Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Comment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge Lebanon committee to rule out county farmland, raise allegations of long-term neglect
Summary
Dozens of residents told a Lebanon advisory committee they oppose candidate sites near homes and century farms, warned of property-value loss and environmental risks, and accused city officials of long-term neglect; several speakers asked the committee to remove specific county addresses from consideration and threatened legal action if procedures are not followed.
Residents filled the public-comment portion of Monday’s meeting to press the Lebanon advisory committee to avoid siting a proposed wastewater reclamation facility near county homes and working farms, and to demand clearer public notice and environmental analysis.
Several speakers said the candidate parcels listed in committee materials include family farms and long-standing residences. Angela Trice Green, who identified herself as executor of her parents’ estate, said the family’s Alan John Farm (listed as a candidate parcel) should be removed. “I promised my dad that I would protect his beloved farm and continue the family legacy,” she told the committee.
Other commenters voiced technical and legal concerns. An attorney and nearby property owner warned the committee that withholding parcel addresses and limited transparency could lead to litigation. “Public record requires you to give us proper notice,” Jason Denton said, urging the committee to follow legal public-notice procedures and warning of possible lawsuits if procedures are not followed.
Speakers also raised environmental and health risks: several commenters urged the committee to rule out parcels on karst limestone or in areas with high flood-plain percentages, arguing that a containment failure or leak could threaten private wells. Todd Roark and other residents asked the committee to remove Man Road and Berea Church Road addresses from the ranking matrix, citing groundwater vulnerability, traffic impacts from construction and long-term truck routing, and concerns over odors from potential bypass events.
One speaker, Charles Smith, made a forceful charge that city leaders had warned of wastewater-plant problems for nearly two decades and had deferred maintenance; he called the result “serial nonfeasance.” The committee did not debate those accusations during public comment; members reiterated that the committee is advisory and that site recommendations would go to the city council.
Committee chair Jeff Thangs told speakers the group would continue to accept public comment at the next meeting and asked residents to submit additional documents or site suggestions by email. The committee scheduled a follow-up meeting for Tuesday, June 2 at 4:00 p.m. and said it would circulate revised scoring sheets in advance.
No site was approved or rejected at Monday’s meeting; the committee approved only the draft scoring matrix and asked staff to add clarifying data fields before members perform numerical rankings.
