Residents will be able to speak out about a controversial proposed asphalt plant at the August 19 meeting of the Washington Parish Planning Commission.
The commission will meet at 5 p.m. in the Parish Council Chambers at the courthouse in Franklinton next Tuesday.
The plant is proposed for a tract on Highway 60 to the east of Highway 16 between Enon and Isabel.
Seeking to build the plant is Leon Lowe & Sons, a company out of Pearl River in St. Tammany Parish.
Whether or not the plant will actually become a reality depends largely on what the Washington Parish Planning Commission decides at its meeting on August 19, when it will consider a conditional use permit for the plant.
The Planning Commission will make the decision on whether or not to issue the conditional use permit for the asphalt plant. The Era-Leader incorrectly reported last week that the Planning Commission would make a recommendation and then the Parish Council will make the actual decision. In fact, the Planning Commission makes the actual decision and the Parish Council only becomes involved if the decision is appealed.
Parish President Ryan Seal said there will be a designated time for public participation at the Planning Commission meeting. Citizens are welcome to speak, he said. Organizers of opposition to the asphalt plant are urging concerned citizens to attend the meeting and to speak out about their reasons for being against the plant.
Anyone who wants to speak at the August 19 meeting is asked to contact Jesse Applewhite at the Washington Parish Government to get their name on the speakers list. Her phone number is 985-839-7825, extension 313, or email her at japplewhite@wpgov.org.
Citizens will be allowed up to five minutes to make their comments at the meeting.
Seal said the Planning Commission will take into account the overall impact the project may have on the parish in deciding whether to issue a permit.
“This includes infrastructure, community needs, environmental concerns, and compatibility with long-term planning goals,” he said. “The Planning Commission’s role is to ensure that development aligns with the broader interests and well-being of the parish and its residents.”
Some residents who live in the general area of the proposed asphalt plant have said they will attend the meeting and speak out against the plant. They have said they are concerned about noise from the plant as well as heavy truck traffic that would be loading and unloading.
The residents have also questioned whether the plant would affect the quality of air and water in the area, and whether the plant would emit a smell that would be disturbing to other nearby property owners. Finally, they have also questioned whether the presence of the plant would affect property values in the area.
A representative of Leon Lowe & Sons, the developers of the proposed plant, is expected to also address the Planning Commission at the August 19 meeting and will offer the developer’s response to the concerns of residents.
