Western Excelsior management promised during a contentious meeting with residents on Aug. 6 to have new machinery in place in three weeks that will reduce town pollution.

The group of Riverside residents, led by Chip Tuthill, voiced concerns and asked that the dust to be fully contained.

Kyle Hanson, the Business Unit Manager for Western Excelsior, said the new auger system, set to be installed in a few weeks, will all but eliminate the problem.

The company had been using big blowers to fill straw nets, and the machine from Germany will eliminate that system, Hanson said. He promised there would be a 90 percent reduction in straw waste.

"I'm asking for a lot of trust," he said.

The residents came with a demand letter in hand to present to Town Administrator Andrea Phillips asking for greater enforcement agreed to wait and see how the installation will make a significant difference. Many voiced the general feeling: We've been waiting for years, what's a few more weeks?

The group left with the expectation that they would meet again with Hanson after the new machine has been installed.

In the demand letter, the group asked the town "take any and all actions to protect the health, property values, and well being" of residents.

Several residents including Bernadette Tuthill said they felt the over the years that the town hadn't done enough to enforce codes.

"We need good accountability," she said.

Celeste Aurorean echoed the complaints of many, saying tat she felt breathing the dust was a health concern. She also said many of her electronics have failed because of the dust.

"This is affecting my life on a day-to-day basis," she said.

mshinn@cortezjournal.com