How does it happen that, seemingly overnight, Plumstead’s township meetings are standing room only, their roadsides are peppered with protest signs and are making headlines above the fold? Situated one hour north of the Philadelphia’s Vine Street Expressway and two hours southwest of the Holland Tunnel to lower Manhattan, Plumstead is known for its quiet, peaceful setting. It’s why many of the residents have never left and why others have chosen to move their families or to retire in the area. The tranquil setting they sought, they found in Plumstead and the threat of disrupting that existence has united them in a common cause—the wholesale rejection of a proposed plan for 6124 Potters Lane. A New England solid waste recycler is proposing to install a site one mile from Plumstead town square, amidst houses, schools, churches and businesses. That’s how it happens.
At the October 8 Board of Supervisors Meeting, one in five of the 100-plus attendees stood, spoke and signed their name to the sheet in the front of the room. During the allotted 45 minutes reserved for public comment, the chorus of concerns expressed to the board by residents and business owners included:
- “We’ve lived in the township 23 years. We fully support the resistance. We can’t let this company come in and pollute our beautiful township.”
- “Who will do the monitoring?”
- “We have to appreciate our environment and if we have any control over it, we should keep it as clean as possible.”
- “Seems to me from the get-go this has been all screwed up.”
- “Why did they pick us? There’s a lot of little towns between here and New England.”
- “We are here fighting for our children. To be able to breathe clean air, to be able to drink clean water. It’s absurd.”
- “You wanna have the smells and the reasons why we live here impacted—the wildlife? And, yes, who wants rats?”
To track how this opposition movement has bloomed into what it’s become in a matter of weeks, you have to rewind to mid-September.
The fighters behind the fight
“At the September 17 zoning board hearing, 30-40 people had turned up in opposition to an application by a solid waste recycling company,” said Andrew Marcum, co-founder of the nonprofit organization Friends Against Bright Feeds. The organization describes Bright Feeds as a New England solid waste recycler that converts human food waste into supplement for animal feeds. The company proposed to open Potters Lane location would bring in 400 tons of waste per day from out-of-state to undergo industrial processes to create the supplement.
“Some had received a letter from the township, others had seen posts on Facebook. It was clear that there was a large contingent of local community members who were passionate about this cause and absolutely did not want a food waste recycler in their back yard.” Andrew decided to look into this issue, figuring his professional skills in corporate strategy and marketing could benefit the cause. “This is really my first foray into local politics and in founding a nonprofit organization.”
Andrew’s drive to take action stems from the environment in which he’d grown up, in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, where he saw first-hand the detrimental effects that industrial pollution can cause. Throughout the 1990s, during Andrew’s formative years in the small Ohio river town, DuPont chemical pumped poisonous chemicals into a landfill which then seeped into the groundwater, eventually spilling into the Ohio River. Having affected the entire town’s water supply, everyone with a well was exposed to the forever chemical, C8. “No one worried about the harmful effects that it would have on the people of my community. They were happy to have jobs,” said the young father of three. “To this day, I won’t drink the water when I’m back in WV visiting family.”
“We all understand growth and development and some people like to call it progress. But it isn’t always progress. It’s disruption.” – Elaine Eib
The nonprofit’s co-founder Bob Mergner, whose Applebutter Road home is about a mile from the proposed site, had a different takeaway from the September 17 meeting. “The next morning, my wife left for work at about 6:05 a.m. and I told her, as she was getting into her car, that I was not going to get involved,” said the retired software developer. “I was very discouraged by the chaos of the prior night’s meeting and felt like there was nothing I could do that would make any difference.” Then Bob scrolled through Facebook and saw Andrew’s posts. “I had briefly met him the night before while we were waiting for the township to unlock the doors to the meeting hall. He posted about his family, why they moved here, and how upset he was with the situation. One of his posts said something to the effect of ‘We have to fight this.’ Something about those posts made me change my mind about getting involved. I messaged him my phone number, told him we had to hire an attorney and asked him to call me. We spoke for about twenty minutes and formulated a plan.”
