A portion of land set to house an expansion for A1 Pump and Jet will not be annexed into the Emporia city limits, at least not now.
During their regular action meeting Thursday commissioners approved tabling a request from the city of Emporia to annex a portion of 800 Road 160 until on or before January 22nd. This is the third significant matter tabled by county commissioners in the last two months, following the tabling of contracts for the new law enforcement shooting range and 911 center, as well as a letter of support for IdeaTek, which is seeking a grant to support a network buildout in Thorndale.
Just as with those matters, commissioners stated the reason for the tabling Thursday was to allow time to gather more information on the proposed expansion of A1 Pump and Jet in the area, according to County Commissioner Chris Bartel, the individual who proposed the motion.
The motion and unanimous approval followed nearly 90 minutes of back-and-forth discussion between county residents who are in opposition to the annexation and expansion and A1 owner Ron McCoy. McCoy explains the new proposed facility will house “Technology” that allows them to take “beneficial material from food-producing plants,” with solids going to composting sites with water going to the city of Emporia.
Among those in attendance was resident John Alvarado, who has been a notable opponent to the expansion, having attended several meetings in recent weeks, voicing as much. Alvarado says residents in the area for the proposed expansion have several concerns regarding the operations that would take place, namely, water runoff and impacts to property values in the area if the facility is constructed.
McCoy stated during an interview with KVOE News that he understands there are concerns, noting there will always be concerns when it comes to economic development. However, McCoy says while he can appreciate the opinions and questions proposed, he feels they are coming far sooner in the process than where he thought they currently were.
Alvarado has also voiced concerns regarding a lawsuit against McCoy’s operations in Coffey County.
When asked about these concerns, McCoy stated the matter is a procedural issue, not a matter of legal or illegal actions.
Before making his motion to table Thursday, Commissioner Bartel stated he had several questions heading into Thursday’s meeting and that list only grew following a phone conversation he had with City Commissioner Jamie Sauder the night before.
While Bartel claimed that he felt the tone of the call was “rude, domineering” and “came across as a threat,” the conversation did not factor into his decision-making process Thursday, nor will it in the future. Sauder was traveling and unavailable for a recorded interview Thursday with KVOE News; however, he did send the following statement in response to Bartel’s comments.
“It’s unfortunate that Commissioner Bartel felt threatened by our very brief conversation on Wednesday afternoon. Our two-minute-long dialogue dealt briefly with the project and what action the County Commission was being asked to take. He indicated he was busy and that we should try and talk more the next morning.”
Commissioners also stated they chose the January 22 deadline as it will be the first meeting after new city commissioners are sworn into their seats with Bartel saying they feel the new commissioners, Tammi Ogle, Monica Duncan and Kurt Steinkhuler, need to have more involvement in the process as it is likely to take a significant amount of time.
In other business Thursday, commissioners approved paying a better than $5,1000 invoice for pile driver parts to Meever Foundation Equipment. One executive session for non-elected personnel for employee evaluations also took place, with no action following.
County Commissioners will reconvene for their next regular meeting Thursday at 9 am inside the Lyon County Courthouse Commission Chambers.
