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To the Editor:

I am a lifelong resident of the Darlington Heights community and I am totally against a slaughterhouse/meat processing plant being built in our beautiful residential neighborhood. Our community is one of serene beauty that we have all come to love and cherish.

We do not want a commercial operation in a residential neighborhood! Ask yourself, would you like a slaughterhouse next to your home? Not enough research has been done into the environmental impact of such an operation.

How will using so much water affect the ground water table in our neighborhood? Where will the runoff go? How will it pollute the soil, air and water? Nitrates and phosphorous may leach into the soil. What will increased truck and trailer traffic do to our already narrow roads? How will this affect our Amish neighbors who travel by horse and buggy? How will noise and light be contained so as not to affect nearby homes? Will the pollution to the air and water be harmful to our health? What about people with lung problems?

Will this cause devaluation of property values in the vicinity of the plant and will this mean less tax revenue for the county of Prince Edward? Who will oversee the daily operation to make sure all guidelines are being followed? Studies have shown that these are some of the problems associated with this kind of operation. There is so much research that needs to be done.

Bottom line is that this slaughterhouse/meat processing facility does not belong in a residential neighborhood. It is a commercial operation and belongs in a commercial setting. I ask the Prince Edward Board of Supervisors to please vote no to this conditional use permit.

Betty Tinsley

Darlington Heights