HomeMy WebLinkAbout20050105 November 29, 2004
Pamela A. Shaddock
516 N. Brisbane Ave.
Greeley, Colorado 80634
Dear Members of the Weld County Planning Commission and Weld County Commissioners,
Enclosed please find a copy of an op/ed article that I wrote this weekend after reviewing the
recommendation from the Planning Commission for the City of Greeley regarding the truck
wash proposed for the Southeastern side of the Greeley/Weld Airport. As you can tell, I feel
strongly that any expanded use would be a huge step backwards for our community. The use that
has already been granted is a detriment to economic development for Greeley, Evans, the Airport
and this portion of Weld County.
At the moment, however, it occurs to me that talking directly to you (or in this case writing to
you) is a better course of action than writing to the newspaper and so I plan, at the moment, not
to submit an article. I will be out of town for the next few days and wanted you to at least have
an opportunity to consider these remarks. What may seem like a minor commercial enterprise to
you can have a phenomenally negative effect on economic development in this entire area.
I will channel this letter through the County Attorney's office so that Mr. Barker can be sure that
this letter and the potential article are treated as appropriate exhibits at your upcoming hearings.
Thank you for your attention to this very important matter.
Yours truly,
�J Pamela A. Shaddock
cc. Greeley City Council Members
Mayor Thomas Selders
Leonard Wiest, City Manager
Rebecca Safarik, Community Development
_" EXHIBIT
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2005-0105
Talking Turkey
Even though Thanksgiving Day has passed, it's time to talk turkey. The Weld County
Planning Commission is about to consider expanding a livestock trailer washout facility
located within a mile of the Greeley/Weld Airport.
The County Commissioners have already approved a private facility on this same site
allowing up to 10 trucks per day. The expanded request would allow doubling that
number and would also open the facility to the public. Any approval of this proposed
facility in this proposed location is a giant step backwards for our City.
For years Greeley has been battling the stigma of being "that smelly city up north." In an
effort to remedy this shortcoming, the Greeley City Council has taken significant,
positive steps, including:
• purchasing a feedlot
• enacting and enforcing stricter ordinances
• implementing stringent procedures for the city sewer system
• requiring another truck washing facility to hook up to the city sewer system.
This progress bodes well for all of us who are concerned about bringing better jobs to this
area. However, these efforts can all be undone by placing this facility so close to our
airport and our City.
Truck washouts are proven odor generators. In one year the City documented 22 odor
violations for a different truck washout in the same vicinity. Once that facility was
required to hook into the city sewer system the complaints diminished to one in five
years. This truck wash is in the County and does not have access to the city sewer system.
The new facility seems likely to generate complaints. It has proposed taking the
livestock "solids" from the washout and stacking them on-site for an undetermined
amount of time. A non-aerated lagoon would store the water used in the washout process.
Water would be recycled from previous washings to rinse out the trucks. No provision
has been made to guarantee there will be no seepage into the groundwater. The specter of
the "smelly city to the north"rises again.
Approximately half of the population of Weld County lives in the Greeley/Evans greater
metropolitan area and would benefit from a more positive image. Mayor Tom Selders has
proposed working on a project to "brand" our city with a positive image in order to
supplant any prior negative image. This truck washout expansion runs counter to these
constructive efforts.
This brings up an economic argument against expanding this facility. The potential for
our airport to be the crown jewel for Weld economic development over the next 10 years
is unassailable. In the next few years we are in line for a control tower, which will
increase our accessibility and availability to businesses nationwide.
Unfortunately, if the first impression of our region is the stench of a truck wash, then the
likelihood of the corporate client departing the Learjet to investigate our economic
opportunities is eliminated. The likelihood of our City serving as the butt of jokes
regarding"olfactory awareness"will expand beyond the state level and take on a national
overtone.
County approval of this facility expansion would set us back light years. The City of
Greeley opposed the original facility and can only re-emphasize its opposition to our
friends in County government. We can only ask them to evaluate whether this project is
responsible under the current circumstances.
From my perspective, and from that of thousands of Weld County residents who aspire to
see our community take a step toward a new legacy, we can't be any more direct in our
request. Please don't expand this truck wash and please eliminate the negative effects
this project will have on our City.
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December 6,2004
L.W.Miller Companies
Attn: Larry Miller
1050 West 500 South
P.O.Box 512
Logan,Utah*4323-0512
Dear.Miller
This is for information about the Wash Rack,(permit#200)located in Logan City;This
facility is a wash facility for washing trucks that haul animals.We have never had a
complaint about smell or odor about this facility. We have been working with the Wash
Rack sense 1984.They clean up the animal waste daily and land apply for soil
enrichment. Our sampling shows compliance.
If there are any questions please contact Lynn Miller City of Logan. (435) 716-9756.
Thank You, r
Lynn Miller
Environmental Compliance Manager
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OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
City of 1000 10th Street, Greeley, Colorado 80631
Greeley (970)350-9774
December 3, 2004
cHelBAr
Weld County Planning Commission EX-
Weld County Board of Commissioners
915 10th Street
P.O. Box 758
Greeley, CO 80632
Dear Members of Weld County Government:
On behalf of the Greeley City Council I urge you to deny expansion of the Use by Special
Review (USR-1441) for a Truck Wash Out. The Greeley Planning Commission considered the
proposed use in detail at its November 9`h regular meeting and also voted unanimously to
recommend denial of this use.
