Oklahoma City, OK – Residents of the historic JFK neighborhood in northeast Oklahoma City are raising alarms over the noise and environmental concerns stemming from a nearby scrapyard, and they are worried that a potential expansion of the facility could devastate their community.
For years, residents have been dealing with the constant din of explosions, which many describe as sounding like detonations, originating from the nearby recycling plant. This persistent noise, combined with air and dust pollution, has created an atmosphere of unease and frustration for locals. The situation has been further exacerbated by the proposed expansion of the scrapyard, which would include the addition of car-crushing operations.
Denyvetta Davis, president of the JFK Neighborhood Association, expressed the growing concern that another plant in the area could make matters worse. “It would just devastate our neighborhood,” said Davis. “The expansion is to include crushing cars. So, we were upset about that. We already have one recycling plant, crushing cars, causing explosions, impacting our neighborhood, and so to have a second one doing the same thing would be devastating to our neighborhood.”
The troubling sounds of explosions have become an all-too-familiar part of daily life for residents. Davis reported that the noise is so severe that it shakes windows in nearby homes, and some residents have even experienced items falling off their walls. “Neighbors are complaining about things falling off the walls when they occur,” Davis noted. “We see smoke, there’s fire, then cracks in the walls of property.”
Beyond the noise and shaking, the environmental impact has also been a point of contention. The air quality has deteriorated in recent years, and smoke from the scrapyard’s operations has added to the pollution. With the potential for expansion, many residents fear that the situation could spiral further out of control.
For some residents, the prospect of another recycling plant crushing cars so close to their homes is a threat to their quality of life and property values. They argue that the negative effects on their health, safety, and the overall well-being of the community should be taken into consideration as city leaders weigh the decision.
While some city officials have yet to make a final determination about the expansion, the debate surrounding the scrapyard is growing. The residents of the JFK neighborhood remain steadfast in their opposition, hoping that their concerns will be heard before any further developments are approved.
