Not in My Backyard: Tennessee Residents Voice Concerns About Proposed Processing Plant Location

How long of a waitlist does your local locker have?

For some across the nation, it might be months to even a year or more before there is an open slot available to take an animal to butcher.

Meat Processing Cooperative

For folks in Washington County, Tenn., near Jonesborough, establishing a meat processing cooperative, to be operated by the Appalachian Producers Cooperative, was their first step in creating the opportunity for more animals to be harvested locally. This will be the first farmer-owned cooperative established in Tennessee in more than 50 years.

In March of this year, the county’s commissioners approved $2 million in county funding towards a $10-million project to build the processing facility planned to harvest 25 to 30 head of livestock per day. Additional funding is anticipated through government grants, bank loans and member contributions.

Many called it an investment in the future of Washington County agriculture, says a local news source. The facility would also employ a staff of 20 to 25 people, a local source states.

However, the project faced opposition early on, with county residents unhappy with the idea that $2 million of taxpayer contributions would be given to private industry.

After several amendments to the original proposal, the following resolution was created, according to a local news source:

• A right of first refusal for Washington County over the next 10 years

• In the event of the cooperation failing, either by liquidation, loans defaulting or failure to secure construction, the county would take control of the operation and assume any debt

• The cooperative must report back to the commission every six months and annually through the 10-year period

• The cooperative cannot spend any of the county’s money until it is needed

• The county will recoup some of its investment by receiving a cut of distributions from the cooperative based on the county’s percentage of the total investment in the project

Not in My Backyard

Location has also been a sticking point for local residents.

Originally, the project considered three site locations within the Jonesborough area. Most recently, the site options have been narrowed to two, considering one site near the Jonesborough Flea Market and the other next to the Eagle’s Nest subdivision.

A recent meeting of the Jonesborough Regional Planning Commission brought several disapproving residents of the subdivision with concerns, including:

• Value of their homes

• Unpleasant smells

• Noise from the facility

• Amount of traffic

• Effects on water quality

However, this meeting failed to meet quorum requirements, due to the absence of commissioners, including the chairman and vice chairman. Additionally, Scot Hamilton, the man applying for the re-zoning, was not present, says a local news source.

A recommendation on which property will be re-zoned will likely take place at the regional planning commission’s September meeting, and a decision may be reached at the county commissioner’s meeting in late September.

Though the site near the subdivision is not first choice, residents plan to continue voicing their concerns at the upcoming meetings.