Southbridge councilors bristle at trash talk
By Brian Lee, TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFFSOUTHBRIDGE — Councilors learned this week that the landfill on Barefoot Road isn't expected to last beyond 2019, about eight years sooner than longtime officials said they were led to believe.
Toni King, a regional engineer for landfill operator Casella Waste Systems Inc., delivered the news during the Nov. 18 council meeting.
But she said Casella had always said the existing landfill footprint would fill up by about 2020.
Ms. King also spoke about a nonbinding "common goals agreement" between Casella and the town about optimizing use of land surrounding the landfill.
Town officials are considering repurposing the struggling municipal airport next door.
Doing so, Ms. King said, would add life to the landfill, regardless of whether officials decided to turn it into an industrial park or expand the landfill onto airport grounds.
Councilors bristled at both pieces of news.
Regarding the life span, Councilor Catherine E. Nikolla said then-consultant Bruce Haskell of Camp, Dresser & McKee said during a 2007 executive session the landfill had at least 20 years of remaining life.
The statement, she said, was made as councilors mulled a 20-year extension with Casella. It was signed in May 2007.
Before the agreement, Casella was depositing in the landfill about 180,000 tons per year of mostly construction waste, including a limited amount of household waste from Southbridge homes.
This year, the company began depositing 405,600 tons per year of household waste, from anywhere.
The landfill is in the first phase of a planned two-stage approach.
The present phase calls for putting 5.2 million cubic yards of waste into the existing footprint beginning in 2007, said David Murphy, vice president with town consultant Tighe & Bond, who agreed with Casella's projections.
That volume estimate is still true today, he said.
The second phase is projected to add six years to the landfill. This includes a build-out of the site and an increase in the tonnage to 9.4 million cubic yards, Mr. Murphy said.
The misunderstanding about the life span might be tied to "incorrect English" used by CDM in a 2007 memorandum, Mr. Murphy said.
As written, the 9.4 million cubic yards could have been interpreted as "extra, above and beyond" the 5.2 million cubic yards, Mr. Murphy said.
Mr. Murphy said he called Mr. Haskell to confirm that his reference to 9.4 million cubic yards represented the total volume for Phases 1 and 2 combined.
Ms. King said converting the airport to an industrial park would add 1.5 million cubic yards to the landfill and two years to its life. A Federal Aviation Administration-imposed height restriction would be lifted, allowing Casella to pile its waste higher, officials said.
Expanding the landfill atop the airport would provide about 18 million cubic yards, or 30 years of capacity, Ms. King said.
A more viable option, the Casella official said, is using a parcel that Casella has an option to purchase near McKinstry Brook.
It would provide about 4 million cubic yards or seven years of additional capacity, but there are a number of wetland issues, she said.
Ms. Nikolla expressed opposition to any plan that would expand the landfill beyond what the contract calls for.
She said she "took an enormous amount of heat" for voting in favor of the extension agreement.
Vice Chairman Darlene M. Marcucci said the news was disturbing.
Because of Casella's stated ability to compress and recycle the household waste, she said she hadn't been concerned about the facility's life expectancy.
Councilman Esteban Carrasco Jr. said Casella should modify what it is putting into the landfill "to make this contract valid."
Town Manager Christopher Clark said the overview should be viewed "in the spirit of education" before making decisions about the landfill and airport.
He also said royalty payments from Casella have increased from $1 million five years ago to $2.4 million this year.
Contact Brian Lee at brian.lee@telegram.com.
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Worcester telegram comments on this article:
Our town manager is leaving, so why would he care what happens in/to Southbridge after he's gone.
Posted on Sunday November 24, 2013 at 12:41 PM | Reply
Well it's interesting to see that along with the update from Casella
comes the information that the landfill will reach capacity earlier than
expected and that if the airport property was added to the landfill
another 20 years could be added...
It is interesting also that Mr Clark has begun to evict the current airport manager/lessee Mr. Latour without due process..overriding the airport commissions powers in the beginning. It is easy to speculate that with the airport gone that the landfill could be expanded easily.
Then all of the sudden the commission is on board with Mr.Clark's decision..with a no confidence vote of the current LEGAL manager of the airport Mr.Latour .Why??
Could it be Mr Clark has recently supported and the council appointed his personal minion to the commission??
