Dear Editor,

I am writing this letter in response to Ruth Lee’s letter written about the 1,043-acre land tract proposed to be rezoned industrial.

I would first like to say that I have personally spent hundreds of hours researching and have written a factual, scholarly report that was distributed to the commissioners and other influential people within the county.  I am a young professional who relies on facts and the research experience of others — never hearsay of others.

My research has found that there are well-documented health and safety risks, especially to children and elderly people, loss to quality of life, not to mention the obvious loss in property value of young families and retirees in my neighborhood. I have found that many other communities who have placed this type of industrial activity — warehouse distribution and freight facilities — next to residential districts have found the need to conduct this research and address these issues.  

It is also well documented that communities have addressed these issues by adopting policies and ordinances to protect residents, which is also present within our own policies written within our own comprehensive plan: “Protect residential areas from intrusion of incompatible and conflicting non-residential land uses.”

I am deeply offended that an active political advocate in our community would come forth as “an everyday taxpayer” with little to no research under her belt on this issue and insult my intelligence and integrity as a researcher and writer. She is not the only one.    

In direct response to our privacy and inability to see the site: berms and trees do not cover up the danger of a 1 million square foot warehouse exploding 150-feet from our property or the diesel fumes lingering in our yards while our children play or the intercom system which will be disturbing our peace while trying to garden.

So my questions to Effingham County residents are at what cost are we willing to pay to have a broadened tax base within our county, and is there not a better place for this type of development?  

Robin Moutray