By Michael S. Hoey
Correspondent
The village and towns of Darien do not agree on what should be done about the odor issue that has plagued both entities for years. The town wants to give the two businesses most think are responsible for the odor more time to correct the problem while the village wants to keep the pressure on.
The Walworth County Zoning Agency met June 21 to discuss the issue and decided to give Birds Eye Foods another month to show progress. It was determined that Walter and Son Waste Hauling has done everything it needs to do and is no longer part of the problem.
On June 18, the Darien Village Board authorized Administrator Rebecca LeMire to send a letter she drafted to the Walworth County Zoning Agency asking the agency to delay any new land use applications or amendments to existing applications for Birds Eye Foods and Walter and Son Waste Hauling until the odor issues have been resolved. The village also requested that any applications include a public hearing so village residents have the opportunity to ask questions and voice concerns.
The village’s letter was in response to a letter sent to the same agency by the Town of Darien and written by Town Chairman Cecil Logterman asking the agency to take no action at this time. LeMire said the town did not send a copy of the letter to the village, the Zoning Agency did. Otherwise, the village would not have even known about the letter.
“Birds Eye Foods, Walter and Son Waste Hauling and the Town of Darien do not keep the village representatives informed of efforts relating to a permanent solution to the severe odor issues,” LeMire wrote in her letter.
“As to both facilities, we encourage you to take no action as we believe each of these businesses will continue to, in good faith, make every effort to address, control and minimize the odors produced by their respective facilities,” Logterman wrote in his letter.
To read the rest of the story, see the June 28 Delavan Enterprise.
