Proposed Soddy-Daisy asphalt plant resurfaces amid continued opposition
A group of Soddy-Daisy citizens opposed to a proposed asphalt plant at Wednesday’s Planning Commission meeting.
SODDY-DAISY, Tenn. (WDEF)- You may remember a proposed asphalt plant in Soddy-Daisy near the Highway 27 and Thrasher Pike interchange.
That had been voted down in August.
However, that proposal is back on a nearby piece of property.
There were frustrations from residents after the Soddy-Daisy Planning Commission voted to recommend the proposal by the Thomas Brothers Construction Company on Wednesday.
Especially of concern is potential pollution of the North Chickamauga Creek, Ivy Academy, and the potential smell of the plant.
Resident Gail Arce said of those who would be affected, “It’s children. It’s kids. It’s people that are infirmed. It’s people that are shut in, that can’t get away if there is an emission.”
Jamie Thomas was the owner who presented the proposal on Wednesday.
He says this would create 10 jobs and bring in needed tax revenue to Soddy-Daisy.
Thomas said,”We’ve just been watching what has been going on in the north part of the county and we just feel like there’s a market for asphalt down at my place.”
Others argued that Soddy-Daisy should emphasize nearby outdoor attractions such as North Chickamauga Creek Gorge State Park over new industry.
Ivy Academy’s Director of Admissions and Environmental Programming Ainsley Eichhorn said, “We are becoming a recreational area. People are coming to Soddy-Daisy for the climbing, for the hiking, for Big Soddy Gulf, for the fishing.”
Thomas, who runs two asphalt plants in the Sequatchie Valley, insisted that strict regulations and technological advancements will mitigate any issues.
He said, “I just don’t think that there will be a problem with it. We are going to do the right thing, we are going to be a good neighbor. We don’t want to cause anybody any trouble or pollute the air or the water.”
However, neighbors say they are not convinced.
Skillern Elementary at Ivy Academy Principal Ryan Dixon saud, “Just because something may have economic benefit in the short term does not mean it doesn’t come at a cost in the long term.”
The final decision will be up to the Soddy-Daisy Board of Commissioners, who will hold a public hearing on this project next Thursday, November 20, at 6 p.m.
