Meat processing could resume March 31

The Odessa Town Council met Monday night to hear the welcome news that the livestock processing facility at the Odessa Industrial Park is slated to resume operation by the end of March. At the meeting was Ellie Key, permit manager with the state Department of Ecology, as well as Kim Ramm, president of the Odessa Public Development Authority, and Margie Hall, executive director of the Lincoln County Economic Development Council.

Key said she had been working with the town’s public works director Rod Webster on issues at the wastewater treatment plant and was very happy with the current water quality leaving the plant. An issue involving wastewater discharges from the meat processing plant, however, was still in need of a resolution. Since the plant began operating, it has performed tests for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) in which the results have ranged from a low of 115 to a high of 1230, with an average of 620 taken over the days of operation.

The permit under which the plant began operating was based on plans that were perhaps overly optimistic in trying to build a facility that was as “green” as possible, Key said, with BOD figures of 300 or less. The engineering report prepared by Belsby Engineering needed to be amended to reflect the reality at the plant. As far as the Odessa wastewater facility was concerned, she said, there was capacity for increased flow. Therefore, the meat processing plant and the Town of Odessa needed to work together on an agreement where the BOD rates would be raised, sampling schedules would be stipulated and maintenance of the wastewater holding tanks would be performed on a regular schedule.

Once the town and the meat processing plant are in agreement on those items and the operating permit reflects that the plant is in compliance with the amended BOD rates, the plant can continue to operate and even draw new customers who were reluctant to come to the plant with their animals when compliance with the permit was in question.

In anticipation of agreement being reached, as all concerned appeared to want the project to move forward and be successful, the livestock producers have recalled former employees (three of which are returning from the former crew) and begun training new employees.

New airport engineering firm

The council also approved JUB Engineering of Spokane as its airport engineering firm. Six different engineering groups applied for the job and submitted information to the town. Three of those firms were then invited for interviews by a three-member committee of council members. The committee recommended JUB to the council on the basis of its work with other small municipal airports, including Wilbur’s, and its ability to be proactive in helping the town find grants and other funding for airport projects.