HARAHAN, La. (WGNO) – Dust and tempers are rising on River Road in Harahan, where concerned residents are making their voices heard about sand that they say is invading their homes.
It was a hot topic at Thursday night’s City Council meeting, where all seats were filled, despite the nasty weather.
“We heard the cries of these people, the suffering of these people, the anger of these people,” says Evelyn Riehm, a Harahan resident who is leading the campaign against Wood Materials, the company that she says is ruining the quality of life on a long stretch of River Road.
Her husband, John Riehm, grew up playing football on the levee that’s outside his present home. He says that the Mississippi River Trail should be a peaceful path, where locals can enjoy nature. Instead, he says, it’s become a construction zone, with loud noises, flies, and unpleasant vibrations rocking the community.
The Riehms have collected complaints from more than a hundred upset neighbors who say their cars, homes and pools are coated with unwelcome sand from a constant parade of dump trucks.
“What we really are concerned about is when we see a stroller up there and there’s a baby in it. And some of them are tiny babies, and they are inhaling the sand unknowingly,” says Mrs. Riehm.
She says she fears the situation will only get worse because Wood Materials could become a big part of the airport expansion project.
“We told him, ‘Sir we are not trying to shut your company down. We thank you for your business, we thank you for the taxes you pay. All we want you to do is be a good neighbor and the only solution to this is to move the road behind the pits.’”
The president of Wood Materials, Pearce Wood, was at Thursday night’s meeting with his lawyer. He declined the opportunity to speak on camera but told WGNO’s Stephanie Oswald that there were some “inaccuracies” presented at Thursday night’s City Council meeting.
Harahan Mayor Tina Miceli announced that Wood Materials has arranged to hold its own “town hall” meeting next Wednesday, January 27, at the Harahan Senior Center, 100 Elodie Avenue.