Thursday, January 29, 2009
Editorial: Asphalt proposal must be heard
Two Roanoke County supervisors showed a lack of judgment in opposing a public hearing that the law requires.
From the RoundTable blog
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Two Roanoke County supervisors laid down their markers Tuesday night against a proposed asphalt plant in the county's Catawba District.
That may have pleased most of the 200 or so anxious people who turned out last week for an informational neighborhood meeting about the plant, but it was not good governance.
Cave Spring Supervisor Charlotte Moore joined Catawba Supervisor Butch Church in voting against the first reading of Adams Construction Co.'s request for a rezoning and special-use permit to allow the plant.
With one member of the five-person board absent Tuesday night, the result was a tie vote that might delay consideration. But the gesture is a fruitless one.
The board is required by state law to give all such petitions a hearing. A first reading is merely a procedural step it must take beforehand, and has no bearing on how members ultimately will vote.
Presumably, a vote of the full board at its next meeting will break the tie and bring the county into compliance with the law.
That will mean Adams Construction will get its public hearing. And it should be a fair one.
Moore and Church have sacrificed fairness, though, to public sentiment. Their opposition to even a first reading signaled their intent to vote against the plant. Some might admire their frankness, but in this instance their honesty suggests a lack of judgment.
It is too early to know enough about asphalt plants in general and this proposal in particular to weigh all factors fairly and come to a reasoned decision.
To their credit, both supervisors attended the neighborhood meeting, where they heard the company's pitch and an earful from nearby residents worried that an asphalt plant will present a risk to their health and quality of life. The meeting no doubt was useful, but it was just a first airing of arguments that require closer scrutiny.
The board must keep in mind that asphalt, after all, is necessary to road construction and must be produced close to where it will be used. Still, public health should be the county's paramount concern. Supervisors have to consider needs and risks dispassionately to make decisions that truly serve the public's best interests.
After this week's board meeting, Moore explained: "I vote with my heart."
She would have done better to vote with her head.
