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Link: http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/237507
Quote:
The three-member board gave little indication of its inclination to approve the kennel, which is licensed to hold up to 500 dogs but which Esch testified routinely houses no more than about 160 dogs, including 110 breeders.
"We pretty clearly state in our (zoning code) that we can deny your request if you're in violation of local zoning requirements," board member Bradford Duvall said. "And you have been in violation for five years, and on top of that, you were in violation with state laws for a year. I'm sure the state wasn't real happy about that."
Area residents did most of the grilling of Esch over his operating practices, including his earlier statements that he spreads the dog waste and runoff from ammonia-based cleaning solution on his fields. Residents cited threats to area well water and more than 400 children attending an elementary school adjacent to Esch's property, as well as the potential for diseases present in dog feces to spread.
When asked by township resident Julie Nettke, Esch said the state Department of Environmental Protection doesn't require him to calculate dog waste into his nutrient management plan. But Nettke said that by her calculations Esch has dumped 65 tons of dog waste on his 80-acre farm fields over the past six years, and dog waste carries 23 million fecal coliform bacteria per gram compared with only 300 per gram carried in hog waste.
"This is right against an elementary school," Nettke said. "We all drink the same well water. … The board has got to think we all drink this water."
Lancaster veterinarian Tom Gemmill said dog waste carries several parasites, including roundworms. Gemmill said roundworm infection blinds more than 1,000 children annually.
Three residents spoke in support of Esch's business, saying his kennel is well-maintained. Esch's neighbor, Benuel Beiler, said he never hears Esch's dogs bark — in sharp contrast to another neighbor, LouAnn Gmuca, who said at both meetings that she hears his dogs barking "at all hours of the night."
Another neighbor said area farmers should be supported by the local community.
"There is demand for dogs, in spite of what the media tells you," Esch's neighbor Menno Esch said. "Many are breeding dogs under the table because of this type of harassment that's here tonight. If you deny this kennel, you are opening the door for more kennels to operate under the table."
Quote:
The three-member board gave little indication of its inclination to approve the kennel, which is licensed to hold up to 500 dogs but which Esch testified routinely houses no more than about 160 dogs, including 110 breeders.
"We pretty clearly state in our (zoning code) that we can deny your request if you're in violation of local zoning requirements," board member Bradford Duvall said. "And you have been in violation for five years, and on top of that, you were in violation with state laws for a year. I'm sure the state wasn't real happy about that."
Area residents did most of the grilling of Esch over his operating practices, including his earlier statements that he spreads the dog waste and runoff from ammonia-based cleaning solution on his fields. Residents cited threats to area well water and more than 400 children attending an elementary school adjacent to Esch's property, as well as the potential for diseases present in dog feces to spread.
When asked by township resident Julie Nettke, Esch said the state Department of Environmental Protection doesn't require him to calculate dog waste into his nutrient management plan. But Nettke said that by her calculations Esch has dumped 65 tons of dog waste on his 80-acre farm fields over the past six years, and dog waste carries 23 million fecal coliform bacteria per gram compared with only 300 per gram carried in hog waste.
"This is right against an elementary school," Nettke said. "We all drink the same well water. … The board has got to think we all drink this water."
Lancaster veterinarian Tom Gemmill said dog waste carries several parasites, including roundworms. Gemmill said roundworm infection blinds more than 1,000 children annually.
Three residents spoke in support of Esch's business, saying his kennel is well-maintained. Esch's neighbor, Benuel Beiler, said he never hears Esch's dogs bark — in sharp contrast to another neighbor, LouAnn Gmuca, who said at both meetings that she hears his dogs barking "at all hours of the night."
Another neighbor said area farmers should be supported by the local community.
"There is demand for dogs, in spite of what the media tells you," Esch's neighbor Menno Esch said. "Many are breeding dogs under the table because of this type of harassment that's here tonight. If you deny this kennel, you are opening the door for more kennels to operate under the table."