No hope for the Seed of Hope Farm

The Bureau County Board voted to deny the conditional use permit for the property called the Seed of Hope Farm at last night’s board meeting. Steve Graham, one of the founding members and spokesperson for this ministry, failed to appear in time to make his case for the two-story, 12 bedroom residential care facility. The property is located on Bottom Road, east of Tiskilwa, between the Hennepin Canal and the railroad. Farmers Dale Kimberley and Terry Munson spoke to the Board expressing some of their concerns. Both stated safety issues including flooding in the area, a nearby underpass not tall enough for big fire trucks if there is a fire, it’s a mosquito area and there’s concern about the West Nile Virus, tornadoes could be a problem because the house plans call for the facility to be built on girders above the ground, and the train tracks are close causing concern about a derailment of possible dangerous chemicals. Munson presented the board with a petition signed by all adjacent landowners that are opposed to this project. Earlier the Zoning Board of Appeals voted 4-to-1 in favor of the permit with stipulations. The Zoning Board made no recommendations. Fifteen board members voted to deny the permit while 7 voted in favor.