TOWN OF CENTER, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A proposed fertilizer plant in Outagamie County was the focus of a heated meeting Wednesday evening.
The Town of Center provided initial approval for the 19,000 square foot plant at the southeast intersection of County Road S and Hample Road.
Tension was high in the Town of Center’s packed town hall as a special permit was at stake for a fertilizer plant.
“Can’t you handle change or is that too much in your life?” Town of Center Chairman Toby Paltzer asked a resident opposed to the project, which was met with objecting reaction from other residents at the meeting.
New Ag Services LLC is proposing the plant. The company is five years old and currently operates out of Hortonville.
“There is no industrial processing taking place,” said Steven Feldkamp, co-owner of New Ag Services.
“There is no manufacturing of product. There is no dangerous processes. We’re not making fertilizer. We’re simply trucking in bulk fertilizer, blending it, and putting it on trucks for distribution.”
“I’m a retired police detective,” said Jerry Lingnofski, a resident opposed to the project. “I’m calling BS on a few things. When you blend, you are manufacturing. You don’t have that license.”
New Ag’s owner says the company is in compliance with the state.
Other resident concerns with the plant include environmental and traffic impacts.
However, those opposed to the project also accused town board members of already having their minds made up on the proposal.
“You’re the one going around talking to other farms in the area about you’re going to vote yes for this,” said Mike Wilbert, a resident, to one of the board members. “This is a predetermined decision on your part.”
While those residents opposed were most vocal, farmers ended up speaking up in support of the plan.
“I think it’s good to have competition in the area because right now all the fertilizer comes from one or two plants,” said Sam Ziegler, a farmer from the Town of Freedom with land in Center.
The town board agreed, unanimously approving the permit.
“We have eight large megafarms,” said Paltzer. “They all need fertilizer. We have hundreds of small farms that need fertilizer too.”
The plant still needs approvals from the county and state.
“We’ll be at county and we’ll keep sending letters,” said Amanda Relien, a Town of Center resident opposed to the project. “We’ll keep putting signs up. We’ll keep notifying the community.”
New Ag Services says any liquid fertilizer will stay at its current facility in Hortonville. The board agreed any change to that would require additional approvals from the town.
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