(The following letter has been sent to the Bowling Green Planning Commission)
I am writing about the Vehtek Factory debacle occurring along E. Poe Road.
When this Wood-Bridge business park was proposed we as property owners adjacent to the area were told that there would be no traffic accessing Poe Road and that trees would be planted in advance to screen the industrial areas. The tree plantings did not happen until after the building of this factory. Along with the eyesore that is Vehtek, which has very negatively impacted my homes’ value, I have had to pick up windblown trash from them out of my fields. I have had to complain about the outside storage racks at Vehtek for years. The racks have been lining Poe Road since the very start, stacked as high as forty feet. They fall into the ditch, they are an eyesore, they never are moved and the factory has killed many of the trees due to pushing the racks into them. I know there is an ordinance about outside storage. Why is this not being enforced?
Years ago, without anyone being told, Vehtek, was allowed to add an entrance from Poe. Many people including myself have had to deal with the added traffic of the semis and workers pulling out in front of me in their rush to exit the plant. Poe road was not built with this kind of traffic in mind. All the work that the city has done, from the Solar field to this business park expansion had brought more large equipment, overweight with stone and supplies, tearing up Poe Road. I suggest you come drive along our section of E. Poe Road after a rain or, now, daily, and see the condition of our roadway. Nothing has been done to repair this damage.
Fast forward to 2018, suddenly, more farm ground is purchased with no thought to the homes nearby. The lighting from said industries is ridiculously bright with no effort to direct the lighting downward.
Then last month, again with no prior acknowledgment, signs go up along E. Poe Road for a 30 day road closure. Our business was directly impacted by this and there was not even a courtesy call to let us know of this closure. The city seems to like to keep their agenda hidden so as to not give people the opportunity to ask questions before it begins the work and is a done deal.
In speaking with the construction foreman he informed me that they would have to temporarily finish their work and reopen the road, then, close it again because they did not even have the permit for the culvert which was creating all the mess for the Vehtek factory. Why was a project allowed to begin without all the proper permits in place? I can’t imagine that would be allowed for any normal person!
One of my biggest complaints is that if a business park was planned why wasn’t there adequate road systems planned. I know that land was traded and purchased for access onto Bowling Green Road East. Why hasn’t that plan gone into effect? It seems the city is just willy nilly wanting industrial growth without smart planning. In a quote from a city official: “The first phase of Wood-Bridge was started in the early ‘90’s and certainly at that time no one envisioned exactly the type or size of companies that would eventually build in the Business Park. The interior loop was completed in later phases and continues to serve the park as intended.” What type of planning is this? Now further ground is being purchased with only a plan to access another country road that is not built for that sort of traffic.
Currently the idea of a roundabout is being tossed out that will be situated in front of the Wood-Bridge entrance. Perhaps someone needs to actually see where the traffic issue is. It is not there, it is from the Vehtek factory workers who access the road next to Zeres and feel that it is their right to pull out in front of established traffic because they are left out of work and don’t want to wait their turn to exit.
Lesley A. Riker
Riker Farm Seed Co.
Bowling Green
