Beech Tree News Network

Recently a childhood friend answered a question I posed with, “Personally, I’d like to see Butler County stay the way it is.”  While most of us see room for improvement, we still relate to his heartfelt sentiments. The timely question is do we achieve that by being inactive, and let things run their course, or proactive, with vigilance, vision and planning.

The timeliness of this question is prompted not in our county, but in bordering Warren. With ten times our population, they are now predicting a massive 30% population growth in less than a decade. Like it or not, our commerce, our livelihood, even our basic provisions come mostly from Warren, and we are already, of sorts, an extension of them. The question is are we going to capitalize on this relationship and protect our way of life or suffer from it?  Are we going to be beneficiaries of their growth, or are we going to be where they rid their waste and locate what they don’t want, including undesirable neighbors? Two reasons make us vulnerable. For one, we’re easily accessible, and two, why deal with Warren’s stringent regulations and zoning when they can cross into this county where regulations and zoning are basically nonexistent, and law enforcement is already challenged. 

A case in point is occurring in the Little Muddy Community.  A company that owns a gas line has partnered with another currently constructing an asphalt plant on a former quarry site. Not very many people know about this venture.  One could assume the partners are being mute, given that they installed a gas line several hundred feet across private property without permission from anyone.  When one elderly resident tried to block their progress across her yard, they called the Sheriff on her.  It’s also doubtful they obtained the required permits to transport oversized loads on public roads.  Apparently one equipment load was too large to clear the parkway underpass.  An eye witness described how they unloaded their cargo, dragged it under the Natcher Parkway with a tractor, and then reloaded it on the other side. The road was blocked for hours, and thankfully, perhaps fortunately for those libel, no one needed emergency services.

If this all sounds like rumor and speculation, that is probably true. Such happens when parties appear to be avoiding notice or any disclosure of intent. The “word” is this asphalt company intends to take over Scotty’s area market, and is even seeking an access to the Natcher Parkway.  Sounds impressive, but likely indicates their grand visions are unrealistic. Meanwhile, from neighboring counties come tales of mavericks establishing such companies just to procure a sale from competitors. What is this company doing?

Or perhaps a more disconcerting question is, “Do they know what they’re doing?”  Skeptical speculators predict the onsite aggregate is too sparse, and substantial blasting will be needed, that there’s not enough gas pressure from the line or enough public water to sustain them, that their equipment is substandard. Certainly their judgement is in question when they proceed with construction apparently before securing the utilities they need.

Finally, it’s possible the most hyper-speculation is my own. i have one of two family homesteads that could most suffer from the traffic of this plant. Now, I’m contemplating how much truck traffic, the weight factor, how much raw material must be imported, presumably on 18 wheelers. Are the roads wide enough? Will they be maintained? If they run day and night to paving sites, will there be noise issues, odor, or heat from a caravan of truck loads tempered to 200 degrees?  Admittedly, much of this speculation sounds extreme.  Yet for me, the most unsettling question could come when I realize that I have not over-estimated, but rather under-estimated the problems, to which I must answer to myself, “You saw the red flags. Why didn’t you do something?”

Without zoning, the County has little to protect residents. In fact, their role is often to cooperate with outsider interests at the expense of county landowners.  After all, its their role to encourage jobs and tax revenue. Yet when an outside venture seeks not only to exploit our lack of regulations, but violates the few rights and regulations we have, they deserve scrutiny. It’s not enough to assume jobs and revenue.  Our trust breeched, we deserve some transparency— how much projected revenue, how many jobs, and will Butler Countians fill them? Currently, they are weighing Eminent Domain to provide a “public” utility to this asphalt plant. Meanwhile, apparently this partnership has offered some residents access to gas to gain their support. If you force owners to provide for a private venture  detrimental to their property, in principle, if not by law, those owners also deserve gas service to use as they choose. Yet given how this situation has proceeded to date, there’s no reason to expect any commitment will be fulfilled, regardless of laws or contracts.  I will support my county’s difficult quest for jobs and revenue, and will accept that some sacrifices are inevitable, but I deserve to know those sacrifices will benefit the greater good, and not the greedy few.

Though most have decided who they will support in the county election, its not too late to raise this issue with neighbors, and query your candidate to weigh in. Be frank about your expectations of them in these matters. Big business packs big influence, and some can be swayed, while some already feel that land fills, or virtually any industry, have promise, especially in communities adjacent to Warren.  Again, to protect what we value about our county, complacency may not be the answer.  Most likely, we will need to be proactive, starting with the County Officials we elect.