Justin Schneider, Herald Bulletin
Governmental delays could put a proposed ethanol plant in the red before it even begins operation.
On Tuesday, the Madison County Planning Commission tabled a request by land owner Max Bingham and Ultimate Ethanol LLC to rezone 253 acres in Monroe Township from agricultural to general industrial. Officials say the move casts serious doubt on the future of the project in Madison County.
"We got the impression that we weren't welcome here," said Bob Berens, director of site development for Broin Companies, which has partnered with Ultimate Ethanol to build the $105 million production facility. He said the firm stands to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars every month the approval process drags on.
The planning commission's decision had a ripple effect, causing the Madison County Board of Zoning Appeals to table five variance requests on the property, located at the corner of County Road 1300 North and County Road 100 East (Summitville Road). The zoning had not been changed, therefore variances could not be passed.
Both matters will be revisited Nov. 14 in the Commissioners Court (Room No. 110) at the Madison County Government Center. The planning commission will meet at 9 a.m. and the board of zoning appeals at 1 p.m.
BZA member William Hobbs was among a group of county officials who visited a Broin-built ethanol plant in Caro, Mich. recently.
"I was very impressed with the operation," Hobbs said. "I researched the company and, of all the ethanol plants I researched, I think this would be a top-notch operation for Madison County. They just need to get their ducks in a row. They have some issues with the neighbors and I think they have issues with their utilities that they need to address."
During Tuesday's meeting, several people who live near the proposed site, voiced their concerns.
"I do not want this thing to come across the street from me," said Ron Parker, who lives on County Road 1300 North, across from the proposed site. "If it comes, it'll defeat everything I've worked for my whole life."
He worries that buyout offers and scare tactics are a part of the business plan.
In July, Parker noticed people digging wells at the site and assumed someone planned to build a house. In August, he discovered a woman taking pictures of his home for an assessment. She claimed she had assessed 25 or 30 other homes.
Shortly thereafter, a black Mercedes appeared in his driveway. The driver claimed he represented Conseco and was selling cancer insurance.
"If he's not trying to rattle me, what's he trying to do?" Parker said.
John Carter, another neighbor, said his family moved to the area 18 months ago. What was once the Carters' dream home has become a nightmare.
"We like the rural living, we like the small community," Carter said. "It's a great place to raise our four kids.
"When we heard about the ethanol plant, we were not happy with that. People do get cancer on state-approved levels of air pollutants."
Other residents expressed concerns over waste water, light, noise and odor pollution. Richard Lewis said the area has traffic problems as it is and cannot handle the truck and rail traffic associated with industry."
"My primary concern is rail traffic," said neighbor Lewis. "It has tripled since we first went out there. (County Road) 1300 is blocked in excess of two hours at a time and up to five and a half in some cases."
Broin has built 28 ethanol production plants in six states, according to Berens. That wealth of experience has made the recent delays even more frustrating.
"We consider this an extension of agriculture, this is an agricultural business," Berens said. "Some communities have allowed an ethanol facility to be built in an agriculturally zoned area through a (planned unit development). In this case, the county decided an industrial classification was necessary."
Announcements have suggested that the new facility would create 38 to 40 high-skilled jobs, paying an average of $18 an hour. Mary Starkey, executive director for the Corporation for Economic Development, said Madison County can't afford to pull the welcome mat out from under Ultimate Ethanol.
"The economic impact this would have for the area is tremendous," she said. "This is the kind of industry we want to attract for Madison County and building obstacles to their progress is not the message this community needs to be sending."
During Tuesday's planning commission meeting, member Paul Wilson seemed conscious not to send the message that the matter was being pushed through quickly.
"Every time I open the newspaper, there's a brand new ethanol plant," Wilson said. "There's only so much corn that can be made into so much ethanol. Is this why there is such a rush to get this through?"
"What the speed is all about is starting the process to get this built in 12 months," Berens said. "We don't set our schedule based on our competition."
Madison County Planning Director Michael Hershman also visited the Michigan facility and said Broin's urgency to break ground before cold weather sets in might be misguided.
"I'm from northern Indiana and at a certain point, building is stopped," Hershman said. "It doesn't happen because of the weather and the freezing up there. That's not necessarily the case here because of modern technology and because the climate is milder here."
Gaining a foothold in the alternative fuels market could be a boon for Madison County. That doesn't mean protocol falls by the wayside, according to William Hobbs.
"The county needs it, let's face it," Hobbs said. "When you're on a board like the BZA or the planning commission, you have a comprehensive plan you have to follow. A company can't do A and B, and not C and D. It's not fair to the next person and it's not fair the public."