Dairy Company Sues Town Board Members

The Town of Saratoga in Wood County is being sued for not issuing a building permit for a large scale dairy farm.The company is accusing town leaders of illegally trying to block the project.

The lawsuit has been filed by Golden Sands Dairy in its effort to build a combined agricultural and dairy operation.Golden Sands co-owner, and CFO, Jim Wysocki says manure generated by the cows would be used to fertilize the fields. “We bought a large tract of land, 7,700 total acres, to develop about 6,000 of them into irrigated agriculture, and it would then support a dairy that would have 3,500 milking cows.”

The plan has generated opposition from nearby residents with worries about pollution and the effects of high capacity wells on the water table.Last month, the Saratoga Town Board issued a moratorium on building permits until the end of the year so it could finish a comprehensive zoning plan.Wysocki claims that action specifically targeted his farm. He said, “The town doesn’t have any existing zoning plan so they would be placing zoning in place, and it’s very clear that it is designed to stop our project from going forward.”

Wysocki’s lawsuit names all of the town board members and its building inspector. “As it states in the suit she has been instructed by the Town from the very first date not to issue this permit. So, she’s been kind of caught in a Catch 22.”

Building inspector Lorelai Fuehrer told WPR News she is waiting for advice from her attorney, but said, “I’m going to do what I have to do by law, whether it’s issuing the permit or not issuing it.”

Town supervisor Dan Forbes, who was named in the suit, said he has no comment.The other town supervisors including Chairman Terry Rickaby either could not be reached, or did not return our phone calls in time for this story.