HOLLY POND, Ala. — The Holly Pond Town Council on Monday, April 1, tabled a request from Jared Ibrahim, owner of BNF Metals, to modify the Town ordinance that governs activities at his scrapyard on the east side of Holly Pond on U.S. Highway 278, opting instead to schedule a special meeting to consider overhauling the ordinance entirely.
Holly Pond’s scrapyard ordinance was written last year specifically in response to Ibrahim’s plan to locate his facility inside town limits. The current ordinance prohibits burning of any materials at the facility and, in making the request, Ibrahim noted that residential neighbors around him routinely burn garbage and yard debris, and he asked to be allowed to do the same. According to Mayor Carla Hart, Ibrahim agreed to burn no hazardous materials.
Holly Pond currently has no ordinance governing the burning of garbage, except the clause in the scrapyard ordinance.
“He feels it is unfair that he cannot burn wood, paper in a barrel like everyone else is in town,” said Hart.
Councilwoman Deborah Holcomb responded, “I don’t think we should discriminate on one person. The rules should apply to everyone equally.”
Councilman Ricky Carr suggested that other parts of the ordinance needed to be considered as well, to which Hart proposed a separate workshop meeting to consider the entire ordinance.
Eric and Stephanie Wiseman, who live next door to BNF Metals, attended the council meeting and spoke up with concerns they have been voicing since last summer, including rainwater runoff downhill to their property, complaints from their children and family animals turning up sick without explanation.
Eric Wiseman told the council, “You turn around and take the burn ban from him, it’s just basically giving him whatever he wanted to do from the get-go,” suggesting that most of what would be burned in a metal scrapyard would not be nonhazardous materials like wood or paper. Hart countered that Ibrahim would still be restricted to non-hazardous materials.
The council scheduled a special meeting at 5 p.m. on Monday, April 15, at Holly Pond Town Hall to consider the ordinance.
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