The Grand Forks County Commission unanimously approved an expansion project Tuesday in Arvilla, N.D., for Columbia Grain Co., despite complaints from some local residents.
The elevator, which already operates a 2.3-million-bushel shuttle train-loading elevator complex along the BNSF Railway tracks in the village, will add a 35,000-ton bulk fertilizer warehouse, a new storage bin, two workshops and a new office building.
The County Board approved the special use permit, with the following conditions recommended by the county Planning and Zoning Commission:
• Chemical treatments be applied to gravel surfaces to control dust in Arvilla.
• The dust removal system be maintained to reduce grain dust in the area.
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• The screening containment on the west side of the property be sealed to reduce grain dust.
• All bulk chemicals be kept in accordance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rules.
The company completed an earlier 1-million-bushel expansion in the fall of 2010.
Residents worried
Local resident Mike Anson said Arvilla residents have suffered health issues because of excess grain dust from the elevator.
He also said he and his wife have been forced to stay overnight in motels on several occasions as the result of the noise from trains loading at night. "Sleeping at night becomes nearly impossible."
Anson asked the commission to delay approval until thorough studies of drainage and other issues are completed.
The Grand Forks County Water Resource District earlier had approved proposed drainage changes associated with the project.
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Ellen Funke, another local resident, said truck traffic is creating an unsafe environment for children and for elderly.
"I'd like to see them slow down," she said, asking for additional sheriff's department patrols in the community.
At the earlier Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, the company agreed to eliminate two proposed storage bins that were planned for the east side of the complex, near several local houses.
The majority of the expansion will be to the west of the property and the community.
Elevator manager Roger Thompson said the project will involve the consolidation of some services that have been located in its nearby Larimore, N.D., location, adding that the expansion will create four new jobs in Arvilla.
Biz expansion
In other matters, the County Board set April 17 for a public meeting to consider a tax incentive package for Bison Transport, which bought Britton Transport last year and plans to begin a $3.9 million terminal construction project on land just northwest of the Interstate 29 interchange at Gateway Drive.
The company expects to create 35 new jobs within two years.
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The property will likely be annexed into the city of Grand Forks within the next few months.
Reach Bonham at (701) 780-1110; (800) 477-6572, ext. 110; or send email to kbonham@gfherald.com .
