JONESBOROUGH, Tenn., (WJHL) – In response to BWX Technologies’ recent community meeting, residents and organizers from BWXT and Protect Jonesborough convened a town hall to address ongoing concerns and facilitate a broader discussion. This gathering, held a week after BWXT outlined its plans for a new facility, aimed to provide a platform for diverse opinions.

The town hall, hosted at the Jonesborough Visitor Center, featured five speakers who delved into the potential long-term impacts of the proposed BWXT facility, which plans to handle high-purity depleted uranium.

Event organizer Gabriel Wilson noted that the previous meeting with BWXT left many attendees seeking further clarity, as it primarily consisted of individualized interactions rather than a collective dialogue.

“The BWXT event resembled a promotional showcase,” Wilson remarked. “It primarily presented their viewpoint, and attendees could only engage in individual conversations without the benefit of hearing a wider array of questions and concerns.”

During Thursday night’s discussion, community members shared their findings on the environmental and health implications that the BWXT facility might introduce to the Jonesborough area.

Kevin Hendricks was one of the speakers who compiled a presentation pointing out inconsistencies in BWXT’s project.

He said BWXT has not been transparent about the effects the plan may have.

“What’s very questionable is they really don’t have the right zoning,” he said. “They haven’t really talked about the impact on local services. I’ve talked with at least one of the commissioners off the record, and they’ve really not engaged with Washington County. I brought up issues about the Limestone Volunteer Fire Department would be the primary responsible in case of an emergency. They’re great people, but are they equipped for something like a uranium fire?”

Hendricks also pointed out that the uranium facility may not create the 175 jobs it initially said it would.

“They’ve claimed 175 potential jobs, but then you climb into some government documents, it’s ten,” he said. “An erroneous figure that some of these will be temporary construction jobs, those kinds of things. So, there’s really nothing in writing except a press release that this is going to create 175 jobs, but there’s really nothing there to document that would actually be that. There’s a lot of businesses that could employ people. We also have an industrial park. We could use jobs for sure, but you have to weigh the interest of the special interest group to maybe create 175 jobs against the good of the whole county.”

Wilson said he is not against BWXT’s work, but rather against high-purity depleted uranium being processed in the area.

“This is plopped right in the middle of a farm community with houses and neighborhoods, and then only a mile from Davy Crockett High School,” he said. “It’s in the watershed for the Nolichucky, which is our drinking water supply. So this seems like a very unwise location.”

“[Jonesborough] is the oldest town in Tennessee, and we have a very proud history here,” said Hendricks. “You look at the fact that there’s a lot of housing in that area. There’s several schools nearby. They want to rezone 128 acres when they really don’t need that, even from the preliminary site plan. And maybe we need five acres to rezone all of it. Then you look under M2 zoning for Washington County. There’s provision to be able to bury waste, including hazardous waste, and of course, we don’t want that here. The little limestone falls in the Nolichucky River. And that’s our water source. And it goes to Greenville and other communities as well.”

Wilson said this is a cause many in the community care about.

“This is a town that I love, and I have roots that go very deep here,” he said. “I love that our community cares so much.”

Hendricks encourages people to let their opinions be heard.

“I encourage anybody, pro or negative, to get involved,” he said. “Don’t assume somebody else will, because other people are thinking that you will. People need to speak up. Whether it’s pro or con, it will affect our community for decades.”

The Washington County Commission held its first reading of BWXT’s rezoning ordinance on Jan. 6.