Could it be Mr. Paul Parent a member of the airport commission has become very close to Mr. Clark??
Why does the chairman of the airport commission have no comment??
Mr Clark has used his position to try to force out the current manager with the airport commissions approval. Why?
There is several things very wrong going on right now..
First Mr. Clark has appointed a "interim" airport manager Mr. Plouff who has no experience managing a airport at all ..NONE.
And holds no FAA license..Airport Manager,Pilot, Mechanic, or Inspector
Second Mr. Clark has disregarded the fact the current airport manager Mr. Latour has a LEGAL BINDING CONTRACT with the town of Southbridge and until that is brought before a Judge and ruled upon Mr. Latour is the LEGAL manager/lessee.
Third during a recent airport commission meeting on Thursday Nov.21, 2013 Mr.Plouff was present during a closed door executive session of the airport commission, is he a "real"legal position holder??
Then during the Nov. 21. 2013 airport commission meeting Mr. Paul Parent has admitted that during tha last few years the commission has no clue what they have been doing.. or what has been happening.
Somethings very wrong
It is interesting also that Mr Clark has begun to evict the current airport manager/lessee Mr. Latour without due process..overriding the airport commissions powers in the beginning. It is easy to speculate that with the airport gone that the landfill could be expanded easily.
Then all of the sudden the commission is on board with Mr.Clark's decision..with a no confidence vote of the current LEGAL manager of the airport Mr.Latour .Why??
Could it be Mr Clark has recently supported and the council appointed his personal minion to the commission??
Could it be Mr. Paul Parent a member of the airport commission has become very close to Mr. Clark??
Why does the chairman of the airport commission have no comment??
Mr Clark has used his position to try to force out the current manager with the airport commissions approval. Why?
There is several things very wrong going on right now..
First Mr. Clark has appointed a "interim" airport manager Mr. Plouff who has no experience managing a airport at all ..NONE.
And holds no FAA license..Airport Manager,Pilot, Mechanic, or Inspector
Second Mr. Clark has disregarded the fact the current airport manager Mr. Latour has a LEGAL BINDING CONTRACT with the town of Southbridge and until that is brought before a Judge and ruled upon Mr. Latour is the LEGAL manager/lessee.
Third during a recent airport commission meeting on Thursday Nov.21, 2013 Mr.Plouff was present during a closed door executive session of the airport commission, is he a "real"legal position holder??
Then during the Nov. 21. 2013 airport commission meeting Mr. Paul Parent has admitted that during tha last few years the commission has no clue what they have been doing.. or what has been happening.
Somethings very wrong
Posted on Sunday November 24, 2013 at 10:23 AM | Reply
(1)
How odd, this meeting was Monday night, November 18th. Why is this
landfill story being buried (No pun intended) in a Saturday paper
almost a week afterward?
John Georgio of Kopplemann and Paige was the individual that assured the Town Council that thelandfill would last around twenty years, and that NO major (footprint expansion determines the dif between major and minor) The minor Site Assignememt would assure there would be no landfill footprint expansion in those twenty years. Phase one and two was about going first to 300,000+ aqand pase two was when they'd reach the max 400,000 ton+ ay year level.
The contract work over money and space regarding landfill was a year before the Site Assignment, NOT during the Site Assignment. Nikolla must have misremembered. Councilllor Nikolla was talking about sitting at home when footprint size assurances were being made, and she said then that she read the contract and it was a good contract. Too bad we got one third the promised money and they'll require almost three times the cubic space The headdline on the front of the Telegram the day after Councilor Nikolla and others approved the deal claimed SOuthbridge was going to make over $150 Million with this contract. I'd love to know who parroted that figure to the reporter. It was probably by Chairman Chernisky over a free sandwich, but it amazes how easy it is to get such obvious rubbish on the front page.
Someone not mentioned is Attny Kirstie Pecci and her family, who worked very hard to protect the community from the burdens of a small community that accepts well over a hundred TIMES the waste at the Sturbridge landfill. The Supreme Court of the Commonwealth disappointed the300 or 400 peoploe represented in that case, loss more over technicality tha a lack of merit. BTW, the man that fought this from the start along with Alrry Beinama is John GAtti, and Linda Cocalys of the Health Board in STURbridge does more to protect than the SOUTHbridge Board!
