The Jeff Davis Parish Police Jury will consider a request next month from a Lake Charles company to rezone property near Welsh for a construction and demolition landfill.

Sweetlake Land and Oil Company is seeking to rezone 88-acres north of the Jeff Davis Parish Landfill on Landfill Road near Welsh from agriculture to heavy industrial for a proposed construction and demolition debris landfill.

Environmental Consultant Blaine Johnson told police jurors Wednesday the property needs to be rezoned before the company can move forward with a permit application from the DEQ for the landfill.

Johnson said the landfill will collect construction and demolition debris classified as Type 3, including concrete, wood waste and yard waste. The landfill will not accept items with asbestos, household waste, paint or oils.

Claude A. Leach of Sweetlake Land and Oil said the need for the construction and demolition was a result of the devastating hurricanes in Southwest Louisiana.

“After the hurricanes we were approached by many, many different groups to have a disposal site on some of our property and we didn’t have it,” Leach said. “So I see an opportunity and as a businessman I’m trying to make the best for my business and find a profit where I can. I have a piece of property that is not being used for anything that I am maintaining and paying taxes on, so I saw an opportunity.”

There is only one other construction and demolition landfill located on La 102 in Jeff Davis Parish

Under the plans, anyone from any parish will be able to use the landfill as long as the debris meets the requirements of Type 3 waste.

There will be a fee to dump based on the per cubic yard of waste.

The debris will be buried and covered and monitored, Johnson said. No burning will be allowed.

Jeff Davis Parish Sanitary Landfill Director Danny Hylton said the additional landfill would likely not hurt the parish’s landfill.

“Any waste they can take we can legally take,” Hylton said. “I don’t know that it would hurt our business. I don’t know why someone would drive past us and go to him unless he’s a whole lot cheaper.”

Currently Jeff Davis Parish residents can use the parish landfill for free.

“We have managed to blend pretty well with the community over the past 33 years and everybody knows what we are doing and we get along with everybody,” Hylton said. “I’m not saying they are doing anything wrong, but we may get blamed for somethings that are not ours.”

Hylton voiced concern for the extra traffic on the road and increased litter.

Police Juror Butch Lafargue, who represents the district, asked that the police jury to hold off on any action on the request to allow police jurors more time to study the proposal.

“I’m not saying it’s bad, I’m not saying it’s good, but I think we need to look at it more before we make any decision,” Lafargue said. “There may be a need, but before we do something like this. basically in my backyard, I would like a little bit more looking into it.”

Police Jury President Steve Eastman the company to submit a written prospective proposal to the jury to include the facility needs and plans for how the facility will be operated.