Raising a Stink Over Would-Be Neighbor

It’s a sweet deal that may run afoul--a foul odor, that is.

A year ago, Russell Stover announced plans to build a candy-making plant that would bring 600 jobs to this central Texas town. About $270,000 was invested to purchase land and blueprints for the factory were drawn up.

But the rich smell of chocolate may never reach Corsicana if Griffin Industries is allowed to build a grease and fat processing plant nearby. Russell Stover claims such a plant will contaminate its sweets, a charge Griffin vehemently denies.

“It’s an issue of simply our inability to locate in proximity to a potential odor source,” said Tom Ward, Russell Stover’s co-president and chief operating officer.

“The bottom line is that that plant is going to cost between $55 million and $65 million of my money, and I’m not going to spend that much when there is a potential problem,” he said.

In an attempt to waylay Griffin from building and save the Russell Stover deal, Corsicana officials passed an ordinance in January prohibiting rendering plants from locating within city limits.

Griffin Industries, in turn, filed a lawsuit in March, alleging that city officials overstepped their boundaries and reneged on prior promises.

“I know of no such promises,” said Ron Lynch, who was previously the public works director and has been filling in as city manager for the past few months.

No trial date has been scheduled, but earlier this month Corsicana introduced a second ordinance that would give the city the power to regulate the rendering plant.

William Shirley, a partner with Griffin, says the idea of odors emanating from the rendering plant are “absolutely preposterous” and the company plans on setting up the plant regardless of the disagreements.

“We’re not going to emit any odors,” he said. “We have to meet the state regulations with air scrubbers and so on.”

“We have a great site, and we’re not going to cause anybody any problems,” Shirley said.

But Griffin’s practices have sparked complaints and citations at two of its other sites in Texas. The company has facilities in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Bastrop and Wylie.

Since Griffin acquired its Bastrop facility in March 1988, the company has been cited 22 times for nuisance-level odors, according to the Texas Natural Resource and Conservation Commission.

Texas Byproducts, a Griffin affiliate, has had eight violations since September 1991. The Wylie company paid a $12,000 penalty for five of the violations, while the remaining 25 citations still are being negotiated, according to Terry Hadley, a spokesman with the TNRCC.

The company must ask the TNRCC for air and water permits to operate in the Corsicana area.

A group of citizens, People United for the Environment, or PUE, is fighting to get the permits denied.

“The citizens are upset to learn that a stinky rendering plant, which would employ so few may cost so many job opportunities and dim the future of so many citizens,” said John Mason, the organization’s president.

The Griffin plant would create 50 jobs for the area.

Corsicana has unemployment of 5.5% and is counting on Russell Stover to be its largest employer. Lynch said if the candy company decides against coming, “We can’t help but look at it as anything short of economic disaster for our community.”

Potential job loss is not the only concern for Corsicana citizens.

“We’re definitely against it,” said Xina Matthews, who works at the Collin St. Bakery, which also officially has opposed the rendering plant. “I used to be near a rendering plant in Houston in the late ‘60s. It would wake me up in the middle of the night and I would gag.”