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The possibility of a hog farm moving into a farm in Penfield has neighbors worried about what exactly this means for them and their property values.
A sign out in Penfield reads, “Hog Farm Coming Soon." People who live near Jackson Road in Penfield are concerned about the thought of hogs moving into their neighborhood. But they can hold their horses, because the farmer hasn’t gotten approval from the town, yet.
Some neighbors like Anne and Bob Kurek are concerned. “I was shocked. I never thought that would occur,” said Anne Kurek.
The Kurek’s first noticed the sign a few months ago when they drove by. They’ve lived across the street from the farm for 20 years, and just recently decided to move. “I’ve been working on this house for about a year, trying to paint it and fix up little things that needed to be fixed up before we put it on the market, and I thought, ‘well, this isn’t going to help our efforts,’” said Bob Kurek.
Tom Clary is the man behind the sign. He says he wants to bring about 40 to 50 hogs to his farm. Clary says the community is moving in too close to his farm, and he wants to prove a point that he can do whatever he wants on his land.
“I’m trying to create a buffer between agricultural land and residential. There is going to be high density housing in the back of us, and the town’s comprehensive plan states they want to have some kind of buffer, and the buffer doesn’t really exist, so I am creating my own.”
Clary hasn’t yet started the process with the town, but he owns 30 acres off Jackson Road, and the town supervisor says that’s more than enough.
Under our current ordinance, property owners need to own a minimum of five acres. If you are housing an animal, it has to be 100 feet from your property line. So the housing of animals, or manure or other obnoxious odors, has to be 100 feet from the property line,” said Town Supervisor Tony LaFountain.
But for the Kurek’s, they say they just don’t want the farm affecting their future.
“He has a right to farm, if he has a few hogs, I don’t think that’s going to harm anybody, but if he brings in hundreds of hogs, and has to dispose of their waste then I think that’s going to be a big problem, “ said Bob Kurek.
Clary says he hopes to bring in the pigs by April, but again he hasn’t started the approval process with the town.
—WHEC.com
The possibility of a hog farm moving into a farm in Penfield has neighbors worried about what exactly this means for them and their property values.
A sign out in Penfield reads, “Hog Farm Coming Soon." People who live near Jackson Road in Penfield are concerned about the thought of hogs moving into their neighborhood. But they can hold their horses, because the farmer hasn’t gotten approval from the town, yet.
Some neighbors like Anne and Bob Kurek are concerned. “I was shocked. I never thought that would occur,” said Anne Kurek.
The Kurek’s first noticed the sign a few months ago when they drove by. They’ve lived across the street from the farm for 20 years, and just recently decided to move. “I’ve been working on this house for about a year, trying to paint it and fix up little things that needed to be fixed up before we put it on the market, and I thought, ‘well, this isn’t going to help our efforts,’” said Bob Kurek.
Tom Clary is the man behind the sign. He says he wants to bring about 40 to 50 hogs to his farm. Clary says the community is moving in too close to his farm, and he wants to prove a point that he can do whatever he wants on his land.
“I’m trying to create a buffer between agricultural land and residential. There is going to be high density housing in the back of us, and the town’s comprehensive plan states they want to have some kind of buffer, and the buffer doesn’t really exist, so I am creating my own.”
Clary hasn’t yet started the process with the town, but he owns 30 acres off Jackson Road, and the town supervisor says that’s more than enough.
Under our current ordinance, property owners need to own a minimum of five acres. If you are housing an animal, it has to be 100 feet from your property line. So the housing of animals, or manure or other obnoxious odors, has to be 100 feet from the property line,” said Town Supervisor Tony LaFountain.
But for the Kurek’s, they say they just don’t want the farm affecting their future.
“He has a right to farm, if he has a few hogs, I don’t think that’s going to harm anybody, but if he brings in hundreds of hogs, and has to dispose of their waste then I think that’s going to be a big problem, “ said Bob Kurek.
Clary says he hopes to bring in the pigs by April, but again he hasn’t started the approval process with the town.
—WHEC.com
