OCT 20th, 2020 — 

As you might know, there is a Franklin common council meeting scheduled TONIGHT to discuss and decide on Strauss Slaughterhouse/meatpacking proposal. At this meeting, the Common Council meeting would vote "Yes" or "No" which would be the deciding factor for this slaughterhouse. This is our last chance to voice our concern and to oppose this 30-acre, 152,000 square-foot (4-acre building) slaughterhouse on W. Loomis Rd & Ryan Rd.

We're requesting all especially Franklin residents to come forward and give your statement at the public hearing in front of the common council. Strauss would like to build a new massive building to convert operations to killing up to 500 beef cows/day initially. The least we can do is carve out a little time to speak for our community and the many risks this Slaughterhouse poses. Don't be shy to speak in public as this will help the cause. Please find below the details for the common council meeting :

Unless otherwise changed, October 20th Strauss’ Special Use application will be voted on by Common Council.

City Clerk's Office
Phone:  414-425-7500

Date: Oct 20th, 2020

Time: 6.30 pm

Address: Franklin City Hall 9229 W. Loomis Road Franklin

Each person will have 3 minutes to give a statement at a public hearing. Try to use all your 3 minutes to make a strong case against the expansion. You can come prepared with your notes and read from your pre-written notes. More the merrier in this case as we can show how much we oppose this expansion. A few points of contention are :

The Franklin Fire Department has noted concerns “regarding the storage of large amounts of (anhydrous) ammonia, particularly as it is an explosive chemical that also can be a corrosive/irritant and asphyxiant.”
“Staff noted that the proposed use would have a longer wait time with respect to fire and EMS calls for service, and likely unacceptable for the industry standard.” 
Purchase of “park” land for Water Tower Park will be voted on immediately after and is more than likely needed for Strauss’ water intensive operation. 
City Engineer Glen Morrow has said that Strauss is one of the “largest water users”
Exploitation of Immigrant workers
Animal Cruelty
Negative impact to our Air, water, and land 
Negative impact to the market values of adjacent properties
Texas-based Insight Equity is the majority owner and has no interest in the Franklin community except for their own profits
Strauss Brands had undocumented workers on their payroll. 
Lack of clear information to show the economic advantage to the residents of Franklin 
Noise pollution
Odor to the adjacent residential neighborhoods
Franklin has become the hub for less desirable businesses like Dumps, Junkyards & slaughterhouses
Potential higher crime in our neighborhood   
Slaughterhouses are one of the biggest spreaders of COVID
Truck traffic delivering cattle during the night time 
Why Is Strauss Brand getting a tax break when the residents have to pay taxes on market values? This area is M-1 so it is only assessed at 60% of value.
Strauss Brand lacks transparency even though it is one of its core values
Impact to our road with trucks bringing heavy loads of animals
Do we need a slaughterhouse in the middle of a residential neighborhood?
Meat Production is an outdated industry. Plant-based food production industry is growing
Impact of Animal Agriculture on our plant
Impact on meat on human health
Psychological impact on our kids who would see cattle being delivered for slaughter
Slaughterhouse a mile away from a future elementary school
Ozone is being discussed as an anti-odor option. Look to the epa for dangers of Ozone
 

Please reach out to Marcelino Rivera III (marcelinoriveraiii@yahoo.com) if you have any questions. This is a group effort and we can't do this alone without your help. Thanks in advance for your help.