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Construction is underway for a concrete batch plant coming to Middletown, and people living in the area have a number of concerns.

SI Ready Mix is building the plant in a lot on Aiken Road, across from the Lake Forest neighborhood.

Lake Forest neighbors said they were not notified about the project and are worried about the plant's possible impact on their health. Residents like Colette Koetsier said they feel out of the loop about the entire process. "I'm finding it strange that we weren't notified," she said. "We weren't given the opportunity to voice our opinion."

The lack of communication about the project is something Louisville Metro District 19 Councilman Anthony Piagentini acknowledged.

"Everybody that was supposed to be informed via mail has indicated they were not, so that's concerning," he said.

Neighbors' biggest concerns, however, are trucks going in and out of the area and the potential health risk of having a concrete batch plant close to their homes.

"I think it's just going to be detrimental, not only for traffic but noise, dust, health and safety," neighbor Koetsier said.

"There are grade schools near this area, there's an adult rehabilitation center near this area, all with people who like to be outside," said Kara Biery, who also lives in Lake Forest. "It's a serious detriment to their health."

While the plant will produce emissions, Matt King with the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District said the health impact will not be significant.

"The main concern with emissions is the particulate matter," King said. "They're going to be mixing sand and rock, cement to make concrete and those can produce some dust. We require facilities to use filtration systems to knock that dust down, but there will still be some acceptable emissions from these facilities."

According to King, concrete batch plants are required to operate within APCD guidelines. As long as the plant follows air pollution regulations, King said the plant would not have a serious health risk for people living in the area.

"Small particles can get in your lungs and cause breathing issues," he explained. "Really small particles we call fine particulate, they can actually enter the bloodstream and cause some significant health issues, but when well controlled they are often seen as more of a nuisance than a health issue."

The concrete company, SI Ready Mix, presented its plan to build the plant at a development review committee meeting in March, where it was approved.

The company then applied for an APCD permit to determine whether the right air pollution controls are in place at the facility to keep people safe in surrounding areas. The APCD is currently reviewing the application and expects to have a draft permit available for public viewing in the next few weeks.

While construction has started at the site on Aiken Road, SI Ready Mix cannot install any air pollution control equipment until that permit is granted.

Meanwhile, people in Lake Forest are demanding more transparency.

"My office has been pummeled with requests to have public meetings related to the Air Pollution Control Board to look at the regulations that would allow a concrete plant this close to residential neighborhoods," said Councilman Piagentini.

In response, the councilman is hosting a meeting Thursday so neighbors can ask questions and voice concerns about the project. The meeting is at 6:30 p.m. at the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church across from the construction site.

"There should've been a lot more effort to communicate and make sure we know what's going on," said Louis Humes, Senior Pastor at the church.

Anyone interested in staying up to date on the process is encouraged to sign up for the mailing list on the Air Pollution Control District website, monitor the district's social media, or call the APCD directly at 502-574-6000.

WLKY reached out to the owner of SI Ready Mix, who declined an interview.

The company released the following statement:

"SI Ready Mix’s concrete mixing plant at Aiken Road was unanimously approved through a publicly noticed hearing several months ago. The property on which the mixing plant is located is not in the Lake Forest subdivision. It is located on property that has been zoned Industrial (M-3) for several decades, long pre-dating the development of Lake Forest. The primary operations of the site are removed from Aiken Road and appropriate landscape buffers will be utilized to improve aesthetics. This industrial area already includes a rock quarry, making the location of the mixing plant appropriate to serve the tremendous construction growth in this area of our community. In obtaining its permits and approvals, SI Ready Mix has not only complied with all relevant regulations, it has exceeded them, which it will continue to do as a good neighbor, and to provide needed services for the growing area."

If granted an APCD permit, the concrete batch plant would operate at 13905 Aiken Road.

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