The public, always the last to know

I admit wholeheartedly to being an outsider. I even admit to not only being from one of those counties [Union] dumping their trash on you, but I’m also originally from the most dreaded of all places south of the Mason- Dixon line; Weddington, NC.

Now, if we are past the obligatory eye roll and customary deep sigh that so often appears to follow this announcement, let me say that it does put me in the unique position of being an outsider who has come to know and love many of the people in Anson. I have forged friendships here I will always cherish. In covering your stories, I have learned a lot about Ansonians and one thing I know to be true is your home should be no one’s collective dumping ground.

I was asked many times at Thursday’s public hearing if I would be covering the Vanguard Renewables story.

As an outsider, the only dog I have in this fight is the people of Anson, and so I answered, “Of course.”

I have reported on Anson County for almost two years now and in that time, a lot of you have told me you feel your leaders make decisions secretly without your input.

When it came to public discussions about the Barnyard Peachland Flea Market, Bowers Road resident Joan Shay said, “No one knew that this was coming. We didn’t find out until we saw the trucks and other things driving down our road at all hours of the day and night.”

In November 2024 the board voted to no longer contract with the Rescue Squad and the Anson Record reported; Members of the Rescue Squad admit to feeling surprised by the news, as staff indicate they had no clue the Anson County Board of Commissioners intended to move in a different direction from contracting with them.

At the time, former director of the Rescue Squad, Tyler Greene said, “I am very grateful for all the commissioners have done and for the opportunity to serve the citizens of Anson County. No one has ever communicated this to me, but I did get a sense the writing seemed to be on the wall.”

Polkton and Burnsville citizens have repeatedly brought water contamination and environmental damage concerns before commissioners; and though our reporters may have changed, the Anson Record has chronicled it all.

Now, Vanguard Renewables, a subsidiary of Blackrock, is interested in opening an Anaerobic Digestion and Depackaging Facility on land in Ansonville that is owned by Stanly County farmers; Thurman Burleson and Sons. Coincidentally, neighbors tell me the land was cleared a year ago, around May 2024, when the board passed its first ever county zoning ordinance.

Vanguard Renewables Thursday night meet- and- greet social at the Ansonville Fire Department was once again the same old story. Neighbor to the Burleson land is Margaret Barrett who tells me her first inkling of the project came only a few days prior to Thursday’s meeting when a tiny sign she could barely read appeared in the ground next door to the home she has lived in for 25 years.

Barrett said, “I didn’t know- why was this kept a secret”?

Speaking at the May 6, 2024, public hearing on the zoning ordinance, Otis Rogers Jr. noted, “There are things in this particular zoning [plan] that to me do not make sense. With the landfill, again, that is a major issue and it’s like that as a board it was not paid attention to. We told you the same thing last time, last year and we are saying the same thing again. A landfill can go into a RA5 and other rural districts, housing districts? That makes no sense. I don’t know if Waste Connections is part of any of these boards here, but it makes no sense. We already know about the foul smells, the heavy truck traffic, and for the last several weeks we have been talking about a flea market, but this is just as bad.”

Speaking from the crowd that night, one woman demanded “If you are going to regulate things that are of concern to citizens, why not deal with it now? Let’s just say that on landfills, let’s get rid of them or not even have the option available for a RA5 residential community.”

Chairman Caudle answered, “We have to start somewhere. If we make that decision tonight, then we have to advertise for another public hearing thirty days from now. I can promise you that in thirty days someone else will have a concern they need changed and it is a never-ending cycle where zoning never happens. We will address, I assure you, the landfill going forward in RA districts.”

With the public adamantly against landfills, why have commissioners previously appeared dismissive of constituents’ concerns over allowing landfills and businesses of their ilk to expand into the county?

Previous statements made by past and current commissioners seem to indicate that even certain commissioners have been left in the dark when it comes to discussions related to important decisions facing their constituents.

Following the September 2023 vote approving county-wide voting under the previous commissioner board, Commissioner Priscilla Little-Reid said, “Who on this board got together and decided they wanted to put this resolution together, because it wasn’t me and it wasn’t Commissioner Smith. It is always the same four people [commissioners]. You get together and discuss it, but we never know about it until it gets on the agenda and we gotta discuss it then. Why not involve all of us when you are doing it, instead of the same four doing it all the time.”

Agreeing with Little-Reid, former Commissioner Smith said at the time, “I didn’t know anything about this thing y’all put together here tonight.”

Why does there seem to be a pattern of discussions about momentous issues, such as county-wide voting or allowing casinos, taking place behind closed doors and seemingly with only select commissioners present, and therefore only select districts represented?

Have other undisclosed meetings taken place with outside entities, such as in the case of Almond Miner and the Cordish Companies of Baltimore?

Anson, I implore you, please do not allow your leaders to saddle you with the moniker “Trash County.”

Please do not allow your county’s most precious commodity, its land, to be sold out so people in other counties can enjoy their time outdoors without caustic odors and fears of generational contamination leaching into their backyards.

Yesterday it was just a little landfill in Polkton [that has expanded how many times now?], tomorrow it’s an Anaerobic Digestion and Depackaging Facility in Ansonville. It is past time for demanding transparency from Anson County leaders on these issues and many others.