John Georgio of Kopplemann and Paige was the individual that assured the Town Council that thelandfill would last around twenty years, and that NO major (footprint expansion determines the dif between major and minor) The minor Site Assignememt would assure there would be no landfill footprint expansion in those twenty years. Phase one and two was about going first to 300,000+ aqand pase two was when they'd reach the max 400,000 ton+ ay year level.
The contract work over money and space regarding landfill was a year before the Site Assignment, NOT during the Site Assignment. Nikolla must have misremembered. Councilllor Nikolla was talking about sitting at home when footprint size assurances were being made, and she said then that she read the contract and it was a good contract. Too bad we got one third the promised money and they'll require almost three times the cubic space The headdline on the front of the Telegram the day after Councilor Nikolla and others approved the deal claimed SOuthbridge was going to make over $150 Million with this contract. I'd love to know who parroted that figure to the reporter. It was probably by Chairman Chernisky over a free sandwich, but it amazes how easy it is to get such obvious rubbish on the front page.
Someone not mentioned is Attny Kirstie Pecci and her family, who worked very hard to protect the community from the burdens of a small community that accepts well over a hundred TIMES the waste at the Sturbridge landfill. The Supreme Court of the Commonwealth disappointed the300 or 400 peoploe represented in that case, loss more over technicality tha a lack of merit. BTW, the man that fought this from the start along with Alrry Beinama is John GAtti, and Linda Cocalys of the Health Board in STURbridge does more to protect than the SOUTHbridge Board!
Posted on Saturday November 23, 2013 at 9:20 PM | Reply
(2)
The guy that you are talking about is John Pulowski. He has been trying
to stop this landfill since the that it was applied for, and he and the
other people that have been fighting it, like Councillor O'Brien and
Jiohn Gotti ( of Southbridge) and two people on the Board of Health that
the Town manager Mister Clark fired for wanting to protect us have been
harrassed and abused by the town manager for years, Polowski actually
told the council twice in the past year that the landfill was running
out of space and they ignored him.
What a bunch a liars they are claiming they are only finding out now! The Council that voted for this was told by the treasurer that if they voted yes the town would get three and a half million a year starting the next year but it has been eight years and we never got more than half that until last year. It would be a joke if the taxes and weater bills didn"t keep going up. What we need is the Attorney General to investigate the Town Manager and the lawyer Mister Giorgio that said that we"de never have to exapand and that we'd get so much more money.
They also fired paul Zotozs and Councillor O'Brien for fighting the landfill-the Town actually hired lawyers to clainm that an intention to resign was an actual resignation.
When I see the slick town manager all iI think is that I wish he was working for us instead os that trashy company. Who wqas on our side working for us?
What a bunch a liars they are claiming they are only finding out now! The Council that voted for this was told by the treasurer that if they voted yes the town would get three and a half million a year starting the next year but it has been eight years and we never got more than half that until last year. It would be a joke if the taxes and weater bills didn"t keep going up. What we need is the Attorney General to investigate the Town Manager and the lawyer Mister Giorgio that said that we"de never have to exapand and that we'd get so much more money.
They also fired paul Zotozs and Councillor O'Brien for fighting the landfill-the Town actually hired lawyers to clainm that an intention to resign was an actual resignation.
When I see the slick town manager all iI think is that I wish he was working for us instead os that trashy company. Who wqas on our side working for us?
Posted on Saturday November 23, 2013 at 3:24 PM | Reply
(2)
(1)
Directly from the news article:
"This year, the company began depositing 405,600 tons per year of household waste, from anywhere."
At the above rate, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to realize that the life of the Southbridge dump is VERY limited.
No wonder Southbridge is well known for it's dump.
And raising the height limit would only make 'Mount Flo' that much higher.
Florence Chandler was a big proponent of the dump.
She sold the town of Southbridge a big lie and then she left.
"This year, the company began depositing 405,600 tons per year of household waste, from anywhere."
At the above rate, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to realize that the life of the Southbridge dump is VERY limited.
No wonder Southbridge is well known for it's dump.
And raising the height limit would only make 'Mount Flo' that much higher.
Florence Chandler was a big proponent of the dump.
She sold the town of Southbridge a big lie and then she left.
