Businessman proposes Powell slaughterhouse

Council considers whether to allow such a project in city limits

Posted 9/24/20

The Powell City Council signaled a willingness to change city ordinances in order to pave the way for a meat processing facility in an industrial zone on the south side of town, if a number of …

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Businessman proposes Powell slaughterhouse

Council considers whether to allow such a project in city limits

Posted

The Powell City Council signaled a willingness to change city ordinances in order to pave the way for a meat processing facility in an industrial zone on the south side of town, if a number of concerns can be addressed. 

David Peterson, who owns the Proud Cut Saloon in Cody, wants to establish a meat processing facility at 887 E. North Street, the former location of Freedom Fitness. Peterson’s goal is to not only provide meat for the Proud Cut but also other restaurants and potentially grocery stores. The business would have a retail storefront as well.

Initially, Peterson said, the plant would have 14 full-time positions, which he estimates would increase to 30 or more within a year. They would process about 30 animals per week on two slaughter days per week.

Peterson said he would like to have the facility operational by the end of the year. This would be especially important should he pursue funding through a state program funded with federal CARES Act money. The program aims to expand processing capacity in the state, but one of the stipulations is that the facility be operational by Dec. 31.

However, current city code prohibits the keeping of livestock in the city limits, as well as slaughtering of animals, with a couple exceptions for the Park County Fairgrounds and Northwest College. Peterson is asking the county to permit state or federally inspected slaughtering facilities in industrial zones.

“We are pro-business, and we want to figure out how to make this work,” Mayor John Wetzel said of the request. “But we also want to make sure some of these concerns are addressed.”

   

Local beef

Peterson said the initiative to build his own processing plant came from his experience operating the Proud Cut, which he acquired last winter. Many customers, he said, ask where he sources his beef.

“Either I have to say, ‘I don’t know,’ or ‘I have a rough idea.’ But it’s not Wyoming,” Peterson said.

Nearly 80% of all meat in the United States is processed by four major companies, and there are no major packing plants in Wyoming. This means ranchers have to ship most of their produce out of state for processing at large factories, which mix all the meat together. At that point, it can’t be marketed as Wyoming beef or satisfy other niche markets, such as organic.

In order to provide retail meat to restaurants and grocery stores, processing facilities must be state inspected — and they need to be USDA inspected to sell out of state. Facilities like  Roger’s Meat Processing in Powell and Wyoming Legacy Meats in Cody have those certifications but are often booked up for months in advance.

Rebekah Burns, executive director of the Powell Economic Partnership (PEP), spoke in support of Peterson’s request, saying the area has an agriculture-centered economy with some “gaps.”

“We are so proud of our local beef,” Burns said, and yet, you typically can’t find Wyoming beef served in local restaurants.

To illustrate the problem, Burns referred to the efforts of Powell’s Murraymere Farms to market their beef to markets in Taiwan, where it’s sold as Wyoming beef at five-star restaurants. Yet, lack of processing capacity makes it difficult to sell to local establishments.

“It’s not just about another business coming into Powell,” Burns said.

  

Being a good neighbor

Burns noted that the requested change to the city ordinance would not allow people to slaughter animals in their front yard, and prohibitions on such activities would remain in place. The amendment Peterson requested would only allow facilities with state or federal inspection, which have oversight during the slaughter process.

The primary rationale for prohibiting such operations in city limits is the smell and noise. However, Peterson said his facility was being designed to help minimize odors. It will have a pen inside the facility, with the areas well drained. The animals will come to the facility on the two days per week they plan to slaughter, rather than housing them there for days. The inedibles — such as bones, teeth, fur, and hoofs — will be stored in closed drums and then hauled away to the Park County landfill within a day of slaughter; the drums will also be stored in chilled rooms so they aren’t rotting.

“The business wants to be a good neighbor and mitigate the noise and smells that people might be concerned about,” Burns said.

The East North Street property is zoned industrial general, which is defined as areas set aside for activities that might create a nuisance that aren’t compatible with residential areas.

Councilor Floyd Young expressed concern that permitting this facility would open the town up to more slaughterhouses in the city limits.

Burns said that wasn’t likely to happen, because it’s such an arduous process to get state or federal approval for such facilities. She showed a large stack of papers, saying it was a copy of the state regulations.

“It is quite an undertaking,” Burns said.

   

The right location

Councilor Tim Sapp asked Peterson if he had looked outside the city limits for properties that could house the operation.

Peterson said EPA regulations would greatly slow the process and make the project infeasible outside the city limits; for instance, Peterson said they’d need pits for disposal of water, as well as other water issues they’d have to address.

Sapp mentioned Rocky Mountain Custom Cuts plans to start a slaughterhouse in a former city-owned facility south of Powell. However, the project never came to fruition, and both the facility and land was sold to another buyer for a proposed manufacturing site earlier this year.

Councilor Young asked Peterson if he’d looked at Cody, which does permit slaughterhouses in city limits. Peterson said he wanted this to be more of a Park County business than just a Cody operation.

“I feel there’s a lot in Cody already, and I’d like to get to Powell,” he said.

Wetzel discussed the impacts animal blood would have on the city’s sewage system.

Peterson said a grease interceptor would collect solids and mitigate that impact. He said some blood helps municipal water ponds, but Wetzel said he had heard otherwise.

City Administrator Zack Thorington suggested that Wastewater Superintendent Ty McConnell discuss the issue with Cody’s wastewater department — and any other cities that allow processing within city limits — to see what problems Powell might face if it had such a facility.

“I would suggest that we have our city engineers for wastewater be part of the plan, if there is to be one,” Thorington also urged.

Should the council move forward with amending the city code, Wetzel suggested it cap the number of animals that can be slaughtered per day. The state, for example, has limits on the number of commercial beehives that are permitted per square mile.

“The devil’s in the details here,” Wetzel said, but if Peterson is willing to invest in mitigation efforts, the mayor said the plan could work. 

“We have a sanitation department that stores trash in town … We have a transfer station that’s highly successful, and we don’t have any complaints about the smell of trash from our transfer station,” Wetzel said.

   

A win-win

Young said he spoke to ranchers in the area who were very supportive of the idea.

“They really want it,” he said.

Burns also spoke to potential for partnerships with Northwest College’s agricultural programs.

“Wouldn’t it be a perfect pairing to have an actual slaughter and meat processing facility within the city of Powell that they can intern with?” she said.

Thorington pointed out that a change in ordinance would require three readings, and the requested changes might require a zoning process. Before an effective change ordinance could be written and the process for the change laid out, Powell Assistant Attorney Scott Kath said he’d need a lot more details.

None of the councilors expressed overt opposition to the request, but they agreed a lot more research would be needed before anything could move forward. The goal is to have many more questions answered, including the legal verbiage, by the next council meeting on Oct. 5. No action was taken at Monday’s meeting.

“I believe we want this to go forward. I do personally; I’m seeing some heads nod [among councilors],” Wetzel said. “We just have to make sure it’s a win-win.”

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