Valley Vista residents tell Lewiston City Council the McCann cattle operation is a health, odor and safety nuisance

Residents of the Valley Vista neighborhood told the Lewiston City Council on July 28 that a nearby cattle operation owned by Pat McCann is producing ongoing odors, flies and other public‑health and safety problems that they say are reducing home values and residents’ quality of life.

Dan Caldwell, who identified himself as representing “most of the residents in the Valley Vista addition,” presented a petition asking the city to “stop the stink and have McCann cattle feed not removed from the city limits of the Lewiston.” Caldwell said the smell and flies are “almost everywhere, almost every night” and cited state rules about livestock operations and feedlot location criteria while urging the council to take action.

The petition and multiple public commenters described several concerns: regular strong odors that make it difficult to open windows or sit outside; large piles of manure and accumulations of hay; animal carcasses left in the field; increased flies; and the risk of spontaneous combustion in stored hay piles. “Homes in this neighborhood are valued at over $500,000 to over $1,000,000 and beyond,” Caldwell said. “This operation has reduced the saleability of this property and the inability to sit outside and enjoy the evening or open windows for fresh air.”

Mike Loren, who said he lives at 440 Northwest Court, added that he had observed an increase in vehicle loads of hay and described the site as “a blight on the neighborhood.” Loren also raised safety concerns, saying he saw dead animals left on site and that firearms had been discharged on the property recently. “We’ve just put up with about enough,” Loren said.

William Stickler, another neighbor, described piles of manure “6 feet high” and said he feared the waste might be leaching into groundwater: “What is this all of this, what the cows are giving out there? Is it going down into our groundwater now?” Stickler also said the fly problem has made it unsafe for children to play outside in parts of the neighborhood and that one hay pile recently caught fire, requiring a fire department response.

Speakers at the meeting referenced state livestock and air‑quality rules during public comments. Caldwell quoted a state code provision on feedlot definitions and distance requirements from residential or incorporated property and cited an air‑quality definition that describes contaminants that “interfere with a comfortable enjoyment of that property.” Those citations were offered as background by residents urging municipal enforcement or other action.

No formal city action was taken during citizen comments; the public comment period is an opportunity to raise issues for staff and council consideration. Council members did not announce any immediate enforcement steps during the meeting record. Residents left the council a signed petition with names and asked staff to investigate and report back.

The record shows several residents asked for investigation of zoning, public‑health and air‑quality requirements and requested enforcement or other remedies. The transcript does not record any staff presentation, inspection results, or a council vote on enforcement during the July 28 meeting.

The city’s next steps — whether that will include inspection, referral to county or state agencies, or a formal complaint process — were not described in the meeting transcript.

Ending: Residents said they will continue to press the issue and left copies of the petition with the council. The transcript does not record a follow‑up date or a staff assignment during this meeting.