Currently, construction of the Sustainability Resource Facility (SRF) is at a standstill. Unfortunately, the local Greene Township Supervisors are preventing this project from moving forward to completion.

What is the issue?

It is difficult for us to understand why the local supervisors have placed a roadblock to such a beneficial project for the community. Greene Township Supervisors have imposed an Improvement Guarantee (financial security) on Nicholas Meat for the SRF. We believe this is a misapplication of the subdivision and land development ordinance (SALDO). The SALDO is intended to protect the township and public entities in the event public improvement projects like subdivisions are not completed, thereby leaving the township with an unfunded public obligation.

The SRF is a private project being constructed on private property with private funding by a private business. The project poses no financial risk to the township.

In the highly unlikely event it is not completed, the Greene Township Board is on record saying they would not complete the project. Requiring an Improvement Guarantee before construction can continue is of no practical value to the township. It only adds significant and unnecessary costs to Nicholas Meat, and further delays the completion of the project intended to deliver the public and environmental benefits we all want to realize.

Can this be resolved?

The resolution to this is easy and clear for the Greene Township Supervisors. As referenced in the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC), the requirement of an Improvement Guarantee on a private project as unique as the SRF is “unreasonable and …cause(s) undue hardship…” The MPC allows for relief from the strict application of ambiguous language found in the SALDO.

We are asking the Greene Township Supervisors to reconsider the requirement of an Improvement Guarantee currently being asked of Nicholas Meat and grant relief in the form of a waiver identified in the provisions of both the MPC and the Greene Township SALDO, which will allow the progression of the SRF.

If you want issues like smell and truck traffic to be addressed, you’ll lend your voice to supporting this call to action, too.

What are the benefits of the SRF?

The most important issue we know it will address for all those who live in the community is the smell. However, there are so many more benefits this facility will deliver. The SRF features award-winning waste-to-energy technology and an advanced water treatment facility.

Once fully operational, the facility will help reduce truck traffic at Nicholas Meat, minimize odor, create renewable energy, decrease the company’s carbon footprint, capture greenhouse gases and reuse water. Nicholas Meat has been fully committed to making this facility—the first of its kind in the U.S. meat industry—a reality. We share the community’s frustration that these benefits are not being realized with the completion of the SRF.

What has been completed so far?

The project began in the summer of 2021 with the initial site improvement work at the 40-acre location directly across the road from the Nicholas Meat plant. This included installing stormwater culverts, putting in roads, grading and landscaping of the hillside. We also completed two large basins to capture stormwater coming off the mountain to the north. We created three large retaining walls to provide level surfaces where the process tanks and buildings will be erected. Additionally, electrical infrastructure was installed to power the facility. Tank installation began in the summer of 2022 and continued into the fall.

Moving into 2023, Nicholas Meat focused on completing the wastewater treatment and water reclamation portion of the SRF project first because we know it will deliver the most immediate benefits to the community. This includes the construction of 17 process and water reclamation tanks. To date, nine tanks have been constructed, but the remaining eight still need to be completed.

Also, in 2023, Nicholas Meat completed the construction of a tunnel under PA Tr. 880, which allows process flows to be pumped between the SRF and the Nicholas Meat processing facility. The tunnel houses piping to transport wastewater from the meat processing plant to the SRF for treatment. Once the SRF is operational, pipes will transport treated water and biogas to the plant for use in plant operations.

In 2023, we also started constructing a new cattle barn, which was completed in May 2024. This new facility was designed to integrate with the SRF, enabling wastewater to be recycled and then returned to the barn for cleaning pens.

Regrettably, we have been unable to continue construction of the SRF due to the unnecessary and unreasonable requirement of the Improvement Guarantee imposed by the Greene Township Supervisors. The financial security they have required for a private project on private property is unrealistic. We are committed to completing this project because it is the right thing to do for the community and our business. However, we will not pay Greene Township what the Pennsylvania MPC states is unreasonable.

We have overcome challenges with this project in the past. But nothing like what the Township has done, bringing the project to a halt.

Like many businesses, we have experienced supply chain issues resulting in shortages of materials needed for construction. Another issue impacting the project was the discovery of significant quantities of pyritic shale that had to be removed and replaced with suitable soil.

Additionally, the cost of completing the SRF has more than doubled since the initial plans were drafted. Despite all this, Nicholas Meat remains committed to the project.

When do you expect the SRF to be completed?

Until we see a resolution from the Improvement Guarantee (financial security) imposed by the Greene Township Board of Supervisors, we cannot estimate a completion date.

Learn more about the Sustainable Resource Facility.

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