Cemex has started the process to annex 307 acres along Linebaugh Road, currently in Bath Township, Ohio, into Fairborn, according to news sources. The company has operations on adjoining land along Dayton-Yellow Springs Road. Cemex also owns property in Xenia Township, Fairborn and Beavercreek.
Sara Engdal, a Cemex spokeswoman, states that the company wants to annex the property “to provide long-term sustainability for the cement plant.” The cement manufacturer sought to annex the property after asking Fairborn about options that would help the company, as well as the city, reach their “mutual goals.”
The company has been seeking ways to extend the life of their operations, which company officials have said would last about 10 more years without expansion. A request by the company to rezone nearby land in Xenia Township was rejected by township trustees in 2011.
Cemex filed an annexation petition with Greene County on July 1, according to city documents. Fairborn City Council passed a resolution consenting to the annexation on July 7.
“Cemex and the City of Fairborn share a vision of a future shaped by economic opportunities which will result in long-term, quality employment for area residents and locally-sourced building materials for vital construction and infrastructure projects in our community,” Engdal said in a written statement. “We discussed the city’s desire to create and preserve local jobs as well as plan for long term growth and recognized the city’s goals and values directly align with ours.”
“Bath Township is dismayed to hear of Cemex’s decision to initiate proceedings to annex into the City of Fairborn,” said Stephanie Hayden, a Greene County assistant prosecutor who represents the township. “In today’s local government budgetary climate, it’s certainly disappointing when a long-standing business in the community pursues annexation proceedings.”
In previous interviews, Engdal estimated Cemex has invested millions of dollars on upgrades to the Linebaugh Road facility and the company projected they would need to spend more on environmental upgrades as result of changes in regulations.
An internal Fairborn memo indicates the Bath Township has 25 days, from the date the petition was filed, to object to the annexation. It is unclear, whether Bath Township plans to seek to block the annexation.
The annexation process usually takes up to 120 days, said Fairborn City manager Deborah McDonnell.
