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Thursday, October 27, 2005

Environment - Stories today on Delaware county ag park, Corydon brownsfield grant

"More regulation of ag park proposed" is the headline to this Seth Slabaugh story today in the Muncie Star-Press. Some quotes:

Delaware County Commissioner John Brooke is proposing to amend the newly created agricultural bio-enterprise (AB) zoning ordinance.

Proponents convinced county commissioners to adopt the ordinance this past summer to allow the creation in Delaware County of the first AB park in the state.

Opponents call the ag park as proposed "a disaster waiting to happen." They have presented evidence that it could generate noise, heavy truck traffic, air pollution and water pollution; produce manure odors and factory odors resembling cat urine; attract rodents, and light up the sky at night.

The city-county planning commission is scheduled to conduct a public hearing next Thursday on a petition to re-zone 806 acres surrounding the community of Shideler from the farming zone to the new AB zone.

"I believe that as it is presently written, the AB zone does not have enough specificity for development and planning purposes," Brooke said. "Presently, the requirements are minimal and not very detailed as to the type and density of development in the area."

There is also a side-bar on "What's next."

The Louisville Courier Journal reports today that:

Corydon has received a state grant to help with an environmental cleanup at the old Keller Manufacturing property.

When the century-old furniture plant was sold to the nonprofit Main Street Corydon group 18 months ago, questions about environmental contamination were a key concern.

The Main Street group recognized that they would have to tackle any problems caused by fuel and solvent spills, paint residue and asbestos before the site could be redeveloped.

The town of Corydon received the $43,737 state grant earlier this month. It will allow Main Street Corydon, a downtown revitalization group, to learn what kind of cleanup is needed.

The Indiana Finance Authority's brownfields assessment program awarded the grant to expand on two environmental surveys conducted for Keller by a Jeffersonville engineering firm before the company sold the 12-acre site along North Capitol Avenue.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on October 27, 2005 08:22 AM
Posted to Environment | Indiana economic development