WENTZVILLE, Mo. – BayoTech has been working on a new hydrogen hub set to produce 350 tons of hydrogen a year. The problem for some residents is how close it sits to their properties.
Angie Bauer has been a resident of the quiet neighborhood off of Mexico Road for 19 years. She said she never received any formal notice.
“Nothing that I have been told, nothing that I have been delivered, got emails on, anything else like that,” she said.
Bauer said it’s the lack of communication and the proximity to her house that has her concerned.
“We just see how close it is to our houses,” she said.
A big white fence now sits between the new construction site and Bauer’s backyard. Her husband researched what was behind it.
Residents like Kelley Wright said, she doesn’t recall any notice, and while Wentzville has seen lots of growth in the past few years, this particular advancement is something she’s on the fence about.
“I feel like this kind of growth, especially when we don’t have the details on it, it leaves me feeling unsettled,” Wright said.
According to BayoTech, a notice went out last year, with an open house meeting for the plan in December 2022. Chief Marketing Officer Catharine Reid said that came in addition to the 2,000 invitations sent out to local residents.
Still, residents, Wright and Bauer, said they did not receive a notice.
One of their biggest concerns is safety.
“What would happen if there was a catastrophe,” Wright said.
While many fears what could happen, Reid with BayoTech said hydrogen has been safely produced, stored, transported, and used in the U.S. for over 50 years. The hub is set to increase jobs in the area.
New investments in the community have made some old-time residents ready to pack up and move out. For Bauer and her husband, that time could come sooner. For others like Wright, a concern of property value could now affect future plans of moving.
“This is an investment in my future, and if my property value is going to go down because I’m within the blow area of a hydrogen plant,” Wright said. “If I can’t sell my home to another family, well, that kinda defeats the purpose of me investing in the city, to begin with.”
The project is expected to wrap up this summer. To find more information about the hub’s function, click here.
