I-O in plant, foes heard again
It was a city council meeting much like the one held on March 15: an Ohio firm advocating for a beef harvesting/processing plant in Decatur and a number of city residents turning out to voice their opposition.
This time, however, there was one major difference: I-0 Properties has since purchased the former Dean Foods building in Industrial Park and is conducting what it calls a “public education plan” in an attempt to sway public opinion to its desire to eventually “harvest” – opponents use the word “slaughter” – cattle there.
Tuesday’s meeting was moved to Riverside Center to accommodate an anticipated large crowd. The turnout appeared to be about the same as the last time, with 50-60 people.
After the Board of Works conducted its business, and city council handled several items on its agenda, council turned to the “public education plan and property update by I-0 Properties.” Mayor Dan Rickord laid out the parameters for what was to follow: a)
No signs; b) Must sign in to speak; c) Maximum two minutes to speak; d) Anyone not conforming will be removed from the meeting.
Decorum was not a problem, however, with no shouting and the like. A total of 13 people spoke in opposition to I-0 operating within the city limits. Council silent Council members and the mayor listened quietly and said nothing throughout. After the final speaker, council adjourned with no comment.
The first speaker was Riggs Florence, the 29-year-old Coldwater, Ohio, resident who heads up the operation in Decatur. Noting that “there has been a lot of misinformation about the facility,” Florence said I-0 closed on its purchase of the property from Dean Foods on Aril 13.
(Some of that misinformation falsely accuses the city of selling the plant to I-0. But the city has never owned the plant.)
“We have made a significant investment (reportedly approximately $20 million)” and have been “reaching out to the community and its citizens,” he continued. “We firmly believe in transparency. We are not trying to sneak something in.”
I-0 has been and is still conducting tours of the facility in attempting to dispel some of the misinformation, Florence continued.
At one point, Florence talked about the processing at a plant such as he hopes to set up here, and he said part of the process would be slaughtering.
The City of Decatur has an ordinance banning the slaughter of animals within the city limits. At the March meeting, council unanimously stood by the ban.
So Florence apparently is hoping to calm some of the opposition and to eventually get the ban tossed out. Many of the opponents to speak Tuesday night urged council to stand firm and make no change. 13 speakers
A total of 13 people spoke in opposition to the processing facility, down 7 from the previous meeting. Each of the 13 drew a round of applause.
Some of the speakers: • Jason Brune said he and his wife “feel violated. We mean no to mean no,” he commented. • Thunderbird exec Scott Porter said the 350 employees of his nearby firm would have to deal with, as well as other issues. • Porter, Inc. attorney Brian Clifford said the processing facility “is not the right thing for Decatur or for its citizens.” • Jean Porter Brune said some council members were unaware of what was going on with I-0 and its facility, naming Craig Coshow and Scott Murray. “We are counting on you to protect our community,” she said. • Pat Poole said, “Nobody is going to want to work there” and that I-0 “is probably going to bring down some people from the Burmese community on the south side of Fort Wayne.” • Susan Bowman, who said she is a nurse, claimed that people working in the processing facility will develop PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).