Sibley, Iowa — The people of Sibley are upset about a smell in town, and options are being weighed to see what to do about it.
In 2013, Iowa Drying and Processing purchased the former AMPI (that’s Associated Milk Producers, Inc.) building near Sibley’s downtown. Iowa Drying and Processing makes a a high-protein agricultural blood product called plasma that goes into pet foods, according to company officials, and they admit that sometimes the process releases an odor.
The company said they’d install a deodorizing apparatus that would pump out a wintergreen smell, but Sibley City Administrator Glenn Anderson says it’s not working. And that’s a problem because Andrson says when it’s bad, people don’t want to go out to eat in Sibley’s restaurants or shop in Sibley’s stores.
A more expensive “wet scrubber” solution to the odor problem is being considered. The Sibley City Council wants it installed by April 1st.
Iowa Drying and Processing has been fined by the City of Sibley numerous times, but the case has been continued several times in Osceola County District Court. The case was to have been heard on February 29th. The latest non-jury trial date on the charges has been set for Monday, March 21st at 9:45 AM.
