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Council member warns of renewed, 'wretched' odor episodes from local plant; staff urges residents to file odor reports
Summary
Council member Paul Grey said recurring odor episodes from a local plant have returned, affecting downtown events and tournaments; staff asked residents to submit odor reports on the city website to build a record for enforcement and follow-up.
Council member Paul Grey told the finance committee March 10 that odor complaints tied to a local plant have returned after a period of relative quiet. Grey said the new plant manager has been responsive but that, over the past week, the smell has been "wretched" at times and has driven away participants from a youth soccer tournament and dampened other downtown events.
Grey said the city collected odor complaints last August and that his involvement, including contacting Representative Duffield, led to swift action then — staff said the plant was temporarily shut down for two weeks during that episode. "It's one thing for it to smell. It's another thing for it to be wretched like it's been the last week," Grey said.
Staff asked residents who smell odors to fill out the city's odor‑report form so officials can gather the data needed to work with the plant or pursue enforcement. City staff said they can add council members to the email list that receives incoming odor reports so elected officials are alerted when complaints arrive.
No formal enforcement action was announced at the meeting; council members said continued monitoring and improved data collection were the immediate next steps.
