Letters to the Editor

Letter to editor, (Part 2)

Continued from November 24, 2022 edition:

...I applaud the diligence of Table Rock Meat Company of Dayton for rethinking and reshaping how farm-to-table protein is able to be accomplished here...This is a service that is a MUST in our rural town.

However, I have many questions regarding the meat processing plant that is being proposed on the Port of Columbia ground on Cameron Street here in Dayton:

Fifth question: What are plans for odor management? Sixth question: If there are to be live animals housed at this facility, what plans are in place to deal with securely corralling them? Seventh question: What are plans for commercial traffic hauling animals in and removing processed carcasses to the next facility or point of delivery? Eighth question: How will the activities of the plant be shielded from viewers or passersby/traffic?

Ninth question: Will the facility conform to the noise ordinances of the City of Dayton?

Fifth: Odor management is a huge part of being a good neighbor within city limits. I would like to hear what plans are in place to deal with smells and byproducts from the facility and if those measures will guarantee a pleasant atmosphere year around.

Sixth, where there are live animals, there is always the unexpected. Even with the best efforts, livestock get out and can cause damage to yards, gardens, trees, bushes and such. I have first-hand knowledge of what happens when cows get out and walk through my yard! Or when pigs decide the pig-pen isn't where they want to be and they come exploring in my flower beds. No, thank you! The proposed location is not very far from Highway 12, and more than one cow has caused casualties by being hit on the highway by traffic. If livestock escape or break through corrals at the proposed facility, there are many directions they can head and many opportunities to wreak havoc as they move along their way.

Seventh, moving livestock in and out of the facility will cause an increase in commercial traffic in that area. Again, our Boy's and Girl's Club is located right next to the facility location. Excess heavy traffic is going to create more potentially dangerous hazards for those children entering and exiting The Club. Not to mention the additional mud and fecal material on the street from coming into and leaving the plant.

Eighth, residents and passers-by are not likely to enjoy the sights of a meat processing facility. Will there by a tall fence to shield the public from seeing what is happening there? It is a necessary part of our culture to have a variety of meats on our tables, but the process of getting the animal from farms to the table is unpleasant, at best. Seeing the activities is off-putting and not something most people want to see when traveling through.

Ninth: At no time are animals always quiet. It doesn't matter what time of day or night, if there's something happening, livestock will make noises. If an animal is in heat, without water, hungry, or scared, they will call out. Can this fit within our expected city culture? From personal experience, a cow in heat and vocalizing can be heard for more than half a mile, day or night!

With all this said, I am definitely not opposed to a meat processing plant for Table Rock Meat Company. However, the facility should not be within city limits! There are properties available outside town that could easily house this type of business entity and those options should be considered, along with the above-mentioned concerns, instead of the ground on Cameron Street.

Aileen Warren

Dayton, Wash.

To the editor,

I was surprised to learn that Republicans are starting to use Ranked Choice voting to choose their candidates in their internal primaries. I thought Ranked Choice Voting appealed only to Left wing types. One reason I've read that many people like Ranked Choice Voting is because it allows everyone to vote for their favorite candidate without worrying their vote will be wasted if their first choice does not win, since if their favorite candidate gets tossed out, then their second choice gets counted as their vote.

Another reason is because Ranked Choice Voting makes campaigning more civil as candidates don't want to alienate voters by harshly criticizing opponents because while any candidate might be a voter's first choice, any candidate remaining after the first tally might be any voter's second choice; so, when a candidate gets tossed out, any remaining candidate could now get the votes of voters who listed the eliminated candidate as their first choice. I guess these reasons make as much sense to Right leaning voters as to Left leaning voters.

I predict it will not be long before Ranked Choice Voting becomes the voting norm in all elections in the United States. Learning to use Ranked Choice Voting will feel like learning to use a smart phone. At first a bit intimidating but as soon as we get used to this new thing, we'll see it is much more useful and gives us more of what we want than the old thing ever did.

Jeremy Street

Cheney, Wash.