I have read numerous articles on the above mentioned topic and would like to address several of the inaccuracies and imbalances that continue to be perpetuated by those who prefer to reside in the dark and/or who have a purely political (or competitive) ax to grind. The subject property is owned by Two Rivers Development, which is a partnership between Jeffery Starner and John Lehman. Promanco manages the property on behalf of the owning entity.
Historically, this 13.6 acre parcel used to have multiple shifts and had hundreds and hundreds of employees driving in and out at all hours of the day. While I wasn't there, I can imagine that there were a lot of cars that pumped out plenty of smelly fumes and leaked oil out onto the street. A manufacturing facility has been here as long, or longer, than nearly any of the homes in the neighborhood. Built in 1930, there have been numerous manufacturing operations there, including assembling airplane propeller hubs in WWII. Many people have noted that the current sand operation presents much smaller environmental challenges than past operations. It also presents a far more attractive usage than the animal rendering plant that was proposed for the site previously.
Gone are those big manufacturing days for many reasons. Not the least of which is the difficulty in running a company inside the City of Marietta. The operators, Loeber & Gessel, are responsible tenants who have run their business legally and have addressed their issues with the Ohio EPA's office. They are in complete compliance and have continued to be in compliance with this agency's standards. If anyone thinks that working with and satisfying this agency is an easy thing to do, they have no idea what they are talking about. Loeber & Gessel have purchased street sweeping equipment and they sweep up the streets on a regular basis. These are local businessmen who provide much needed jobs within the City of Marietta and positively impact many other jobs within the region. To imply that they are being irresponsible is, in itself, irresponsible.
I have seen the numerous comments regarding dust. Is there any one of your ever-dwindling readers that doesn't have a buildup of dust and dirt on their outside furniture that requires regular cleaning? With all due respect, cleaning outside tabletops every two weeks seems pretty average to me. Should I complain to the State of Ohio for living next to Route 60 and having to deal with dirt and dust from that? What about the folks that live out in the farming areas? Should they file complaints when one of their neighbors spills some manure out on the road while they are working? Mr. Kalter, I have driven down Route 7 in front of Lowe's numerous times and have seen dust and sand being pulled up into the air with the wind, too. Does that mean that Lowes should be punished? Should we close them down, as well? What about Larry Lang's development across the street from Lowe's? What about the George Broughton and the mess that has been dragging down SR 821 for years? The point is we all know the nonsense is politically driven. One of the unforeseen negative outfalls, however, is the "anti-business" rhetoric that the City of Marietta and, now that he has a platform and a bullhorn, Roger Kalter ceaselessly transmit to the whole world - thanks to the www. I can't tell you how many Tenants and future Employers we've lost to this type of negative, inaccurate, anti-business attitude.
Rick Coley
VP of Promanco, Inc.
Marietta
