Armed with masks and evidence of the dust they say has invaded their home, people who live near McKinney’s concrete plants on Highway 5 rallied outside of city hall Tuesday night.
“There is all kind of pollution being emanated from those facilities. That pollution ranges from air pollution to noise pollution to light pollution,” said Chris Tovar of the group calling itself McKinney Health Crisis.
Back in June, Martin Marietta’s McKinney plant received a violation from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality dating back to an April investigation. It points to a “failure to achieve maximum control of dust emissions from stockpiles and vehicle traffic areas.”
McKinney Health Crisis includes people living as close to a few hundred feet from Martin Marietta and the other two plants it sits near and more than a mile away who fear that dust is causing health concerns.
And with a proposed expansion, they've raised their voices yet again, this time asking McKinney's city council not to allow Martin Marietta to expand its operations.
Linda Krohn, who lives and works in the Villa View Mobile Home Park next door to the plants, was among several to give public comment at Tuesday's council meeting.
“Breathing this dust, I don’t want it in my lungs. Period. I’m asking you, please don’t let them expand at the expense of our residents,” said Krohn.
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In a statement released ahead of that meeting, a city spokesperson said, "[Martin Marietta has] submitted a site plan which shows an expanded operation. Currently, we’re reviewing it for conformance with all applicable regulations. If it does not meet the city’s regulations, it will not be approved by staff. If it does, the city will approve it and the project will be allowed to move to the next phase of the development process."
They added that TCEQ issues aren't within city jurisdiction and that Martin Marietta is in compliance with city codes and ordinances.
NBC5 reached out to Martin Marietta for comments but has yet to receive a response.
