- Neighbors warn a new travel center at Nash Road and Highway 19 would bring traffic congestion and light pollution.
- Commissioners will discuss the center during their meeting Thursday at 6 p.m.
- Watch the video to find out how local leaders are responding.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A new travel center, truck stop, and repair shop is proposed for a 36-acre site in Jefferson County. I’m neighborhood reporter Lentheus Chaney, speaking with upset neighbors. They're concerned about how the noise, lights, and traffic will impact their lives.
The new truck stop is planned for the corner of Nash Road and Highway 19, just north of I-10 at Exit 225. It will include a gas station with 16 diesel pumps, a convenience store, truck stop, and repair shop, plus a building that spans more than 11,000-square-feet, with a fueling canopy and truck parking.
Gaynell Purvis lives right next to the site. Just a few feet from her mailbox, near the fence she put up years ago, there's a concrete post marking the truck stop property line. She says the bright lights, engine noise, and extra traffic will be unbearable.
“I don’t think I want to live here with it, I really don’t. But it’s going to be a tough decision to move after 34 years. This is my home, this is where my children grew up, where my grandchildren know. It’s like a black cloud over my head,” Purvis said.
Purvis' neighbor, Sue Henrikson, who lives just a half-mile down Nash Road, is also struggling with having a truck stop so close. She says her home is her private sanctuary, and this new development will change everything, including the addition of Jefferson County’s first traffic light.
“I hate it. I’ve lived here for 35 years in peace and quiet in a very rural atmosphere. That truck stop is going to have lights all the time. My neighbor just said, ‘Look up at the sky tonight, Sue. Look at all the stars.’ And I said, ‘Those will disappear with all that light pollution.’”
I contacted all of the county commissioners for their comments. Commissioner Gene Hall responded.
He decided not to comment based on advice from the county’s attorney.
Commissioner Jessica Gramling responded stating, “This is a quasi-judicial matter that requires me to sit as an impartial decision-maker and make my decision based on the information provided at the hearing, so I cannot offer any comments at this time.”
I also reached out to an attorney representing another neighbor, but as of Friday night, had not heard back. As for the county commissioners, a meeting deciding next steps for this project is Thursday at 6 p.m. In Jefferson County, Lentheus Chaney, ABC27.
