Johnson County Commissioners Allow Special Use Permits for 16 Poultry Barns

The Johnson County Commissioners conducted a public hearing to review Special Use Permits requested by Otto Farms, headquartered in Adams, for eight poultry barns on a 20 acre site in the N½, SE¼ of Section 14-6-10; and eight poultry barns on a 20 acre site in the S½, SE¼ of Section 14-6-10, all in Johnson County. This location is about 4 miles north of St. Mary and four miles west of Highway 50. The Johnson County Courtroom held about 50 people on Tuesday, July 14. After closing the hearing, the Johnson County Commissioners voted 2-1 to approve the special use permits for the construction of 16 poultry barns for this project. Commissioner Tim Weber emphatically voted no on this matter.
“Our greatest concern is safety. Our grandchildren regularly play in our yard, and increasing heavy truck traffic on a road that currently services local residents, farm equipment, school transportation, and livestock operations places everyone at a greater risk. In accommodation to the traffic, 617 Avenue would likely require widening, bringing the road even closer to our home,” said Becky Sherman.
“Road expansion would come at a tremendous personal cost. Mature trees that have served as our windbreak for several years would likely be removed or severely damaged,” Sherman said. She added that their front yard would be reduced and their septic lagoon lies close enough to the roadway that widening raises concerns about its structural integrity. “If relocation became necessary, we have serious doubts that either county or the developers would assume that expense.”
According to Sherman, the conditions of the roadway itself raise additional concerns. Along 617 Avenue, numerous sections would require substantial improvements before safely supporting frequent semi truck traffic. These include: a one-lane minimum maintenance road that would require widening and the installation of a proper rock base. A dangerous hill at the intersection of 617 Avenue and 734 Road where visibility is already limited and stopping during wet or icy conditions is hazardous. A significant diagonal culvert at the intersection of 617 Avenue and 734 Road along with existing drainage issues that would become even more complicated. A steep descent approaching Highway 41 where stopping distances become dangerous during inclement weather. Existing grader created ridges and secondary ditches that already make meeting oncoming traffic difficult.
Additionally, 617 Avenue serves as a school bus route for local children. Introducing an estimated 32 additional semi-truck trips each week, along with existing farm equipment, cattle trailers, and daily traffic significantly increases the safety risks for everyone using these roads.
“Ultimately this decision is about much more than one development. It is about protecting the character of Johnson County and preserving the rights of the families who already call this community home. We ask you to consider the lasting consequences – not only for our family but for every neighboring landowner whose property, safety and quality of life will be permanently affected by this project. Progress should never come at the expense of those who have invested decades in building their homes and lives here,” Sherman concluded.
Rex Pietzyk, who lives out-of-state, addressed the hearing by telephone, expressing his concerns about how poultry barns must use the truck route that is the shortest distance to the highway, which is straight south of the complex. Pietzyk questioned what the penalties would be if this specified route was not used. Pietzyk believed that if the Commissioners could not enforce the use of a specific route, then the special use permit for these 16 chicken barns should be denied since the county cannot enforce the regulations set by the Zoning board.
According to Piezyk, this facility will have 16 barns and would require 1,840 truckloads of feed, litter, animals and bedding annually, or 32 truckloads per week. Unlike corn and soybean production, traffic will be relatively constant throughout the year. The ability of local roads, bridges, and other infrastructure to manage the volume and weight of the traffic will be an important consideration.
Laurie Aman spoke on behalf of her parents, Laurence and Lana Pietzyk, who live on family farm which is located less than half a mile from the proposed site. Aman said her mother suffers from respiratory and cardiac conditions, along with other serious ailments. Aman also shared peer-reviewed research which has found adults living withing one kilometer, or .621 mile, of a poultry operation face a measurably higher risk of pneumonia, driven by particulate matter and endotoxin emissions from the barns. Ammonia released from poultry waste is also linked to airway inflammation and cardiac stress. For two elderly people already fighting lung and heart disease, this is not an inconvenience, it is a threat for their lives.
Aman also mentioned the traffic dangers and that fact that her parents still drive on these roads. According to Aman, these trucks are not driven with her parents' safety in mind. “Their purpose is to deliver equipment and product, on schedule as fast as the route allows.”