POTSDAM – A proposal for a meat processing facility in the village will be heard by the village Board of Trustees in a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 18 in the Civic Center board room.

Stephen Knight, president of Sparx, the for-profit management company arm of United Helpers, will present the company’s plan to develop a slaughterhouse and retail outlet on the site of the former Potsdam Hardwoods plant off of Pine Street.

The proposal calls for a facility with the capacity process as many as 40 head of locally grown cattle per week. The plan includes a retail store to sell the products.

To develop such a facility, Sparx would have to apply for an amendment to local zoning to allow a slaughterhouse. Any changes to zoning would only come after there is a public hearing on the issue.

The design being proposed is based on humane guidelines developed by well known University of Colorado animal scientist Temple Grandin.

The Monday meeting will provide residents a chance to hear the proposal and its potential benefits to the village, and to ask questions about it.

The plan for the slaughterhouse originated with North Country Pastured, which wished to develop transportable slaughterhouse machinery that could be taken to sites around the North Country to try to supplement what were diminishing slaughterhouse resources in the region. That project ran into technical difficulty.

Subsequently, Sparx applied for and received a grant of $350,000 to create a food hub. At the time Knight said that the goal is to create a humane facility that processes locally sourced and organic meat. Knight estimated the company would initially employ 8 to 15 people, and would be easily expandable if that is warranted.

The plan had been presented to the Canton community last year, but ran into local opposition over possible odors and sounds that could emanate from a slaughterhouse in the village. The proposal was withdrawn there before a site plan could be submitted.

More info: Director of Planning and Development Fred Hanss, 265-1670, fhanss@vi.potsdam.ny.us.