Board approves non‑construction expansion permit for Wayne Gearhart
Summary
Following a public hearing, the board approved a permit labeled 'construction permit' for Wayne Gearhart but, by staff and engineer explanation, treated as a non‑construction expansion: the facility's permitted capacity will increase from 4,800 to 4,868 head (an addition of 68 head) with no new construction and with manure management unchanged.
The board opened and closed a public hearing on a permit application for Wayne Gearhart and approved the resolution on the permit language after a brief exchange about the correct terminology. Kent Krause, who identified himself at the hearing, explained the request as a "non‑construction expansion permit" to add 68 head to an existing site originally permitted in 2006. He said site setbacks and the manure management plan were unchanged and the master scoring matrix still produced a passing score (445 points).
Supervisors asked clarifying questions about whether the resolution should use 'construction' or 'expansion' language; engineers expressed a preference for 'expansion permit' while county staff left the resolution wording as presented. After the public hearing was closed, a motion carried to approve the resolution (resolution number as recorded in the transcript).
