September 19, 2011

 

US Lyon County to have meat processing plant

 

 

An unincorporated town 10 miles north of Yerington on US 95A is expected to have a state-of-the-art meat processing plant.

 

When operational, Walker River Meat Processing would process up to 3,500 sheep, cattle and hogs per day on its proposed 1,700-acre site.

 

The plant could bring at least 400 full-time jobs to an area with Nevada's highest unemployment rate, developers said. Construction could begin in summer 2012, if permits are granted, and the plant could open in late 2013.

 

"It would be an opportunity to bring new jobs into a community that has the highest unemployment rate in Nevada, and Lyon can sorely use it," Lyon County planning director Rob Loveberg said. "It is a big deal in the county."

 

Lyon County's jobless rate was 17.4% in July, more than 4% higher than the state average of 12.9%, according to the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation. Nevada's unemployment is the highest in the US.

 

Sierra Builders of Nevada and Vincent Estell of ESTELCO Investments/Developments, which is based in Modesto, California, recently brought their proposal to build a meat processing plant for cattle, hogs, sheep and goats before Lyon County's Board of Commissioners.

 

The approval process is just beginning, but plans are for the complex to be self-sustainable.

 

The plant would use geothermal and solar energy as its primary power sources and also build a wastewater treatment system on site. A planned hydroponic garden would produce some livestock feed.

 

Plans are to sell product in the US and overseas.

 

Bob Cotter, Sierra Builders owner and plant partner, said that once operational, the facility would employ 400-700 people.

 

The project also would employ about 300 construction workers at the outset. Local firms NDR Architecture & Engineering and Frame Architecture Inc. are under contract to design the facility.

 

"One thing we pledged to do with this project is keep it in Northern Nevada," said Cotter, the general contractor. "All subcontractors and suppliers will be from Northern Nevada."

 

 

The area along US 95A is zoned for industrial use and would require an ordinance change it to agricultural before a special-use permit can be issued.

 

On Thursday (Sep 15), the Lyon County Board of Commissioners sent the ordinance back to Lyon County's planning department because it had concerns regarding the crop production aspect of the meat processing plant, specifically how it would affect future industrial development in the area.

 

"The overall approval process could go into the first part of 2012," Loveberg said.

 

Developers also must satisfy concerns from state and federal agencies regarding water rights, transportation and environmental impacts.

 

Lyon County has also requested a traffic study from developers. Concerns exist about how the two-lane US 95A would handle the number of employees and the livestock being trucked in from as far as the Midwest.

 

Owners also are working on a partnership with the University of Nevada, Reno agriculture department. Plans call for 130 acres to be used by the department for hands-on training and job opportunities for graduates.