The Greeley City Council and Greeley Planning Commissioners contend that the applicant has
not demonstrated that the truck washout portion of the proposed use can be operated without
detrimental impact to adjacent landowners, including the Greeley-Weld County Airport, and the
growing urban population to the immediate west. The following points are offered in support of
this position:
1. The initial truck washout use was initially referred to the City for comment as a private
operation to serve the existing feedlots with an expected use of ten trucks per day. Since
that initial review, the use has been allowed to double that use without further review
opportunity by potentially impacted parties. The submitted application moves from a
private use to a commercial use with "an average" of 20 trucks/day. With the earlier
migration of allowed uses without review, we are concerned that the operation will be
allowed to expand further without review. In addition, an "average"means there could be
some days where considerable more truck traffic could be experienced at the site, which
could affect the waste pond capacity and function and impact the adjacent road traffic.
Further, averages are very difficult to enforce, whereas a maximum allowed could be
more effectively monitored to determine compliance with standards.
2. Truck traffic will be increased in this corridor with the expansion to a commercial use.
Whereas a private use would be dealing only with trucks that were already arriving at the
site, a commercial use would attract truck washout customers from a much broader area,
bringing more traffic and impact to this corridor.
SERVING OUR COMMUNITY • I T ' S A TRADITION
?')e promise/o preserve and-Improve/lie dual/e/ o�l�e/or 9reeley IA-rough-lithely, tour/eous and-cos/e//ec/ioe service.
Truck Washout USR
December 3, 2004
Page 2
3. No acceptable odor mitigation plan has been presented for consideration. In fact, the
application proposes no aeration of the waste water pond, stacked solids located on-site
for an indefinite period of time, and land application of residual waters through a center-
pivot sprinkler. Each of those activities has well known and understood negative odor
impacts far beyond the confines of the property.
4. It appears that some features associated with the USR are not contained on the site (e.g.
waste water ponds). How does this impact the enforcement of any conditions of the use?
The City of Greeley and Weld County have worked hard together to support the growth of a
contemporary and competitive airport just 3/4 mile west of the proposed truck washout, and
immediately adjacent to proposed center pivot sprinkler site. It seems counter-productive to
allow a commercial facility with such potentially negative impacts to expand operations without
confidence the odors and traffic impacts have been effectively anticipated and managed. In
addition, Greeley's Downtown area and adjacent neighborhoods have experienced extensive
redevelopment and reinvestment and overall economic growth in the area is deemed an important
community goal. To continually battle the perception of the level of Greeley's quality of life by
how badly it smells makes this objective incredibly hard to reach.
Greeley's experience with the E. 8`" Street Truck Washout just east of our Waste Water
Treatment Plant demonstrates that such uses can operate as relatively good neighbors when
appropriate site improvements and an effective odor management strategy are in place. The
applicant of the proposed USR before the County has not demonstrated the ability to deal with
odor impacts nor provide site improvements that will complement the other uses along this
important travel corridor and entry to Greeley. The time to address these issues is at time of
approval and with standards that allow prompt and effective enforcement.
If the County proceeds with the expansion of the USR the City suggests a number of conditions:
A. Establish groundwater monitoring wells on site and immediately adjacent to ensure there
is no impact to this water supply;
B. Require the timely and defined frequency of removal of stacked solids;
C. Disallow the use of waste water in an aerially applied system (e.g. pivot sprinkler) as this
tends to exacerbate odor migration;
Truck Washout USR
December 3, 2004
Page 3
D. Require the site to operate at a maximum of 7:1 standard and to incorporate "best
practices" into the management of the entire site to limit odors. This should include the
requirement to provide an aerated pond for the waste water;
E. Establish a maximum number of trucks that can use the site in one day rather than an
average that will be extremely difficult to monitor or enforce;
F. Investigate an arrangement similar to the other existing truck washout to the west for
connecting to the City 's wastewater treatment system;
G. Provide a hard surface (e.g. paving) for those areas where truck traffic is expected.
Please carefully consider the impacts of the proposed truck washout facility to the adjacent nearly
90,000 citizens of Greeley and Weld County in making your decision.
Sincerely,
1,2
Thomas E. Selders
Mayor
L.W. Miller Truck Washout
12/07/04
A. All stockpiled manure or waste solids shall be removed from the site at least weekly in
the winter and at least every three days in the period from April 1 to October 1.
B. Every Wednesday at 9:00p.m. the applicant will conduct an odor intensity test taken on
the downwind berm of every lagoon with liquid contents by a qualified person and with
qualified instruments as defined by the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission
Regulation No.2: Odor Emission Regulations.
C. Compliance monitoring reports submitted quarterly:
1. Number of trucks processed
2. Volume of water consumed
3. Method and timetable for manure removal
4. Groundwater sampling data, including the following information:
• A map showing the location of the sampling wells, both up and
down-gradient of the lagoons.
• Depth to water table.
• Depth of sample.
• EP A-certified-lab test results for the following parameters:
a) Ammonia
b)Nitrates
c) Total phosphorus
d) pH
e) Total dissolved solids
0 Biochemical oxygen demand
g) Oil and grease
h) Fecal coliform
• Prior to obtaining samples from the monitoring wells, three times the volume of the
well shall be pumped out.
5. Lagoon sampling data, including the following parameters:
a) Ammonia
b)Nitrates
c) Total phosphorus
d)pH
e) Total suspended solids
f) Biochemical oxygen demand
g) Oil and grease
h) Fecal coliform
6. Both groundwater and lagoon water samples will be labeled with the following
information:
a) Date and time sampled
b) Sample location
c)Name of sampler
d) Date received by lab
e) Time received by lab
• All samples will be made by EPA-approved methods using EPA-approved
materials and preservation techniques.
7. Odor intensity test results, including a map of where the tests were made, wind
direction, and the name of the person making the test
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