Mega-Shredder Prompts Protest March from Neighbors

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Rich Meyer, left; DeAnna Veatch, 6; and Jason Shenk march Friday afternoon to show their opposition to the Elkhart Mega Shredder. (Tribune Photo/SHAYNA BRESLIN)

By Beth Boehne

Story Created: Oct 21, 2007 at 6:24 PM EST

Story Updated: Dec 3, 2007 at 6:05 PM EST

(AP) Operators of a machine that can crush up to three cars each minute are running into complaints from nearby residents about noise, dust and other nuisances.

Some 70 people marched through downtown Elkhart on Friday, waving signs and showing support for people living near Sturgis Iron and Metal's "mega-shredder," which dismantles junk cars into scrap metal.

The protest focused on the location of the business, not its owner, said Darrin Snyder Belousek, vice president of a neighborhood group called Residents for Environmentalism Stand Together.

"We do not protest the company," he said. "We do not protest their rights to make a profit."

Belousek's group is concerned about the shredder's impact on several hundred homes in the neighborhood. Some say they've had to live with noise, vibrations, odors, dust and explosions from the business since the shredder arrived in February 2006.

Marchers hoped to let city officials know they are very unhappy with the way neighbors of the business have been treated the past year, said Ron Davis, Elkhart County NAACP president.

An agreement between Elkhart and Sturgis spelled out deadlines and remedies Sturgis must make to fix problems at the site. Belousek said that while the agreement was in place, Sturgis was exempt from meeting city zoning codes.

The agreement ended in June, and the city has since been working to determine whether the shredder's issues have been resolved. Consultants performed tests on noise, vibration, dust and odors, and those results are currently being analyzed, city officials have said.

The city has planned a meeting Thursday to review results with the neighborhood group and Sturgis. A public meeting will follow.

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