Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012

Town needs answers on cement plant

It seems a silly question really: Does an industry belong in an industrial park?

Then again, Garner's Greenfield South, whatever its original intent, is more tidy business park than gritty industrial corridor. More curious perhaps, it even has an office and institutional component: A mental-health treatment center for young people is under construction there.

The question now before the town council is whether to allow a Knightdale-based cement maker to build a plant in the business park. A couple of current tenants, including the treatment center and a Domino's Pizza distribution center, say no, or at least they have reservations. Their worry is that dust from the concrete-making operation could taint food supplies and make breathing hard. Those are valid concerns, and Garner leaders are right to consider them.

In its defense, the cement maker says the technology it employs removes 99 percent of the dust from the air, and we have no reason to doubt its claim. Of course, 1 percent of the ocean is still a lot of water, so 1 percent of cement dust could still be a lot of pollutant. But Garner leaders don't know whether 1 percent is a lot or a little, and until they do, they should not make a decision on the cement maker's request.

The good news is that the dust-removal technology touted by the company should be easy to inspect. Surely it has been deployed at another plant by someone within a tolerable drive of Garner, which means town leaders and Greenfield tenants, if they're so inclined, can see it for themselves. We suspect the cement maker would even rent a van for the occasion.

In hindsight, Garner leaders should have thought twice before allowing a residential mental-health treatment center in an industrial park. But that's water under the proverbial bridge, and no one can fault the town for pursuing jobs and tax base.

The question is whether a cement plant would be compatible with the park's other tenants. Our guess is that it would be. But Garner leaders shouldn't take our word for it, and neither should they take the company's. They should answer that question for themselves.