Iola Planning Commission members endorsed a special use permit for Shane Lamb of De Soto on Wednesday night to pursue a tire-shredding operation at 17 E. Portland, the site of the former Lehigh Cement Plant.
The 7-acre site abuts the Lehigh Portland Trail, a popular walking and biking path on the south side of town.
Lamb envisions his company, FMS North America, Inc., of processing thousands of tons of discarded tires a week and employing as many as 50.
In a meeting with Iola council members on Feb. 8, Lamb said he expected to hire at least 20. Today, he has on staff six employees.
A mountain of industrial-size tires currently sits at the site. Lamb said the tires are typically 9-inches thick.
“A shredder can do 5,000 tons in a week,” he said. “We’ll shred 200-300 tons at any one time.”
Lamb said the shredder is a massive dual-axle machine “that cuts like scissors,” producing negligible dust or odors. The only pollution will be from the noise produced by its 75 hp motor. Greg Hutton, city code officer, said the shredder will be allowed to operate “only from sunrise to sunset.”
Shredded tires are typically used for rubber mulch, layers in landfill sites or for burning to produce oil. China is a frequent customer, Lamb said.
The tires are brought this way from all over southeast Kansas in semi-trailers. Lamb noted the area’s mining and excavation industries provide a steady supply of worn-out tires.
Lamb said he’ll likely destroy the iconic cement plant silos.
“They serve no purpose,” he said. “I’d eventually like to put a kiln in,” to produce tire-derived-fuel (TDF), either here or in another nearby location he owns.
The shredding operation would be done outside under a large canopy on the site.
Lamb said he’s made efforts to shield the operation from trail-users by erecting an 8-foot fence and covering it with a plastic wrap. He also said a fleet of semis between the trail and the plant serve as a buffer.
About a dozen citizens attended the meeting to pepper Lamb with questions. Iolan Leah Oswald voiced a concern via Thrive Allen County’s Facebook page about the impact of Lamb’s operation for trail users.
“It’s a very special place and I would hate to have the serenity of the trails disturbed,” she said.