Reflecting on that early morning call with Bob, Andrew said, “It was encouraging to find another person who understood what was at risk and willing to put in the effort to work together, organize and fight this development. “Andrew and Bob both felt like there must be more people who would stand opposed and get involved if they only knew about it. “Within 24 hours, we submitted paperwork to the state of Pennsylvania to establish the nonprofit, set up a Facebook group page and a GoFundMe to get organized.”
Bob described how it snowballed from there. “We were contacted by other concerned and motivated people, and we decided to coordinate our efforts and asked them to join us.”
A seven-member committee was soon formed. “Many of the committee members had been at the first zoning board meeting on September 17,” said Andrew. “We all came together initially as a group that realized we had to use the law and zoning to our advantage. I think that is probably the first thing that really characterized us—none of us wanted Bright Feeds here, but we knew that we would have to move beyond emotions to rationally fight this in a coherent way.” Andrew believes the group reflects a cross-section of people who represent the community well while offering specific skills and viewpoints at the same time. “Folks like Rob Hall, who is deeply connected to the community and has been here 40 plus years or Gene McColligan who has a background in environment science. Rounding out the committee are Bob and Katie Mergner, Loyd Bush, Jr., and Robert Bradley. “We are all united by wanting to fight Bright Feeds but all able to lean in with our own unique perspectives and skills,” Andrew said.
“I’ve never participated in anything like this before.” – Loyd Bush, Jr.
“Our aim is twofold: to get the word out and raise money. The September meetings started out with 30-40 now in October, up to 150 are attending, 1,000 plus supporters are on Facebook, over 4,500 site visits on SavePlumstead.net and 700 signs deployed throughout the neighborhood,” Andrew said.
Both Andrew and Bob are thankful for the help offered by the founders of “Stop the Warehouse,” the battle that had taken place in Buckingham township led by Mike Bateman and Jeff Glauber. “They are both incredible people who truly care about our community and helping others,” Andrew said. “Their help allowed us to navigate this process and get organized way more quickly than what we would have otherwise.” Bob also acknowledged their help. “We owe them both a huge debt of gratitude.”
Gene McColligan was enjoying the life of a retired Ecologist/Environmental Scientist when Bob asked him to join the committee. He’d recently joined the newly formed Tohickon Watershed Association and had started going back to Environmental Advisory Council meetings but things changed dramatically when he got involved with the nonprofit. “Now I’m attending four to five meetings a week with the committee and township boards,” he said. “When I’m not doing that, I’m distributing signs around my neighborhood and doing a lot of networking with folks I meet in my travels. As the Environmental Director for the organization, Gene has conducted limited field inspections of the project site and is forming “a cadre of environmental experts” to work with.
Why here?
Like many other supporters, Gene is concerned about the possible devastation to the watershed, the wetlands and the wildlife. “The project design is new and has never been field-tested anywhere. So, in a few words, the project is a lot like an untried laboratory experiment that could have severe consequences. If I had to summarize it, it’s this: we have not begun to fight.”
Jeanne Northrop, a neighbor to the proposed site with a life sciences background, became involved when she saw the concept plans posted in front of the location. She’s not so much concerned with the company’s overall objectives, but doesn’t believe the operational requirements and the location line up. “It would be more beneficial for all parties if the company operated in an industrial park or other area equipped with infrastructure and resources to support its needs.”
