UPDATE: The office of Fannin County Judge Randy Moore reports that the Public Hearing for Austin Bridge and Road's asphalt plant SUP application has been cancelled tomorrow, April 30. Austin Bridge has pulled their application for this site.
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Bonham, Texas -- Residents packed Bonham City Hall on April 24 to unanimously oppose locating an asphalt plant in the Bonham City Limits at the corner of Pecan Street and Bicentennial Drive. It will likely require another unified crowd at 8:00 a.m. April 30 for a public hearing before Fannin County Commissioners Court to convince elected officials to find a safer, more appropriate location to locate a asphalt plant that will handle 150-175 trucks per day hauling 40,000-80,000 pound loads six days a week.
According to the official Notice of Public Hearing, all interested citizens of Fannin County are invited to attend and participate in the public hearing early Tuesday morning. Petitions are being circulated in the community in an effort to allow working families who can't attend the meeting at 8:00 a.m. April 30 to voice their concerns.
The first public meeting on April 24 was before Bois d'Arc Lake Zoning Commission because the proposed building site is within the 5,000-foot buffer zone around the lake. The land is currently zoned Agriculture and the zoning commission is deliberating whether or not to change the zoning classification to Special Use Permit, which would allow the asphalt plant to be built. Bois d'Arc Lake Zoning Commission will hold a regular meeting 8:30 a.m. Thursday, May 2 to announce its decision.
Fannin County Commissioners Court will also have to weigh in on the requested zoning change. The public hearing April 30 will allow residents to express concerns to commissioners court regarding this proposed site for an asphalt plant.
On March 12, 2019, county commissioners unanimously voted to initiate the application process for issuing a Special Use Permit to Austin Bridge & Road for land usage at the corner of Pecan and Bicentennial Drive in Bonham. At that time, none of the nearby businesses or residents who stood the greatest chance to be impacted -- including a USDA-funded low-income retirement village on Bicentennial Drive -- were aware of this project.
On April 24, facing a large crowd that was 100% in opposition to allowing the zoning change, Bois d'Arc Lake Zoning Commission heard a plethora of concerns, from how traffic safety at the county's busiest intersection would be impacted by another 150-175 trucks hauling 40,000-80,000 pound loads six days a week, to what impact an asphalt plant could have on the community of senior citizens down the street. The possibility of a significant increase in noise pollution was another concern expressed by several residents who live nearby.
The consensus of the audience at the first public hearing was that every effort should be made to find the safest, most appropriate location for an asphalt plant that will be in operation for several years. The company, Austin Bridge, has indicated it would prefer a 10-year lease of property to build the asphalt plant, but would likely accept a five-year lease.