Thursday's Sunman Town Council Meeting At Sunman Elementary School

Tuesday, March 19th, 2019 7:43am

By Mike Perleberg @mikedup84

Whiskey fungus is likely to be a topic once again at Sunman Town Council's meeting.

Citizens packed the Sunman Town Hall to ask the three-member town council about a tax abatement for MGPI of Indiana on Thursday, February 22. Photo by Mike Perleberg, Eagle Country 99.3.

(Sunman, Ind.) - Sunman Town Council’s meeting Thursday night has been moved to a larger venue as citizens continue to fight the fungus.

Citizens in and near the town are opposing MGPI of Indiana’s plan to turn the former Deufol plant into a whiskey barrel aging house. The company produces spirits at the 172-year-old distillery in Lawrenceburg and Greendale, but is in need of warehouse space to store barrels.

The concerned Sunman area residents, however, worry that ethanol which would evaporate from up to 320,000 barrels there would lead to an unsightly black fungus growing on their homes and crops. The fungus Baudoinia compniacensis, which feeds off the ethanol, has been found near distilleries and barrel houses around the world – including Lawrenceburg and Greendale.

In February, Sunman Town Council held a packed meeting in the town hall, which can hold a maximum of 64 people. Some who came to the meeting to share their concerns were turned away. Town council members said they could not stop the company from purchasing the sprawling facility on the south side of town, but they did approve last year a tax abatement on new equipment at the facility.

Thursday evening’s, March 21, town council meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Sunman Elementary School cafeteria. The venue will be able to hold a much larger crowd.

Close to 100 people came to Milan High School on February 28 to tell the Indiana Department of Environmental Management about their opposition to the MGPI barrel house operation in Sunman.

IDEM closed a public commenting period on the air permit MGPI is requesting on March 4, but the agency has yet to issue a decision on the permit. Whether the permit is issued may determine whether the company can establish a barrel house in Sunman.

Ripley County Commissioners Drafting Ordinance To Combat Whiskey Fungus

Sunman Citizens Display Barrel House Opposition To Defensive Town Council

IDEM Grants Public Meeting On Sunman Whiskey Barrel House Operation

Citizens Want Public Hearing On Whiskey Barrel Storage In Sunman

Whiskey Barrels Will Fill Former Deufol Plant In Sunman

Events

Women in Agriculture: In-Person Webinar & Forum
This in-person webinar will take a look at Beekeeping for the Small Farm and the Bee-yond.
20th Aug at Purdue Extension Dearborn County
Bountiful Hearts Meal
Enjoy a free community meal with us!
20th Aug at First Presbyterian Church Harrison
Pound Class
PoundFit with SamK ~ Cardio inspired by drumming! Burn calories, tone muscles and build strength all while moving to the beat of the music!! This 45 minute jam session will change your life!! All you need to bring is water, a yoga mat if you have one and $5! Every Wednesday 6pm at Heritage Hall and every Friday at 6:00 p.m. at Rising Sun Church of Christ (this location may sometimes change due to church functions).
21st Aug at Heritage Hall

Accused Strip Bar Robber Enters Not Guilty Plea

Francisco Vazquez has been ordered to have no contact with the victims.

Pop Machine Thief Caught On Camera, But Still At-Large

Can you help police identify this suspect who broke into two vending machines in West Harrison?

Interstate 74 Lane Closures Tuesday

I-74 lanes will be restricted Tuesday, August 20 from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

Beacon Ortho: As School Begins, Remember To Lighten Up

Doctors with Beacon Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine say schoolchildren's backpacks can cause harm if they get too weighed down with books and other items.