Opposition Protests Controversial Gage County Swine Operation

By Gordon HopkinsA proposed swine operation in southern Gage County, near Liberty, has garnered some opposition and protesters have been present at recent Gage County Supervisor meetings.Opponents had another opportunity to express their opinions at a public hearing scheduled for Tuesday evening, August 29.The Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Board was set to hear public comments about a special use permit for the Island Grove Summit Swine operation, proposed by Iowa-based Summit Pork. The planned CFO (concentrated animal feeding operation) is expected to hold an estimated 6,200 animals in section 25 of Island Grove Township, just north of Liberty and near the Gage-Pawnee County line.P&Z Administrator Lisa Wiegand discussed the process at a meeting of the Board of Supervisors on Wednesday, August 23, “There’s always been questions about the due process. About the process, what happens in Planning and Zoning, the procedures.”Wiegand said one of the questions she gets is, “Is this a ‘done deal’ at the P&Z’s meetings? And so, it is not.”Wiegand explained the process, “Planning and Zoning makes a recommendation. So, originally, we have our meeting planned for next Tuesday evening. Letters were sent out to a large number of people, which included a large portion of Liberty, since it is a mile and a half from Liberty, as required.”Wiegand said, “They (P&Z) hear the testimony. Everyone will have the opportunity to speak for, against or in a neutral state. P&Z looks at the regulations. They will make a recommendation then the process starts all over again.”Wiegand said, “Nothing has been kept secret in terms of the locations or anything.”One opponent of the operation is Patty Barnard of Liberty, who is especially concerned about the impact increased traffic on the road, “Our road is not safe to go by. That is very, very a big, big factor. There is no way that it can handle that.”“It’s just not designed to handle the traffic,” said Barnard. “It has a very bad hill. It’s a school bus route. So that makes it all the more dangerous.”The Gage County Board of Supervisors will schedule another hearing sometime after the P&Z hearing.Recently, the Gage County Board approved another swine operation, this one along South 82nd Road, between Pickrell and Adams.FJN will have a full account of the hearing in next week’s edition.

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