Sumter County commissioners approved a special use permit for a wood recycling operation near the Royal community of Wildwood on a 3-2 vote Tuesday night, imposing more than a dozen conditions and despite public opposition.
The operation along County Road 237 near Interstate 75 by Oxford Holdings will burn wood and market the ashes for fertilizer. It will receive the wood from a utility company.
The county’s planning and zoning special master approved the permit after a hearing on April 19 with conditions related to hours of operation, traffic and other issues.
With 60 employees in Marion and Sumter counties, the company will haul in wood, then grind, chip and burn it in an incinerator. The ash will be shipped out and sold as fertilizer.
An estimated 25 to 40 trips per day are expected, according to the March 21 permit application, except during emergencies like hurricanes when the county may allow more activity. An attorney representing the company said Tuesday night that there will be 10 daily trips. Normal operation would be 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Three homes are on the property. One will house an on-site manager and another will be converted to offices.
Conditions include a site development application and traffic impact analysis, both required within a year. Also required is a 1,000-foot setback from the road for processing and storage to increase the distance from homes and reduce the noise level. The company also may need to pay for improvements to CR 237.
County Administrator Bradley Arnold told commissioners that the permit is the first phase of the process and they also will vote on a site plan.
After listening to objections by neighboring residents, Commissioner Oren Miller said he opposed the permit.
“I think they’ve got a right to their serenity,” he said, adding that he had visited the site.
But Commissioner Doug Gilpin said he saw no reason to deny the permit. Gilpin voted for approval along with commissioners Garry Breeden and Craig Estep. Miller and Commissioner Gary Search voted against it.
Before the vote, neighbors complained about machinery noise, possible contamination of the area’s shallow wells and truck traffic.
Kevin Soltis said the truck weight would exceed limits and two trucks cannot pass each other on the narrow rural road without driving on the shoulders.
“This road has less than two inches of base and one inch of asphalt,” he said. “If you get two trucks passing, somebody’s going to hit the telephone pole. It happens two or three times a year.”
Levi Solomon said he won’t let his grandchildren play in the front yard due to the truck traffic from another operation on the road and the wood processing facility will make things worse.
Attorney Jimmy Sparrow of Ocala, representing the residents, said the wood processing operation should be classified as a waste facility, which requires greater environmental protection, and not as a sawmill, which allowed it to qualify for the permit.
Representing the company, attorney Austin Dailey of Ocala said noise generated by the machinery will be about 40 to 60 decibels by the time it reaches the nearest homes, which is about the level of indoor conversation.
He said the company anticipates making road improvements and is well established, operating in Marion County since 1971.