RICHMOND HILL – In a special called meeting announced today, the Bryan County Board of Commissioners read and passed a motion to pursue an investigation into whether a public nuisance exists at the old Caesarstone facility in Richmond Hill.  

This comes off the back of Monday night’s town hall meeting in Richmond Hill hosted by Oklahoma-based company Westwin Elements where KaLeigh Long, founder and CEO, made sweeping statements about contamination present at 1 Caesarstone Drive, the location of countertop manufacturer Caesarstone’s past facility.

Westwin Elements is currently seeking to purchase the abandoned facility to place their proposed nickel refinery, which would be the first of its kind in the United States.

“At Westwin’s town hall yesterday evening, the CEO [of Westwin Elements] made several comments that were quite concerning,” said Aaron Kappler, county attorney, going on to cite Long’s claims of “substantial silica contamination”, “elevated levels of arsenic”, and “hazardous waste barrels” at the facility.

“Those are new facts, new circumstances, and new allegations that have not yet been brought to this board or to me or anybody else within the Bryan County Administration,” said Kappler. 

Kappler went on to explain that under Georgia law, cities and counties have the authority to handle public nuisances, which are defined as disturbances to public health, welfare, and safety. 

The Board of Commissioners does not have zoning or permitting authority over the old Caesarstone facility but the City of Richmond Hill does, said Kappler. The City of Richmond Hill has jurisdiction specifically over the site, so the county and city will work together under this statute.

“We’ll do an investigation, find out what’s on this site. If it’s contaminated–as Ms. Long claims it to be–we have a remedy for that, the public nuisance action.” 

“And if I were to determine that public nuisance is appropriate, we will file a lawsuit, and that property is not going to be transferred or sold until it’s remediated. That’s the law,” said Kappler. 

Kappler went on to answer Long’s rhetorical appeal to Bryan County residents Monday evening, asking that without Westwin, who will remediate the facility?

“The answer is the person who caused the alleged contamination,” Kappler said, referring to Caesarstone. 

As of today, the County Commission did not provide a timeline for the investigation.