~by Janice Harbaugh for Greene County News Online
The construction permit for a concentrated animal feeding operation proposed by Todd Stumpf, dba Stump Finishers LLC, south of Churdan is still under review by the Iowa Department of Natural Resource.
Alison Manz, senior environmental specialist with the DNR, confirmed May 28 that a request for an extension has not been received.
A week earlier Manz told Greene County News Online that Stumpf was notified of work needed on existing grassed waterway in order for the construction permit to be issued. “If the permit is issued, a stipulation will be placed in the permit that the grassed waterways need to be maintained at all times to prevent them from reverting back to a water source,” Manz said.
Manz said May 28 the DNR hadn’t heard from Stumpf. ““The permit application expires 60 days after we receive it. If the work is not completed by then, the permit application is dropped. The applicant can request a 30 day extension,” Manz said. “No notice of request for extension has been requested (as of this date),” she said.
At a videoconferenced public hearing for Stumpf Finishers, LLC, held by the Greene County board of supervisors on May 11, 15 people spoke against approval of the Stumpf application.
Several speakers cited falsified or inaccurate scores on the master matrix as well as other issues. The scores reported to the supervisors were from Becky Sexton of Twin Lakes Environmental, LLC., a consulting firm in Rockwell City.
The final vote was four ayes from supervisors John Muir, Mick Burkett, Tom Contner, and Pete Bardole. The lone nay vote was cast by supervisor Dawn Rudolph.
The supervisors sent exhibits from the public to Cindy Garza, environmental engineer with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources in Mason City, along with their approval of the Stumpf application for construction.
It was later determined through journalistic investigation the supervisors had not verified the scores from Twin Lakes Environmental, as they are required to do by the Department of Natural Resources.
During the investigation, distances for a waterway and a driveway were identified by using geological survey maps. These distances were grossly misstated on the master matrix resulting in unearned points for Stumpf Finishers, LLC.
This reporter contacted Todd Stumpf by telephone and asked whether he will be dropping the permit application since he does not own the land yet on which the DNR required improvements to the grassed waterways must take place.
Stumpf conversed with this reporter on several issues but required his comments be off the record.
