Town of Pilot Butte 'adamantly opposed' to location of compost facility, public hearing to be held

The Town of Pilot Butte is ‘adamantly opposed’ to the location of a proposed compost facility and will be hosting a public hearing on Monday to address their concerns.

The commercial compost facility is set to be built just northwest of the town limits in the RM of Edenwold, which the town council believes will have negative impacts, according to a news release from the Town of Pilot Butte.

“As many Pilot Butte residents use Highway #46 as a connector corridor to the city, the town is adamantly opposed to the location of the Commercial Compost Facility,” the release read.

Among the concerns outlined are traffic impact, environment contamination, nuisance, such as the attraction of rodents, pests and predatory animals, odour control measures, and compliance measures.

The hearing is planned for Monday at the Pilot Butte Community Hall at 6:45 p.m.

The Town of Pilot Butte is ‘adamantly opposed’ to the location of a proposed compost facility and will be hosting a public hearing on Monday to address their concerns.

The commercial compost facility is set to be built just northwest of the town limits in the RM of Edenwold, which the town council believes will have negative impacts, according to a news release from the Town of Pilot Butte.

“As many Pilot Butte residents use Highway #46 as a connector corridor to the city, the town is adamantly opposed to the location of the Commercial Compost Facility,” the release read.

Among the concerns outlined are traffic impact, environment contamination, nuisance, such as the attraction of rodents, pests and predatory animals, odour control measures, and compliance measures.

The hearing is planned for Monday at the Pilot Butte Community Hall at 6:45 p.m.

Greg Mallet has put a lot of work into his back yard in Pilot Butte. He’s concerned that he won’t be able to enjoy it once Regina‘s compost gets trucked to a spot near the town.

“The first concern is the smell that’s going to be created by a commercial compost facility. All of Regina’s compost, when they implement their green bin program, is going to come out to this facility,” he said.

Earth work has already started in an industrial park within the boundaries of the RM of Edenwold. The mayor says the town wasn’t informed of the plan and will hold a public hearing on Monday night.

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Peggy Chorney, the Mayor of Pilot Butte, said 1.6 kilometres is not far enough.

"We know waste will be sitting and we are very very concerned," she said.

The compost facility will be operated on Regina’s behalf by a private company. The city says it did not play a role in site selection but understands that the process is almost odour free.

“We believe EverGen’s technology will work to reduce the concerns about odour. Their Gore covers are 97 per cent effective. Odour concerns, pest concerns and management of nuisances like those and traffic considerations were things we looked at when we evaluated the proposals," said Janet Aird, directory of environment for the City of Regina.

The Town of Pilot Butte would still like a say in the site selection process but the project does fall within the jurisdiction of the neighbouring rural municipality. The town hopes there is still room for discussion.