Neighbors in a Madison neighborhood have rallied together after a proposal was brought forward that would bring a solid waste transfer facility to Myatt Drive.
The area in question is a 16-acre space that previously sat undeveloped in between multiple neighborhoods, Tennessee Sheet Metal, and Dunlap & Kyle Tire Company.
"We have fans back here and it circulates air through it, and with this facility (potentially) being right behind us, it's gonna pull the odors, the foul odors through, and it's just going to affect our working conditions," said Adam Waldrup, general manager at Dunlap & Kyle Company.
Waldrup has been one of many that after hearing the proposal, started to inform others in the area of the potential facility, which he thinks would be harmful to the neighborhood.
"Madison's a good place and it's on the upswing, and we want to keep it that way," Waldrup said.
The proposal for the facility was brought up in a public meeting last Monday and in fliers sent out to immediate neighbors. Yet, other than that, only a sign in front of the property in question gives public notice, which is why many are going door to door, business to business, to spread the word.
"I feel like it's a step down from a landfill," said Ethan Harlacher, whose home borders the property in question. "The trash is going to be moved in and out, but still, it's going to be there, and not only will there be potential noise, but potential odors."
Harlacher has lived in the community for about seven years, and while it borders industrial and business properties, there is minimal noise and no smell issues. He believes a solid waste transfer facility would hurt property values and degrade the community as a whole.
“I’m not one of those people that live in a fantasy world thinking that when I take my trash out it just disappears into thin air, I understand that waste does have to be somewhere, but I think also too, there should be common sense of where you put a facility," Harlacher explained. "Next to a developing community, next to burgeoning businesses, there should be more common sense than just to drop it right there because it’s convenient for the people buying the land.”
Harlacher and other members of the Madison community have been passing out fliers to spread awareness in hopes that everyone can have their voices heard before a zoning board meeting on March 15 at 1 pm.
Representatives with the project said they have complied with the Metro Nashville zoning code in every respect, including deadlines and time constraints. They said the property is zoned for industrial use and is in a heavy industrial area, and that a solid waste transfer station is an environmentally friendly step toward alleviating Nashville's mounting garbage crisis.
