City Council urged to oppose pork plan

“Over the years, the City of Clear Lake has established a political precedent of opposing large scale commercial confinement operations within the Lake watershed and critical areas surrounding it.  As this potential economic development project (Prestage) evolves, it may come to be that the City Council of Clear Lake would, in the future, consider taking a position in opposition to such a proposal as being counterintuitive to our community’s primary economic engine (tourism) and the preservation and enhancement of our natural environment.”

-Statement read by Clear Lake Mayor Nelson Crabb

Clear Lake city officials were pushed Monday night to demonstrate their concern about a pork processing facility potentially coming to Mason City.  About a dozen persons opposed to the announcement that Prestage Foods of Iowa would build a $240,000 million plant where as many as 10,000 pigs would be processed daily urged the Council to pass a resolution of concern and submit it to Mason City officials.

The subject was not on the agenda, so Council members listened, but did not comment or take action on suggestions for a resolution or other expression of concern about a future pork processing plant. However, following the open forum section of the meeting, Mayor Nelson Crabb read a statement leaving the door open for possible dissent.

“Over the years, the City of Clear Lake has established a political precedent of opposing large scale commercial confinement operations within the Lake watershed and critical areas surrounding it.  As this potential economic development project (Prestage) evolves, it may come to be that the City Council of Clear Lake would, in the future, consider taking a position in opposition to such a proposal as being counterintuitive to our community’s primary economic engine (tourism) and the preservation and enhancement of our natural environment,” stated Clear Lake Mayor Nelson Crabb following the Citizens Open Forum at Monday night’s City Council meeting.

Clear Lake resident Bennett Smith said he has a profound concern about many potential negative impacts a large pork processing plant will have on Mason City and surrounding area.   “I urge you to oppose it,” said Smith.  “I think it’s a very big risk to our tourism dollars. This project specifically threatens that in the long term.”

“A packing plant in this area is not a good fit,” local farmer Chris Petersen, himself a hog farmer, told the Council.  “We have invested millions in the lake and have a quality of life and enjoyment in property here.  We need to be proactive.  This decision will impact

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the area for decades.”  Petersen speculated factory farms will sprout up in the area to meet the demand of a new processing plant and he said local and county government will be unable to stop them.  He estimated more than 650 factory farms will be built in the area. Petersen urged the Council to pass a non-binding resolution of concern about the proposed Prestage plant.

“We’ve got to do something to slow this thing down, said Petersen.  “I predict that we’ll never attract another Fortune 500 company to this area.”

Prestage Chief Operating Officer Jere Null attended the meeting and spoke to the Council amid the steady stream of objectors.  Null said Prestage has no farms in Cerro Gordo County and no intention of building more hog confinements in the county.  “We think that it would be a poor idea to build a farm in Clear Lake, or the watershed of Clear Lake, or the vicinity of Clear Lake. Not only do we not intend to do it, we would discourage anyone else that’s involved in our business to do it as well. There’s a tremendous amount of speculation of what we’re going to do.”

Null said the high quality of life in North Iowa was one of the reasons Prestage was attracted to the area and the company will not detract from the area.

  Former Mason City Councilman Max Weaver likened Null’s comments to that of Harold Hill in “The Music Man.”

“He talked about the beautiful area we live in and the quality of life, not once but twice. That ought to scare you… Nobody from a packing plant has to tell us that our area is beautiful, and we have good quality of life around here, we know that, we all know that,” said Weaver.  “I do not want to suffer and change the quality of life in Mason City, Clear Lake or North Iowa to feed China.”

“We need your leadership right now,” Bob Wolfram, Jr., from Ventura, told the Council.  Wolfram said the city should feel violated that neither the county or City of Clear Lake received advance communication about the large scale pork processing plan.  “There hasn’t been much communication on this issue.  Supposedly  the (County) Supervisors and you were partners in economic development and they left you out.  You need to speak up.”

Former teacher Mary Kay Johnson said that in addition to potential soil, water and air pollution, she believes the Prestage project will create an influx of students which local schools cannot handle.

Karen Ressler, from Clear Lake, said she came to the City Council meeting to listen, but felt compelled to speak.

“The more I listen, the more afraid I am,” she said, adding that she hopes the Council will talk to other entities to protect the area.

The Mason City City Council met Tuesday night, April 5, to discuss a resolution setting the terms for a development agreement between Mason City and Prestage Foods.  That meeting was held after press time for this edition of the Mirror-Reporter.

Other business

In other business, the Council set a time for a public hearing concerning the sale of the former Four Winds Drive water tower site.  City staff has negotiated the sale of the city-owned property to Mark Fisher, an adjoining land owner.  The prospective buyer will pay 50-cents per square foot, or $5,000.  The hearing will be held April 18.

The Council approved a professional services agreement with Veenstra & Kimm for the Main Avenue Brick Paver Sidewalk Reconstruction Project. Jason Petersburg, from Veenstra & Kim, reported about 20 persons attended a one house meeting where sidewalk design options were shared.  Petersburg said questionnaires were handed out for comments and are due back by April 8.  He will report public feedback to the Council at the April 18 meeting.  According to a project schedule, bid letting would be in August with construction taking place from September of this year to June 2017.

Police Chief Pete Roth said 31 applications were received for a police officer position open in the police department.  The applicants will now move on to the testing phase, he said.  Advertising has also begun for a full-time dispatcher position within the department.

Great Place progress

In April 2014 Clear Lake’s “Surf District” was named an Iowa Great place by the State Department of Cultural Affairs. The designation followed a competitive application and grant process, which identified certain projects designed to enhance the District.  Monday, the Council approved a revised professional services agreement with RDG to assist the city and the North Iowa Cultural Center & Museum with the planning, design and construction of projects identified in the Iowa Great Places program.

The total estimated cost of the projects was $211,000.  The City was awarded $101,000 through the grant program to complete the projects, which include finding signage, Three Stars Plaza sound system, Surf Ballroom right-of-way and parking lot enhancements, and Surf Ballroom marque restoration.

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