Residents near A and S Proteins, a new animal feed production facility, located north of Russell Springs off of U.S. 127, have been complaining lately of awful smells emanating from the direction of the business.

According to some reports, the smell, purportedly from dead animal carcasses, has been bad enough that residents have been vomiting and the smell is beginning to permeate their home.

They question what is happening at the facility, and what officials are doing about it.

Russell County Solid Waste Coordinator H.M. Bottom said that a meeting took place on Monday between himself, County Judge/Executive Gary Robertson, County Attorney Kevin Shearer and a few residents of the area to discuss the problem.

“We contacted (Agricultural) Commissioner (James) Comer today and he said he would have a representative of his office down here and that he’d talk with other agencies, EPA Division of Water, people like that, to invite them,” Bottom said.

“The purpose of this is so that the questions that they’re asking can be properly answered,” Bottom said. “Because we don’t really know the answer. We don’t issue permits, there’s no zoning out there. There’s so many things.”

“We want the people who handle this to be here to answer any questions that they might have to their satisfaction.”

Bottom said that a meeting with representatives from appropriate agencies is in the process of being set up, hopefully within the next week to address the concerns.

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It was the very last item on the agenda, but it was this item that got School Board Member Gerald Murray riled up, and that subject was the pressure put on students to sell items for school fundraisers.

Board Chairman Julie Bechmann had asked Superintendent Michael Ford about forming a committee to review policies relevant to fundraisers, with an attempt to standardize policies and practices throughout the school system.

This was when Murray brought up that he had received many complaints from parents that students are being penalized if they do not participate and meet sales goals. Various teachers assured Murray and the board that students participate voluntarily and that students are rewarded for participating and meeting goals, but that no students are penalized for not participating or meeting goals.

“We’re going to have a lawsuit if this keeps going,” Murray said, likening the practice to “torturing them,” for not meeting goals or participating in the sales.

Murray said that he refused to any longer buy candy bars or sodas, and that he encouraged his grandchildren not to participate.

It was then that Murray threatened to remove the grandchildren the day of the pizza party and take them out to eat himself.

“I won’t do that no more. As a matter of fact I’ve advised them that they don’t need to sell candy bars, in my opinion. And on the day of the get together, eat pizza whatever, I told them I’d take them out to eat,” Murray said.

“And that will cost the school a hundred dollars a person for every day they miss. So if my five grandchildren miss, everyday that’s $500 it costs the school system.”

Murray went on to say that he’s prepared to offer parents to buy pizzas for their children if they keep their child out of school the day of the pizza party.

Murray said it’s parents who end up selling the products, and that the push to sell puts those of low income at a disadvantage.

Jamestown Elementary School teacher and recipient of the 2011 Kentucky History Teacher of the Year Donnie Wilkerson said he’d match Murray in providing pizza for students who didn’t participate but to not encourage parents to hold their children out of school.

Beckmann said a committee would be formed to further address the issues, including possibly standardizing polices, procedures and practices in regards to school fundraisers.

Another issue Murray also mentioned that he had concerns with; an event promoted to have parents eat breakfast with their children at the school, citing that the influx of new faces is a security concern.

Ford said that the purpose was to promote the importance of children eating breakfast to be better prepared for learning.

Parents pay $3.50 for their breakfast.

Murray also addressed complaints he’d received of odors at Russell Springs Elementary coming for a nearby dog food plant.

“I’ve had several groups of people call me,” Murray said. “If a group of people get together and file a public nuisance complaint on that company they can shut it down. It’s that simple. You don’t have to drag it out six months to have it shut down. If it was at my back door it would have been done (shut down.)”