People in Rockville are excited about the possibility of 50 jobs coming back to the slaughterhouse that closed a year ago eliminating 75 jobs.

One man in Rockville told the Sun that people in the town of about 150 residents who have horses approve of the new business that Unified Equine of Missouri has announced it will open by the end of summer.

Sue Wallis, head of Unified Equine, made the announcement in a press release, after dropping efforts to open a plant in Mountain Grove which just rejected the company’s proposal to open a horse slaughtering operation there. There is no such sentiment in Rockville, but residents expect picketing from outside influences like PETA and the Humane Society of the United States.

Alice Norris, an employee at Sider’s Convenience Store which is located across Hwy. B from the slaughter house, is all in favor of the new facility.

“All we know right now is they will start renovating in two weeks and they hope to have it running by the middle of September,” she told the Sun Tuesdsay.

She said the plant will mean, “Probably 50 plus jobs.” She said people in Rockville are excited about it.

Ms. Norris said, “It’s better than driving down the highway and seeing a dead horse laying out in the pasture.”

“Cindy (the owner of Sider’s Convenience Store) talked to one of our distributors. He said his 10-year old granddaughter is in 4-H in Adrian. They have been having bake sales and pulling money together to send out letters. They are going to come down and be part of the picketing. That is pretty bad when you bring a 10-year-old kid in. That is just not right.”

Ms. Norris said, “Our convenience store really benefits from the workers at the plant. They walk across the road to eat lunch, buy beer and play the lottery. We make a pot luck lunch where they can come in and help themselves. The town benefits from all the water it sells to the plant.”

She said there are lagoons to contain all the runoff so contamination is not a concern. “The beef slaughtering plant was federally inspected and this one will be, too.”

She said, “The beef slaughtering plant closed about a year ago. We lost 75 jobs.”

Her sentiment about the new plant, “Keep your fingers crossed.”