Date: Sun, 09 Feb 2014 09:04:06 -0500
From: John Alderman
Subject: Rendering Wisdom
Many decades ago, a company asked permission from the Chatham County Board of Commissioners to build a rendering plant on the Haw River. As described by my good friend (now long deceased), James G. “Sleepy”
Williams, the BOC and our citizens entertained great debate over the subject. They anticipated measurable benefit to our county’s farmers, others who would work in the plant, and, of course, benefit to many
businesses in the county. We were a poor county then, and we needed as much business as possible. So, the BOC listened to the proponents and citizens and did something extraordinary, they used their early 20th.
century common sense, and visited other rendering plants around the country. Upon their return, they continued to listen, think, and finally made their decision. They did not approve the rendering plant.
Even with all the apparent benefits, the damage caused to the air and water would be too great to bear.
Now move into the 1970s. If the rendering plant had been built, it is highly likely that Haw River water quality would have been even more impaired than it was when the Corps reluctantly decided to build Jordan Lake, so Jordan Lake would probably not have been built. All those heartbroken Chatham County citizens who lost their farms through eminent domain would still own them. Chatham County, Cary, and other communities would not have had the water resources for growth, so their populations would have been much smaller. And, Chatham Park Investors, LLC (a corporation, not a family farm), would not have purchased Chatham Park lands in the first place, since there would be no adjacent “free” publicly owned lands (taken from past Chatham County families) to provide abundant green space and water for their future clients. Chatham County, Pittsboro, and possibly the entire Research Triangle area would be much different today if the rendering plant had been built.
Now fast forward to today when Pittsboro is faced with its own rendering decision – Chatham Park. We can only pray that the Pittsboro BOC and new mayor possess the same kinds of common sense used by the Chatham
County BOC many decades ago, not necessarily to reject Chatham Park outright but to render it compatible. Sadly, the last 7 years, which could have been used to develop a valid Pittsboro Land Use Plan and a completely valid Unified Develop Ordinance (all based upon the best available science and technology and tempered by citizen input), have been squandered by one man – Randy Voller. Randy was Pittsboro’s mayor during these years, and he should have led his BOC down the path of careful planning in anticipation of a greatly transformed Pittsboro and Chatham County. The condensed debates happening since May should have occurred throughout the past 7 years. Randy knows that he could have directed such a process, but he failed Pittsboro and he failed Chatham County. Contrary to his perceived importance, Randy is no leader; he is no Joseph. I look into the grain bins and see only a few moldy kernels of wheat. I wish our new Pittsboro mayor and BOC God’s speed in preparing for what’s coming. Time is short.