Board defers biosolids decision

The Culpeper County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday night unanimously approved deferring a decision on granting a use permit to Recyc Systems to build a biosolids storage facility in the Elkwood area of the county to next month.

After some early confusion as to how to proceed, per the company’s request, the board moved the decision date, but allowed a public comment period as several citizens attended to speak to the issue—most in opposition.

In a letter to the board dated Feb. 2, Recyc Systems president Steve Foushee asked the board to move consideration of the request to March 6.

“The Recyc team has been working on a special use permit and believe that we need additional time to address concerns that were raised at the planning commission meeting last month,” said Foushee in the letter. At the meeting, Rex Edwards, the attorney representing Recyc Systems, asked the board for the extension.

At last month’s planning commission meeting, the local company proposed constructing two 100x200 open-ended biosolid storage structures and its offices at property purchased off Route 673, about half a mile off U.S. 29. The commission voted against granting the request and sent the recommendation to the board.

Several citizens that spoke in opposition at the planning commission, also spoke at the board meeting. Reasons for opposition included battlefields in the area, truck traffic concerns, proximity to the Rappahannock River, decreased property values and, most prevalently, the potential odor associated with the facility.

Joseph McKinney, president of the Brandy Station Foundation, said that the facility “will substantially and irrevocably harm historical land that we, as a community, ought to preserve.” When he asked audience members to stand if they opposed the facility, a majority of the approximately 50 people in attendance stood.

Out of about 20 citizens that spoke, only one person, Betsy Smith of the Cedar Mountain district, spoke in favor of Recyc Systems’ request.

“Helping our farmers helps our community,” said Smith. She noted that the company serves over 100 farmers in the community that use the biosolids as a fertilizer. “I personally feel like we need to look at the company and how much they contribute…I think some of the fear is uneducated.”

Michael Horst is an adjacent landowner to the proposed property, part of which he rents, and said, “I’m concerned about the tenants having to put up with the odor.”

After the public hearing closed, Cedar Mountain district supervisor Larry Aylor thanked audience members for attending and suggested deferring the final decision to next month’s board meeting.

“We need to look at all the options and hear both sides,” said Aylor. West Fairfax district supervisor Steve Nixon agreed.

“I think we do need all the information and base our decision on facts,” said Nixon. The rest of the board agreed and voted to defer the issue to next month, giving Recyc Systems one more month to address the public’s concerns.