MARS barge recycling facility (P20260326)

A Highland Oaks resident objected that the permit application is inadequate for the industrial work planned — cutting, possible burning, slag, and stockpiles — and raised concerns about riverbank instability, levee safety, truck damage to the property his subdivision maintains, and the owner's past compliance record. He petitioned that the permit be denied.

The Highland Oaks HOA president, representing 124 homes, said trucks keep damaging the levee-front property his association maintains and warned a truck could eventually crash through the fence near homes where children play. He asked that whoever damages the property be held responsible and that truck access be made safer.

Another Highland Oaks resident noted MARS containers and equipment are already on the site before the permit is decided, and questioned how barges would be dragged up the steep bank without damaging the riverbank. She asked whether the community will be protected from a repeat of Mississippi River Ventures' pattern of acting before permitting.

He said he visited the site and warned the batture there actually goes underwater when the river rises — the elevation came from aggregate the owner stockpiled, which also caused a fissure. He argued that if the river reaches 12 to 17 feet, the operation area would flood and create an environmental problem.