With Nature's Fuel Facility
Posted
Daniel Riordan-driordan@timesuniononline.com
ATWOOD - Some Atwood residents are complaining that a company in town is causing odor and noise issues along with a charcoal-type residue on their homes and property.
The company contends they have taken care of every issue the neighbors have raised.
They were on hand at the Area Plan Commission meeting Wednesday afternoon to voice their concerns about the Nature's Fuel plant located off Old 30 in Atwood.
Plan Director Dan Richard informed the board that the plant deals in recycling.
Amy Hartsock, an Indiana Department of Environmental Management representative, later clarified to the Times-Union that "essentially they take waste products and create fuel products."Resident Phillip Bryer and other residents at the meeting expressed concern over what materials are coming into the plant.
Nature's Fuel Chief Operations Officer and President Glenn Johnson said that the only materials to come into the plant is wood from RV factories and furniture makers. He also said that his plant doesn't ground up the wood.
Richard said that recently his department had been receiving complaints about an odor coming from the facility.
Bryer, who lives just south of the facility, addressed the plan commission.
Bryer said he and other residents have contacted IDEM. Bryer claims that IDEM informed them that they don't control odor or noise issues.
Bryer said that besides the odor, residents near the plant also have to deal with biochar, which is a charcoal-like substance.
"My grandkids came over this summer, and when they came in their feet were black," said Bryer.
Bryer also said that he and his wife have a garden and that there was biochar on his produce.
"IDEM and Nature's Fuel both said not to grow or eat the produce," said Bryer. "I went to the Purdue Extension office and they said they agreed with IDEM."
Johnson said the biochar was tested, and that there are no contaminants in it and that it's basically charcoal.
Bryer said that at one point an individual came to his residence and others getting estimates on power washing homes and other things covered by the biochar. Bryer then claimed an individual from Nature's Fuel came by and offered to clean the homes but wanted them to sign a contract.
Sue Hurd and her husband Junior have lived in the same house behind Nature's Fuel for 18 years. According to Sue, she said Bryer's claim of a Nature's Fuel representative asking representatives to sign a contract is true.
Johnson told the Times-Union this morning that document wasn't a contract but a release to power wash the homes.
Sue described the smell as "like an old wooden stove" and said her 9-year-old has allergies and she doesn't like him being outside when the plant is running.
"He's had allergies since he was little," said Sue. "I know it's not because of (Nature's Fuel), but I don't think it helps."
While presenting information to the plan commission, Bryer said that residents who have spent an extended period outside experience things like coughing, sore/burning throat, headaches, dizziness and nausea.
Atwood resident Betty Swanson said that many residents in the vicinity would prefer having the old tire dump in that area as compared to Nature's Fuel.
"I'm all for 'green' jobs," said Swanson. "Just not something that has all the noise or smells that (Nature's Fuel) has. If they take care of those issues, I'm all for it."
Johnson stated several times to the Times-Union that he believes that those issues have been taken care of by his company and that he will continue to work with the community.
Bryer said that an IDEM representative who was there admitted that he had nasal congestion after standing outside of Bryer's resident for an extended period of time.
"We had the EPA give us a clean bill of health," said Johnson.
"In the summer we have to run air conditioning all the time cause you can't open the windows," said Bryer.
"We don't have a problem with the community," said Johnson. "We have a problem with four neighbors. They had vailed complaints but we feel we've corrected them."
Johnson also stated that the water at the plant was tested and sent to the state, and that his company has worked closely with IDEM.
Johnson noted that his company released an Environmental and Good Neighbor Polices sheet in August after receiving complaints in July about noise and odors.
Both the residents and Johnson said there was two meetings held at Atwood's community center. At that meeting, Swanson and Hurd claimed that they were told the plant would have an open door policy. Both Swanson and Hurd claimed that isn't the case.
Johnson contends that his company has made efforts to cooperate with residents, and said he has given them his home phone number.
Residents brought up that rats were found on the property and that the fire department has been called to the facility on numerous occasions.
Johnson said that there were rats nesting in an area after his company was forced to take down a fence from IDEM.
As for the fire department being called, Johnson said that while there was an occasion where the fire department was called on-site, the situation was overblown and that the issue was resolved immediately.
At the conclusion of the Atwood residents' presentation to the plan commission, Richard said the commission would send out a letter to Nature's Fuel laying out the complaints they received and would ask for an immediate response to those complaints.
Johnson stated this morning that his company would be willing to purchase property near the facility but wouldn't get into specifics as those issues are currently being dealt with by both Nature's Fuel and residents' attorneys.
Atwood resident Lisa Gilman said she feels like her and other residents' concerns aren't being dealt with because Atwood is an unincorporated area.
"We feel helpless," said Gilman.
The residents also took issue with being asked to take samples of the biochar for IDEM.
Hartsock said asking residents to help collect samples is commonplace for IDEM, but that residents wouldn't be asked to pay for testing.
Bryer and others said they enlisted the help of County Commissioner Ron Truex. Truex was unavailable for comment as of this morning.
