Packing house OK to grow

A produce packing and cooler facility southeast of town is clear to build an addition.

The Yuma County Board of Supervisors gave the green light Monday for Classic Salads, 4820 E. County 15th St., to get the zoning permit needed to add 18,000 square feet to its plant. The plant, which is currently about 30,500 square feet in size, opened in the 1980s on a much smaller footprint and has grown over the years. The newest project includes enclosing the receiving area.

Classic Salads officials sought the expansion for food safety and the reduction of truck traffic.

By enclosing the receiving area, raw produce can be unloaded from refrigerated trucks in an area that is also refrigerated to be weighed, inspected and put in the cooler. Currently, that is done in the open air, which “breaks the cold change.” Also, enclosing the receiving area, which is to the rear of the facility, allows it to also be used for shipping, eliminating the need to have outbound trucks loaded in the front of the building. Because the majority of the shipping happens during the evening and nighttime hours, from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., moving shipping to the back cuts back on the interruption of traffic, excess engine noise and roaming headlights.

The county planning and zoning committee unanimously recommended approval in late September.

In other supervisors news:

• The board approved the sale of a portion of the right-of-way at Somerton Avenue and County 8th Street to Arizona Public Service for $4,000. APS wants the parcel for a well site to provide water to the Yucca Power Plant directly north on the extension of Somerton Avenue.

• The county may begin negotiations with Eckard Construction to replace the cooling towers at the juvenile justice center. The project is budgeted at $170,000.

Hillary Davis can be reached at hdavis@yumasun.com or 539-6857. Find her on Facebook at Facebook.com/YSHillaryDavis or on Twitter at @YSHillaryDavis.