FORT VALLEY, Ga. — On a clear, sunny day, the Pure Flavor greenhouse is not much of a bother to those driving past it or those who live near it, but neighbor Kevin Musewicz says it's a different story at night.
"Once it gets dark, they shut the lights off. At 1 a.m., they flick them all on and you can see it from Mars," he says.
Musewicz lives as close as you can get to the greenhouse. The only thing separating the two? His driveway. Half his driveway belongs to him while the other half actually belongs to Pure Flavor. "If you were to drive in my driveway right now, look at my beautiful house, turn around and see this, it doesn't matter what that property value says on paper -- I've completely lost my curb appeal."
On his 5-acre property, he also has animals -- 29 chickens and 5 turkeys that have a sleep schedule out of whack because of the bright lights.
He says, "At 2 in the morning, they think it's morning time, it's time to get fed, they're out there crowing, and if I leave the gates open, they're wandering around the yard. Their schedule is completely thrown off."
One of the people who hears his complaints loud and clear is commissioner Shanita Bryant, who took office in December. This greenhouse is located in her district, and so far, she proposed to have a sit-down discussion with representatives from the county, the community, and Pure Flavor.
"That conversation can be the final step, that we can go ahead and get a resolution for the residents and also something that Pure Flavor can be agreeable to," Bryant says.
We contacted Pure Flavor for a statement regarding the complaints. Over the phone, Pure Flavor representative Chris Veillon says:
“We use the high pressure sodium lights to grow during the winter and they are only used during certain times of the year. Once the season changes, this amount of light will change. These lights are used more frequently during the winter because there is more natural sunlight in the spring and summer. There are currently blackout curtains that are turned on once the lights come on all around. We are aware of the concerns of the surrounding neighbors. Doing everything they can to reduce excess lights from the greenhouse.”