The Montgomery County Commission approved the construction of a processing facility that will be located just three miles west of Middletown during a meeting on March 30.

Chester and Rosemary Yoder are the owners of the property, which will be located at 640 Highway A, just next to Hilty’s Bee Yard. They proposed the project on March 17 at the Montgomery County Planning and Zoning public hearing at the Montgomery County Courthouse. Two days later, they presented it at the commission meeting, but the commissioners tabled the matter for a later date for reviewing and researching purposes.

The processing facility will be used to graze livestock. It will operate from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

“We have a diesel generator that runs like a compressor,” Chester Yoder said. “Most compressors are run off with an electric motor. This one is run with a diesel motor and it’s got a compressor.”

The proposed project got a favorable response from Dennis Shipman at the public hearing. Planning and Zoning Administrator Donna Viehmann read a letter from Shipman that included positive remarks.

“I am totally in favor of this project,” Viehmann said. “The Amish are my neighbors and I love each and everyone of them. They are great people.”

Andy and Cynthia DeWitt, who live on Highway A in Middletown, said they were concerned about the noise of the generators that will be used at the processing facility.

“We just recently built a new house, so we’re just in the process of finishing our new house,” Cynthia said. “We get along with all of the neighbors great. But it’s the noise level that I’m going to be concerned about with two generators, one running both sides of us now, and the impact of the vehicles in and out because they’re not too far from our new house. We’re just down the road from them.”

There were 16 exhibits of the project that were presented at the public hearing. After a 25-minute presentation, the Planning and Zoning Board approved the project. Board members suggested that the generators should be located in a small building that is next to the facility.