Neighbors of a proposed asphalt plant in West Roanoke County turned out in force again Thursday night to get an update on the battle against it.

At least 160 people attended the meeting, sponsored by the nonprofit Citizens for Positive Growth, at Glenvar Middle School.

They got a general description of the legwork going on now -- with a bit of pep rally thrown in.

"I don't know how this will end," said Carter Turner, a member of the organization, "but Adams Construction has no idea who they are messing with."

Interrupted briefly by cheers and applause, he went on, "They have stirred good people who have the heart, the resolve, the energy and the discipline to fight as long as it takes."

Adams Construction, a 60-year-old asphalt paving company, wants to rezone 12 acres of the former Salem water filtration plant at 4125 W. Main St. from low- to high-intensity industrial and obtain a special-use permit for its new plant.

The proposal was endorsed by the county planning commission in a 3-1 vote on Feb. 4, even though about 300 residents showed up at a public hearing to oppose it.

The matter was to have moved to the board of supervisors, for a final decision, on Tuesday, but Adams asked for a delay until the April 28 meeting.

Since its organization a few weeks ago, the citizens group has taken the lead in setting up committees and organizing research to oppose the plant.

They contend that in addition to being a source of numerous toxins, such plants tend to be dirty, noisy and smelly -- a description that Adams officials have said is outdated and not true of its planned facility.

Suzanne Nicewonder, a nearby resident and professional engineer, has been helping direct the citizens group's research. Although she said the group has not completed its work and was not ready to share specific findings yet, it is examining questions ranging from the health and safety issues surrounding asphalt plants to the question of how the presence of heavy industry affects a residential community's perception of itself.

What has become clear over the course of several community meetings such as Thursday's is that the organization is planning a series of speakers to make the group's case to supervisors at a public hearing.

"This is not about an asphalt plant," said Barry Garst, president of the Cherokee Hills Community Association. "It is about rezoning from low-intensity industrial to high-intensity industrial."

In the long term, he said, that could eventually mean the location of an even more offensive industry there.

The group will ground its opposition in the language of the county's zoning code, which says such a zoning change requires that it have a "minimum adverse impact" on the surrounding neighborhood. The heavy industrial zoning also is defined as being appropriate where there is "relative remoteness and absence of substantial residential development."