WILSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — Neighbors living near 20 proposed sites for a new Lebanon sewer plant are speaking out, worried about what could be built right next door.
Click here for more information about a new proposed sewer plant in Lebanon, Tenn.
This spring the city formed the Lebanon Wastewater Treatment Plant Site Selection Committee to help find a location for the city’s new sewer.
The committee revealed 20 potential locations at a packed meeting Tuesday.
Brenda Vicente lives near several of the proposed sites.
I spoke to Vicente in her backyard, which has an expansive view, and where potential sites for the sewer plant could end up almost next door.
"This view is actually what brought us here to this area," Vicente said.
She’s worried about many aspects of what the sewer plant could mean, including her property value.
"People save their whole lives to buy the homes that they have. I mean, our homes are our largest investment and a lot of that's going to be taken away," Vicente said.
Just down the street, Tobie Wood-Payne has spent years developing her 60-acre plot to preserve nature, including a monarch sanctuary.
"We have a monarch sanctuary... there's 5 plus acres that are dedicated solely to pollinators," Wood-Payne said.
One of the proposed sewer sites sits directly across the street from her property.
"It's super disheartening, you know, we've put our heart and soul into our property," Wood-Payne said.
Wood-Payne was among the many neighbors who live near proposed sites who spoke up at the committee meeting on Tuesday, June 2, at Lebanon City Hall.
Jeff Baines is the committee's chairperson.
One common question I keep hearing from people who live near proposed sites is, why can’t the sewer be built in an area that’s already industrial without homes nearby?
I asked that question to Baines over the phone.
“That's a very good question; one of the sites is right across from the original area, from the current wastewater plants, in an industrial site there in Lebanon, that site is still on the list," Baines said.
There are many factors that the committee will use to determine the viability of a site. They’re using some sort of a grid system called the matrix to rank these properties.
I asked Baines if there’s anything people can do to have a property near them taken off that list.
Baines told me if neighbors can find a reason that land near them wouldn't work for the plant — that would make a sewer plant there not a viable option — they should share that reason with the city, but it can’t just be that people don’t want one nearby.
Baines said the committee plans to narrow the list from 20 sites down to 5 over the course of the summer.
The city council will make the ultimate decision.
For Wood-Payne and her neighbors, the wait is already taking a toll.
"It's heartbreaking. It's really heartbreaking," Wood-Payne said. "It feels like you're really out of control.”
I also reached out to committee member and Lebanon City Council member Joey Carmack for a statement about this story, he provided me with the following comment:
“I feel like we have gone backwards, and not much progress has been made. We started at our first meeting with 15 properties to look at; now we have had our third meeting, and we have 21 properties. This is keeping residents upset, which is unfair to them, to have to keep coming to meetings, and no progress has been made.”
The next sewer selection committee meeting is scheduled for June 15.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at robb.coles@newschannel5.com.
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