Small Town Controversy

Hogansville, Georgia -- As you drive down route 54, in rural Meriwether county, you may enjoy the peaceful, natural beauty of the countryside. That is until you come through the Luthersville end of Hogansville. This area has undergone rapid changes, right before the eyes of the dismayed, local residents. Gone are wind blown expanses of grasslands that used to grace the area. The small horse farm on the left, empty. In place of trees, that would have been displaying the vibrant hues of autumn, and the displaced wildlife. Now the area is adorned with orange and white traffic cones, and immense piles of dirt along the main roadway.

For over three years residents fought the Greenbow Industrial Corporation in court. To no avail, appeal after appeal were denied, and the permitting process, and planning went another step ahead. Experts were brought in from far and wide, at the expense of the local homeowners. They were trying to stop the landfill from being developed in the watershed area it is located in. EPA rulings, and county decisions streamlined the permitting of the area, into what is now considered industrial zoning.

Set back, but still well within clear sight of the main road, is the immense, concrete pad marking the beginnings of the new land fill, that will soon open operations here. Before residents know it, loud, smelly, truckloads of trash, from as far away as Atlanta, and the surrounding counties, will be coming in by the tons. The town needed the income, and will get a needed tax coffers increase, as well as a percentage price per ton, but at what cost ask local residents.

One of the latest disagreements, is over an already broken stipulation. The residents claim they understood the agreed proposal to state that the landfill facilities were to be set back, far enough from the road frontage, so as not to be an eyesore to the community. As construction continues, it is glaringly appearant the dump site will be viewable from the road. It is contended by Greenbow, that the agreement regarding not being visible from the road frontage was only in relation, and regarding active refuse piles only.

Residents are in disbelief, after passionately fighting the big sanitation company for so long, and many are feeling that they were not properly represented by their local representitives.Sadly now, reality is before their eyes, and there is no denying the progress that is changing the country scenery, so beloved by so many. The changes for this small town, that only just recently added their second traffic light, are not done yet though.

On the heels of the final court rulings regarding the landfill proposal, that allowed such extensive construction to proceed so rapidly, residents are also learning of three companies that will be locating to the area. The new industrial zoning has made it even easier for these additional companies to come in, and there are already propositions backed up for another two unnamed mystery companies.

Under the new industrial zoning , and without any further, extensive EPA studies being conducted, the area has become a magnet for companies looking to build quickly. This is happening, even though this area in question is a designated, watershed area. Some of these companies use massive amounts of chemicals, such as for processing rubber and plastics, in their operations. Most residents in this area have private well systems. The new concern now is, how in world do you possibly protect the communities watershed area, when it is located in the center of an industrial zone?