Posted on Saturday November 23, 2013 at 1:30 PM | Reply
(3)
(1)
Always a Concerned Citizen wrote:
I don't give a damn how much money Casella pays the town, don't let them do anything else to increase this mess. They should finish what they have to do and get the heck out of town! And each councilor should be held accountable for what they voted on in 2007. It's always a rush rush sign and leave vote for the town. Hurry up and ruin a good thing just to get a buck. The bigggest mistake would be to let casella use that airport. If the town does that you might as well burn the town down. There has always been since the beginning of the landfill a man that speaks on the landfill (I forgot his name). Nicolla especially would bully him to stop speaking about the dump. Maybe if she would have shut up and listen she wouldn't have voted for this mess. He is still right and it's about time someone on the council and town listen to what he has to say. Not only him, but many doctors spoke about the threat of this dump. But who listened???? And look at us now. Just like Obamacare. A disaster that is going to cost the taxpayers that can't afford to pay taxes now never mind later because of this mess. Thanks councilors and town manager!
That maybe Southbridge resident John Pulaski you are thinking of
I don't give a damn how much money Casella pays the town, don't let them do anything else to increase this mess. They should finish what they have to do and get the heck out of town! And each councilor should be held accountable for what they voted on in 2007. It's always a rush rush sign and leave vote for the town. Hurry up and ruin a good thing just to get a buck. The bigggest mistake would be to let casella use that airport. If the town does that you might as well burn the town down. There has always been since the beginning of the landfill a man that speaks on the landfill (I forgot his name). Nicolla especially would bully him to stop speaking about the dump. Maybe if she would have shut up and listen she wouldn't have voted for this mess. He is still right and it's about time someone on the council and town listen to what he has to say. Not only him, but many doctors spoke about the threat of this dump. But who listened???? And look at us now. Just like Obamacare. A disaster that is going to cost the taxpayers that can't afford to pay taxes now never mind later because of this mess. Thanks councilors and town manager!
That maybe Southbridge resident John Pulaski you are thinking of
Interesting points:
1. John Giorgio of Kopelman & Paige was involved in the return of the $369,681.40 to Casella in Templeton ( One of the points of the "Investigation") John Giorgio was also Templeton's town counsel when the Assignee and Assumption agreement between Erving Paper Mill and American Tissue was negotiated.
2. K&P must have removed the eminent domain clause from the Southbridge contract.
3. K&P is no longer town counsel for Southbridge.
TCAD saved Templeton from this fate. Voters, please remember who was the driving force behind TCAD. I am voting for Bob Mitchell.
ReplyDeleteIf my memory serves me correct K&P and an attorney by the name of John Giorgio was involved with Southbridge's contractual issues. It is believed that this same attorney represented Templeton when American Tissue came to town (Assignee and Assumption Agreement of 1991) resulting in a loss of between 15 to 30 million dollars worth of contractual obligations owed the Town of Templeton. It is hoped the Senator Stephen Brewer and Representative Andrews will look into what exactly happen in case 02=2424C and the travesty of justice given the town by K&P attorneys. There appears to be a pattern here by the law firm of K&P of either malfeasance or in the case of Templeton out right fraud.
ReplyDeleteOne more reason to re-elect Bob Mitchell
ReplyDeleteHe will and always did stand up for what is good for Templeton and her people.
We are not like Southbridge now because people likre Bob stood up and faught for Templeton!
Vote Bob Mitchell for Selectmen!
Vote Mitchell for selectman!
ReplyDeleteRemember the past to ensure a better future.
The nuclear option should NEVER be used.
So, this "dump expansion" in Southbridge is going to give them 20 more years, or so they say! Twenty years is the blink of your eye, when they consider what they will lose. The money will never replace the space they have given up for a buck. Did Casella recycle to separate what could be reused from real trash ?? I seriously doubt it ! Who was in charge of how much was going into the land fill every week ? Most likely no one. I wonder if they had "the smell" that Gardner dump had for so long ? What does that do for your land and home values?? The best thing Southbridge could do is kick them out and lock the door, as fast as they can. What in the world is "incorrect English" ?? Boy, that is a good one!! How could anyone say that with a straight face?? Southbridge is off to a good start if they got rig of K.&P, now they have to show Casella the door also, and clean up the mess they have. Southbridge will have to learn to live within their means, like the rest of us have. The only people who have gained anything from this deal are Casella and the lawyers, and I would say that is about par for the course. Bev.
Delete