(Spirit Lake)– The Dickinson county board of supervisors voted four-to-one today (Thursday) to appeal the D-N-R’s decision not to revoke a permit for Dutch Creek Farms to the state agency’s Environmental Protection Commission. A hearing is set for the commission’s meeting January 21st in Urbandale.
The supervisors will meet in closed session Friday with Assistant County Attorney Lonnie Saunders to perfect the appeal, and to talk about some litigation Saunders says may be pending against the county in connection with the matter. He wouldn’t elaborate. Saunders says they’ll request the commission re-schedule the hearing for a later time, and that it be moved to Dickinson county.
Saunders also today (Thursday) referred to a mediation session scheduled for January 9th. It is to include the various parties involved. But David Stein Senior, a Milford attorney representing several neighbors opposed to the hog lot, say similar meetings in the past wound up being canceled at the last minute.
Supervisor Wayne Northey cast the lone vote against the motion to proceed with the appeal. He wanted to hold off on the action until after the mediation session. But fellow supervisor Marty Allen said it’s crucial the county take action prior to January 6th, which is the deadline for deciding to appeal.
A hearing in Dickinson County District Court on a permanent injunction against the project is still set for January 21st…the same date as the Environmental Protection Commission’s appeal hearing.
