The Greene County supervisors will hold a public hearing May 2 at 9 am on an application by Mike Bravard to build a confined animal feeding operation (CAFO) on 170th St in Section 5 of Hardin Township.
The supervisors reviewed the master matrix for the site at their April 18 meeting. The matrix scored 450 points, with 440 needed for Iowa Department of Natural Resources approval. The matrix includes a plan should the CAFO close, but it does not include a plan for landscaping. A closure plan and landscaping have been discussion points for the supervisors in recent months.
The wean to finish facility will have two buildings, each with a 2,480-head capacity and connected by a hallway. Bravard told the supervisors he plans to plant trees on the west, north and south sides of the buildings, but like other CAFO owners, he preferred not to make that commitment on the master matrix.
MLB 170th Site will be Bravard’s second CAFO. The first has a total capacity of 4,800.
The scoring of the master matrix and a public hearing are only formalities in building a CAFO. In effect, there is very little local control. If the matrix scores the minimum points, the IDNR approves the construction permit.
The supervisors also approved the detour route on Highway 30 May through November, 2017, while a new overpass is constructed on the east side of Grand Junction. Motorists will be detoured from Highway 30 north on Highway 169, then east on County Road E-26 to Highway 144, and south again to Highway 30.
County engineer Wade Weiss said he will seek funds from the Iowa Department of Transportation for extra chloride treatments on the gravel roads of the “unofficial” detours local residents will use.
Weiss also reported that a secondary roads employee has begun working on the pedestals requested by Jefferson Matters: Main Street for the display of their “Ring Out for Art” sculpture contest entries. He said the county will incur about $250 in expense for materials for each of the six pedestals. With labor costs, the project could total close to $3,000.
