Keep eye on stockyard

I read with interest the Herald-Leader editorial in support of keeping Blue Grass Stockyards in Fayette County, most likely on Ironworks Pike at Interstate 75’s Kentucky Horse Park exit. No doubt farmers need a place to market cattle, but the site for the stockyards needs to be very carefully considered for environmental, economic and aesthetic reasons.

My husband and I sold cattle at Blue Grass over the past 20 years, and while it provided a much-needed market, it always appeared to be a poorly maintained eyesore. What assurance do we have that the operators will build a facility that will be a good neighbor to the Horse Park? Are local ordinances up to the task of providing that assurance?

The stockyard representatives may say that “modern building and waste-handling technologies will mitigate both odor and environmental concerns,” but we need to look no further than the CentrePit downtown to be highly skeptical of developer claims, and no further than the EPA consent decree to see that local officials in the past ignored water quality and environmental issues until they reached a critical level.

Wherever the stockyard locates, local and state officials must hold the owners to a high standard, not only in design and construction but also in stringent and continued monitoring of environmental impacts.

This story was originally published February 19, 2016 at 8:38 PM with the headline "Keep eye on stockyard."