NATCHEZ &045; In July, John Andrews wanted a new site for his U.S. 61 North business and found a piece of suitable land on Martin Luther King Jr. Road, just outside the Natchez corporate limits.

About two and a half weeks ago, Andrews opened Andrews Metals there and has been operating since.

Andrews Metals buys metals, scrap metals mostly, including cans, aluminum, copper and brass.

The business buys it, weighs it, boxes it and bails it to prepare for shipment. Andrews crushes cans in a can crusher to compact them to about half their original size.

Andrews said he wanted to move his business closer to his customers, and he found many of them were coming from the Broadmoor area.

But Andrews’ move has not been completely successful, although he is getting business at his new location.

The business is next door to a residence, and Andrews said he has had several complaints from his neighbor, including one call to the Adams County Sheriff’s Department for disturbing the peace.

LeRoy Hunt Jr. owns the property next door and addressed his concerns about noise from the business at an August meeting of the Adams County Board of Supervisors.

The board placed a moratorium on businesses locating in residential areas. Also, the board gave its attorney Marion Smith authority to serve Andrews an injunction if he did not stop construction.

&uot;Can crushers (are) so distracting; that is one of my biggest concerns,&uot; board Vice President Darryl Grennell said.

Andrews told the board last month the machine is not loud, no louder than the average lawnmower, and the board approved the equipment he has at the moment. Andrews also said he told the board he was trying to get a &uot;quieter, more noise-friendly machine.&uot;

&uot;The owner of Andrews Metals said the machinery would not make that much noise, and he assured us that,&uot; Grennell said.

So, Andrews opened his business for operation.

But again at October’s meeting, residents from the surrounding area came to complain about the business &045; its noise, pollution and devaluing of property.

Andrews says he does not have contaminants on the ground and has been inspected by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. &uot;It only becomes polluted if the owner lets it become polluted,&uot; Andrews said.

The county reissued a moratorium on businesses locating in highly residential areas in the county.

Grennell, who first suggested the reinstatement, said, until the board’s comprehensive plan on zoning and regulations in the county is complete, this is a way for the board to regulate business.

The intent of the moratorium is not to stop business from locating in the county, Grennell said, but is &uot;to more or less get hands-on in terms of those types of businesses being directly next to (a) residential area.&uot;

The board did not issue another injunction or for Andrews to stop operating his business.

Grennell said he had visited the site but had not heard the machine himself, he is just addressing the concerns of residents.

&uot;If I was living near a business that was making a certain type of noise that was disturbing to me, that is what concerns me, the quality of life,&uot; Grennell said. But, he said, he hopes the board can work this out.

When asked, Grennell said he hopes the complaints about the business are not personal in nature and that residents are not using the board to resolve personal matters against a business.

Board members say they want to work with Andrews and the residents to come to a solution. District 3 Supervisor Thomas &uot;Boo&uot; Campbell suggested the board offer Andrews other property the county owns to move the business.

Board attorney &uot;Bob (Latham) is talking to Andrews Metals attorney to check to see if there is a possibility that he could possibly locate his business at a more industrial type of site,&uot; Grennell said Friday. &uot;The county has property where that type of property could take place.&uot;

Grennell said Andrews could move to an area &uot;where it is more conducive to business growth.&uot;

Andrews’ attorney, Kevin Colbert, said the board is &uot;arbitrarily singling out&uot; Andrews since there are no laws, ordinances or zoning that restricts a business from locating anywhere in the county.

&uot;I’d like the Board of Supervisors to tell us what law (or zoning ordinance) he’s breaking,&uot; Colbert said.

Added Andrews: &uot;If you are within the law, what’s to be worried about.&uot;