LAKETOWN TWP., Mich. — Laketown Township has issued a stop-work order to Cocoa Corporation, a composting facility that has generated resident complaints for more than a year over foul odors.
Township officials delivered the notice Wednesday afternoon, taping it to an empty building on the property. A worker driving a front-end loader eventually read the notice. The owner of the company was not at the site.
The township says Cocoa Corporation is violating a zoning ordinance that declares the operation a nuisance. Violating the stop-work order is a misdemeanor.
The enforcement action follows a June 3 decision by the township planning commission to terminate Cocoa's approval to operate. The company continued to work despite that termination.
Cocoa leases its space from Republic Services. The two companies are currently fighting in court over the composting operation. A judge recently ruled the township and the state have jurisdiction over the site.
Republic Services leaders spoke at a township meeting Wednesday, thanking the township for taking enforcement action. However, they warned the bad smells might continue even with the stop-work order in place.
Republic Services is asking the township to block any new material from entering the site, move all unprocessed materials to another location, and force Cocoa to clean up the property. Republic Services says it is ready to help the township in any way necessary.
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