Residents voice concerns about ‘putrid smell’ from chicken barns
TRENTON, Tenn. — At Monday’s County Commission meeting in Gibson County, multiple Yorkville residents voiced their concerns about a “putrid smell” in the town.
According to Tammy Ladd, a resident of Yorkville, this odor comes from the 16 chicken barns surrounding the town.
“The odor is so terrible. Everybody needs to come experience it,” Ladd said. “If you don’t have a problem with chicken barns, build next to one. It’s a putrid, urine, ammonia smell. The whole town smells it. We smell it at our school for our children. We smell it at our dollar store. We smell it at our churches.”
Ladd says that not only is the odor unbearable, but she’s also concerned for the health and safety of the townspeople. She says she worries about the waste, the water quality around the barns, and the townspeople breathing the air.
Ladd says after doing research, the owners of the barns do not live in Yorkville, so they aren’t forced to smell it.
“It’s outsiders. Its people from Cordova, Memphis, it’s people like that that come in and buy our land and then we have to smell it,” Ladd said.
Ladd was among multiple Yorkville residents that addressed the commission Monday during their meeting. However, Ladd presented in a unique way. During her speech she wore a yellow feathered scarf, brought picket signs, and put together a poster board presentation.
“Why I had the yellow feathers and the sign that says ‘Shame on you, our town smells like poo,’ because if you don’t do things like that you are not remembered,” Ladd said. “So yes, I do things like that because I want them to remember me.”
Ladd says her requests of the commission are to amend the resolution that says chicken barns have be 100 feet from property lines to a further distance, and not allow more to be built.
While Gibson County Mayor Nelson Cunningham chose not to appear on camera, he did say they’re receptive and the citizens concerns did not fall on deaf ears.
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