Brothers Austin and Jonathan Minnehan live near hog confinement buildings and eventually they’ll be buried near them.
Both were present when the county supervisors reviewed a master matrix for two hog confinement buildings they plan to build on F Ave north of County Road E-19 in Section 24 of Cedar Township. The site is not quite a mile from St Patrick Catholic oratory and cemetery.
The Minnehans are not the closest residents to the proposed site but they live nearby, and according to Austin Minnehan, they have plots in the St Patrick cemetery.
The site would have two buildings, each 52’ X 353’ with a capacity of 2,200 head. The master matrix scored 465 points, with 440 needed for DNR approval. The matrix claims the maximum points for setback distances. It includes a closure plan, which has been a request of the supervisors in considering other proposals.
The matrix does not claim points for landscaping, another request of the supervisors recently. According to Jonathan Minnehan, placing trees can disrupt the air flow needed in the building. They plan to seed the area surrounding the buildings with grass. “They keep them up and they look nice,” said supervisor Dawn Rudolph about other Minnehan CAFOs.
The supervisors will hold a public hearing on the construction permit Monday, Dec. 11, at 9 am in the board room at the courthouse.
