A public discussion regarding a proposed Love’s Travel Stop west of Jamestown drew more than a dozen concerned residents, many of whom asking about how the truck stop would impact nearby air quality.
The county’s land use department hosted the discussion, with Kym Van Dyke of Love’s real-estate division on hand to answer questions about the proposal, as well as ease concerns about what a truck stop could bring to the Jamestown area.
“I’m here to listen to you,” Van Dyke said.
The company anticipates the truck stop would serve 1,300 passenger vehicles and 600 trucks each day. A fast food restaurant is planned to be built at the site, with a 24-hour drive thru window. A map on display at the meeting lists the restaurant as an Arby’s, but Van Dyke said plans for which restaurant would be built weren’t finalized. Van Dyke also said he isn’t aware if a package liquor store will be part of the final plan or not.
Van Dyke said interest in building started about 12 years ago, shortly after he transferred to Love’s real-estate division. The company wanted to build a stop between properties it operates in Evanston and Wamsutter. The company has filed a conditional use permit with the Sweetwater County Land Use office, which will be heard by the county’s planning and zoning board in April and by the county commissioners in May.
“Realistically, we have a long ways to go,” Van Dyke said.
He said the company is willing to address all of the concerns associated with its proposal. With air quality, Van Dyke said they plan to conduct an air quality study of the area and make it publicly available once it’s completed. Eric Bingham, director of Land Use for the county, said the county will announce when the study is submitted and how it can be viewed.
Residents also voiced concerns about the potential for a diesel or oil release into the river, Van Dyke said the company trains its employees to respond to fuel releases and said the ground around the truck stops are sealed containment systems.
“We’re the best in the nation, we’ve never had but one major release,” Van Dyke said.
That release, which he said was caused when a truck backed into another truck and punctured a tank, was captured on site.
Another concern raised was the fact that homes and businesses in Jamestown and the surrounding area don’t receive sewer service and utilize septic systems to deal with wastewater. The concern voiced was if residents would smell the septic system downwind from the truck stop on a hot day. Van Dyke said the truck stops utilize a treatment system that cleans the water before releasing it. He said the contractor installing the systems often sells them by having representatives drink the water treated by the system. He doesn’t believe any smell from the system will be noticeable by residents.
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