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“This is industrial – not
light industrial,” said Washington Muhammad of CSRN as he
opened the press conference on Monday morning. “City Council
is pushing this through and our whole community is at risk.
Property values are going to plummet. Schools and students
near here are going to be in jeopardy.”
Muhammad’s warnings were
echoed by a number of speakers to follow. Bill Hoag, an
organizer of the opposition along with CSRN, is a
Springfield Township resident who spoke of his personal
difficulties over the years with Kott Enterprises and how
his property value has been impacted. He also opened the
discussion about health issues that will be compounded by
the giant compost.
“City Council members have
ignored health concerns and how this will impact low-income
housing around here. Property values will start going down
and business owners will start moving out,” said Hoag.
Hoag presented a list of
two dozen companies that are located within 500 feet of the
proposed compost property who are asking City Council to
consider their vote carefully. Several of the business
owners spoke.
The bioaerosol, sulphur
compounds and ammonia emissions from such a compost,
according to Hoag, cause adverse health problems such as
contagious diseases, acute toxic effects, allergies, cancer,
late term births, dermatitis and respiratory problems.
According to a report by
ResearchGate, the environmental impact of large-scale
composting practices include the release of various gases
such as NH3, CH$ and N2O which can negatively impact air
quality
“My tenants want to move,”
said Michael Schrickel, owner of Chop Shop Machines. “The
smell will travel up to three miles. It’s not a good thing
for this area and everyone will suffer. It’s not a good
idea.”
Along with Hoag and the
CSRN, former Mayor Carty Finkbeiner also has taken on the
fight to stop the compost.
“This is disrespect and
it’s been going on for too long,” said Finkbeiner as he
recalled the annexing of the old Adams Township by the City
of Toledo a number of years ago, to the detriment of the
residents of the township. “This is an insensitivity to men
and women of color that would not be acceptable in a White
neighborhood.”
As for the Kott brothers,
Finkbeiner had no kind words to say about their way of
operating. “I dealt with them as a mayor – it was a constant
struggle – they were always wanting to do what was
inappropriate.”
According to its website, Clean Wood Recycling is a mulch,
compost and top-soil producing facility, with three
locations throughout the Toledo area.
The company accepts wood and tree waste from landscaping
companies, city waste departments
and residents in the community, that is then recycled into mulch products.
Toledo City Council’s Zoning and Planning Committee considered an
application from Michael Kott, president of Clean Wood
Recycling, Inc., two weeks ago to rezone about 50 acres to
limited industrial so the business can be relocated from its
location on Bancroft Street. Kott told the Committee that
the Bancroft location is now valuable for commercial
development.
Council is scheduled to hold a vote on the issue on Tuesday,
March 30.
Attempts to reach Clean Wood Recycling were unavailing.
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