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Residents press trustees over Goshen battery plant safety, transparency and zoning
Summary
Several Manteno residents used public comment at the Feb. 3 board meeting to press trustees for details about a proposed Goshen battery plant, raise safety and evacuation concerns, and accuse village leaders of poor transparency; trustees responded with budget and process explanations but no new safety plan was announced.
Several residents used the public comment period at the Feb. 3 Village of Manteno Board of Trustees meeting to press elected officials for information and emergency-planning details related to the proposed Goshen battery plant and to decry the board’s transparency.
The most direct charge came from Francine Fatima, who asked why the village rezoned land “from light industrial to heavy industrial” and said that change “opened a Pandora’s box” that allowed the company to “take root here.” Fatima also accused state officials and the village of being aligned with policies she opposes.
Tim Finnegan, who said he attended the public hearings, asked what the village has implemented to protect residents in the event of a major fire at the Goshen plant. “What warnings will be for the school to evacuate and seek refuge?”…
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