DAVENPORT - The Orascom Public Hearing set for next Thursday has now been rescheduled for August 28th at 5:30 p.m. at Davenport North High School.
Scott County Planning and Development Director Tim Huey released a statement Friday saying the public hearing's been rescheduled so the applicant can, "permit its experts to be present and deliver a fuller presentation of the project." The applicant is referring to Orascom Construction Industries and its partner Stanley Consultants out of Muscatine, Iowa.
"They need to have answers before they can decide," Scott County resident Steve Jarnecke said. "Orascom needs more time to answer all of the questions that have been raised."
Orascom Developer Ahmed El-Hoshy has been questioned lately by people who think building the fertilizer plant just north of 200th Street would be a bad idea. 318 acres of prime farmland would be taken out across the street from the Nauman Sod Farm.
"Orascom's scrambling right now to try to answer all these questions," Jarnecke said.
Jarnecke is one of just three people who would be selling his land to Orascom, so it could build there. Jarnecke is the only one who would have to give up his home though. Even though Orascom has already paid him to look at the site, he still has questions about how much water the plant would have to use.
"How much will six million gallons impact the water usage in Davenport?" Jarnecke said.
Jarnecke gave News 8 documents Friday that show his land on part of the proposed site. He has agreed to sell his land to Orascom if it can build at the proposed site.
However, he also knows Scott County still has a lot to think about. Ultimately, the Board of Supervisors would be the ones to approve a rezoning request.
"The Board of Supervisors have raised many questions that quite honestly Orascom had not had time to prepare in haste of this," Jarnecke said.
The public meeting has been pushed back 26 days, so Orascom has more time to answer questions. Scott County's Board of Supervisors could decide to approve Orascom's rezoning request two days later, on August 30th.