Elaine Eib could have retired in Vermont or Taos, but she picked Plumstead township. Specifically, Ferry Road in Point Pleasant, where she is restoring an 1800s home, located six miles from the proposed site. “It’s my forever home,” she said. The township’s Facebook page was where she first learned about the proposed recycling plant. She started to do some research and wondered: Why here? Where are the studies? Having spent time in the Lehigh Valley, she’s witnessed how quickly a landscape can change. “I watched as the Route 78 bypass was developed right through the Allentown area,” she said. Over the years, Elaine watched as farmland was sold off to industry and the Lehigh Valley became unrecognizable. “We all understand growth and development and some people like to call it progress. But it isn’t always progress. It’s disruption.” As a former Pennsylvania educator with 30 years experience, Elaine has devoted her life to children’s education, health and well-being. “People live here because of the fresh air and the rivers. People live here to raise their families. This would threaten all of that.”
“This is an issue that impacts all of us regardless of our background or preferences and it has been amazing to see everyone come together for a common cause.” – Andrew Marcum, Co-founder of Friends Against Bright Feeds
Melanie Bliss, owner of Hydrangeas’ Estate Sale Management, has been in the area for six years. “When I was made aware of the application I got instantly involved to advocate for my fellow residents and protect the community.” Melanie not only lives near the site but handles many moving/estate sales within one to two miles of Potters Lane. Having been involved in grass roots movements before, she began sharing on her business page to make people aware. “This will gravely affect us and even some of my customers, old and new, as this will undoubtedly affect our home values,” she said. “It is a no brainer this property is not a good fit, period. My plea to the board is for them to use the tools that we, as a caring and knowledgeable group, have given them to move forward and reject this proposal.”
A Plumstead resident since 2014, Loyd Bush Jr., his wife and their daughter live within 1,000 feet of the proposed building on Potter’s Lane. He joined the committee hoping to make a difference and “to help protect our community from potential ruin. I’ve never participated in anything like this before.” After they received a zoning notice letter, the 53-year-old did some research on the company’s Berlin, Connecticut location. Some of his concerns are truck traffic and damage to the watershed due to runoff. “My thoughts were that this will turn out to be another experimental facility and people needed to know what could be a potential nightmare in our township.” Since he’s not on Facebook, Loyd used his wife’s account to post on their community page on September 14, three days before the September 17 meeting when everything started to take off like a rocket.
Gathering hope and forging bonds
Loyd was surprised by the rush of support. “The community donations and involvement have exceeded any and all expectations that our committee had. For this, we are truly thankful. It gives us hope in our mission.”
Bob was similarly struck by how fast everything came together. “Our entire town has stepped up, donating time and money, attending meetings and speaking out in solidarity against this project.”
Melanie acknowledged the bonds made in the community. “Just about everyone I’ve interacted with has been amazing. Several of us have become friends.”
Jeanne shared her reaction to everyone working together. “I’m impressed by the community’s persistence in voicing concerns about this company’s proposed purchase and operations at the current site. It’s inspiring to see such strong commitment to preserving our area and maintaining Plumstead’s rural character.”
Checking politics at the door
Regarding the absence of partisan politics in the group, Bob said, “I expected it to be nonpartisan because this is a quality-of-life issue at its heart. At night, you can see all the stars and it’s as quiet as a church.”
Elaine appreciates the apolitical aspect as well. “We all care about our community and its members and the environment in which we live. That’s what this is about,” she said, adding, “It’s a beautiful thing to watch a community come together. Because this is about our lives, about our homes and this is bigger than any partisan persuasion or political ideology.”
Andrew is proud of the community and the outpouring of support. “This is an issue that impacts all of us regardless of our background or preferences and it has been amazing to see everyone come together for a common cause.”
Looking ahead
In the short term, Andrew believes it’s important for the community to show up in numbers especially for the Planning Commission Work Session Meeting on October 23 and the Board of Supervisors Meeting on November 12. Until then, Andrew says people can help by continuing to spread the word and send letters to the township supervisors. Donating to help fund legal expenses and volunteering are also valuable ways to contribute.
Andrew’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed by his family. “Maybe the moment that made me the most proud was when my nine-year-old twins, when we were driving through Plumstead said, ‘Dad, you and the nonprofit are hometown heroes for Plumstead.’”
