SHERBURNE—Yet another proposed slaughterhouse project eyeing a Town of Sherburne location is expected to bring standing-room-only crowds to next week's Town of Sherburne Planning Board meeting slated for this upcoming Tuesday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m.

With tensions mounting on social media and in-print, a number of residents and community leaders in the Sherburne area have been vocal in expressing their distaste for the project, and it's expected that— along with representatives and supporters of newly-formed Residents United Against Industrial Slaughterhouses (RUAIS)—several community members will be on hand to gain more information on the matter.

Already airing their grievances in-print though mailers and editorial submissions, a wave of fear and opposition has already been made palpable though the cropping up of yard signs that line highways in the town and along streets within the Village.

“Our position is that we [RUAIS] have multiple concerns about the development of this type of industry here in Sherburne, we fear that our community – both at the town and county levels – cannot can not support or sustain the type of strain a facility of this size would put on the system,” said Don Westcott of Sherburne, who serves as chair of the RUAIS organization. Westcott is a long time business owner and developer who currently operates West Lake Village, a retirement community situated in the village of Sherburne approximately a mile from the proposed slaughterhouse. Westcott spearheaded the watchdog group in reaction to an initial nod by All In Meats, LLC in early 2015; which he vehemently suggests was expedited through the Town and County planning boards.

While preliminary at best, a timeline of events in the initial phases of planning and development for the former All In Meats group unfolded from January through Match of 2015 which is disconcerting for Westcott and over 720 signatories against the idea.

“The whole thing was it was just pushed right through without much attention or care given to neighbors or the environment,” said Westcott.

But not to be confused will All In Meats, LLC—the entity that received that go ahead from both Town of Sherburne and County Planning Boards back in 2015—Central NY Meats, LLC is the new conglomerate looking to establish and erect nearly 100,000 square feet of beef butchering and processing at a rate of 500 head per day on the lower mill site of Lok-N-Logs on County Road 23 situated in the west side of the Sherburne Township.

By his own admission of intent, the proprietor, businessman Jim Webb of Sherburne has indicated that he owns 70 percent interest in the proposed facility and has named David Chapman of Cazenovia as the residual 30 percent stakeholder of the joint venture.

In an editorial piece published in the Sherburne News on October 13, 2016, Webb offered some light into the proposed plant and attested that what would be built would be a state-of-the-art multi-million dollar facility that meets or exceeds USDA, EPA and N.Y. DEC mandates for such industry. In addition, the plant would follow the Temple Grandin model for the ethical and humane treatment of cattle.