Warkworth – The composting facility proposed at the edge of Warkworth has been put on hold by an interim control bylaw approved unanimously by Trent Hills council last week.

The municipality will use the year it has given itself to review land use policies governing “any proposed use and the finishing and packaging of composted fertilizer in Trent Hills.”

The bylaw and policy review was triggered by intense opposition to plans by Bio Balance Fertilizers Inc. to compost agricultural wastes using two separate sites – the former Warkworth Cheese Factory on Old Hastings Road where the material would be finished, packaged and shipped, and a lot on the 14th Concession where the cheese maker used to dump its whey before closing in the early 1980s.
Council’s move March 2 took Bio Balance president Don Carr by surprise.

“It’s not necessarily a showstopper for us,” he said, but it is “another obstacle.”

Bio Balance is still waiting to hear from the Ministry of Environment on an application for a certificate of approval to operate a composting facility on the property where the whey lagoon was once in use. The land is zoned M4 for industrial use

Carr said his company’s plan to use the former cheese factory to complete the composting process “is on hold” because of the interim control bylaw now in effect.

“There is no point moving ahead with that,” he said.

The memorandum of understanding Bio Balance has with the owner of the former cheese factory, Arnold Dudley, is “up in the air,” Carr said. “We are not going to hold him up and pay rent on something we aren’t going to use.”

The signed lease agreement for the composting site elsewhere in Percy ward remains intact, however.

“This is a delay – but we feel confident it is going to work out in terms of approvals and environmental standards to be met and redevelopment of brownfield sites such as this one where composting is an acceptable use,” Carr said. “The province is encouraging use of this kind of site as a sustainable development initiative.

“What is important here I think is we look forward to having an opportunity to meet with the planning department, to meet with council and continue a dialogue with the community as to our intentions with that site,” he said.

The last time an interim control bylaw was used locally was back in the 1990s in connection with a group home and again in 2001 relating to factory farms, Trent Hills director of planning Jim Peters noted in a report to council.

The municipality has been presented with two proposals for composting facilities in the past 18 months. The first was rejected by council, which refused to approve amendments to the official plan and zoning bylaw that were needed to permit the proposed use.

Council voted to engage Clark Consulting Services at a cost of $10,000 “to conduct a policies review governing composting operations in Trent Hills and prepare the necessary policy options.”

Councillor Dean Peters said he was “relieved” that staff had recommended council adopt the interim control bylaw because Bio Balance’s proposal had “caused an enormous amount of anxiety in the community resulting in half a dozen well-thought-out letters to the MOE.

“It gives us more time to learn more of the process. It gives us an opportunity to find out what our real role is in protecting our community,” he said.

Councillor Rosemary Kelleher-MacLennan pointed out the province is in the midst of assessing the vulnerability of sources of drinking water and what can be done to protect them. She said the impact of a proposed composting facility on local watersheds should be considered.

Mayor Hector Macmillan was not able to attend the March 2 meeting but he stated his position in a letter: “Until Trent Hills has identified where any such facility should be located, or if indeed there actually even is a suitable location in Trent Hills for any such facility, I believe proper due diligence and control must be established immediately until these questions are answered.”

John Vangemeren, a vocal opponent to the proposed facility, was pleased by council’s decision.

“I feel confident that the municipality will have time now to develop policies and regulations concerning composting factories. As new technologies develop our land use policies must keep up the pace and this is a step in the right direction. Bio Balance needs to understand that this is our community and must respect the concerns of Trent Hill’s residents.”