Page 18 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2023 NOISE | FROM Page 1 Tuesday night before a crowd of about 100 – many of them standing outside the overfi lled Community Room. “Some thought it was a plane crash,” Chief Ricciardelli said. When Saugus fi refi ghters arrived at the incinerator on Route 107 in East Saugus, there was nobody immediately available in the control room they could talk to, according to Fire Chief Michael C. Newbury. “On our day shift, we have a fantastic relationship with WIN,” Chief Newbury told the Board of Health. But the fi re chief cited “a lack of communication” on Monday night when fi refi ghters responded to a noise complaint at the plant. The chief said it took fi ve to 10 minutes before the Fire Department established contact with plant offi - cials. Meanwhile, “there was misinformation about an explosion at the facility,” he added, noting that good communication could have prevented that kind of fear in the community “Luckily, nobody got hurt,” Chief Newbury said. WIN Waste blamed a malfunctioning valve for the violent venting of steam that produced about 20 minutes of horrific noise that annoyed and frightened hundreds of residents in Saugus and Revere. In an initial text message alert to the community, WIN explained that the plant had “experienced an upset condition that necessitated the ventilation of steam, without the opportunity to route it through the silencers…The result was steam that was both visible and audible.” Declaring it an emergency Saugus Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree requested the emergency Board of Health meeting after Saugus Public safety dispatchers were fl ooded with calls. “I am aware that this was unsettling to many residents and families throughout Saugus. The Town takes this matter seriously,” Crabtree said in a press release issued Tuesday morning. “Therefore, I have requested that the Saugus Board of Health, which has jurisdiction concerning this incident, to immediately convene an emergency public meeting to have representatives from WIN Waste Innovations explain what occurred, why it occurred, and what steps they will take to prevent it from happening again.” At the end of the 90-minute hearing, Saugus Board of Health Chair William Heff ernan vowed, “We will hold WIN accountable.” “We will act sooner rather than later,” he said, noting that the board will be meeting with town counsel and the health director to determine what enforcement action should be taken against WIN, including actions the company should be required to take. “I know what authority we have, and I’m not afraid to use it,” Heff ernan said. Heff ernan said he believed the noise caused by a faulty valve at the plant “was the loudest we’ve ever seen in my lifetime.” Heff ernan said he liked some of the ideas proposed at the meeting, including the establishment of a communications loop between the town and WIN when serious events happen and a reverse 911 call so residents can be briefed as soon as possible when those events occur. “In my opinion, this was a catastrophic failure,” Heff ernan said. He called on the company to increase its preventative maintenance and suggested that monthly testing of the equipment be increased from monthly to twice-a-month. Some residents said the testing of the equipment should be conducted during the day and not at night. In response to a resident’s concerns about the noise incident, Heff ernan said he would request an evaluation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Precinct 10 Town Meeting Member Peter Manoogian, a longtime critic of the plant, called on the company to “step up and pay for this incident that cost the taxpayers last night. Manoogian, whose Ballard Street home is not far from the plant, said the atmosphere in his neighborhood resembled “sort of a Precinct 10 night out.” “People were wondering if the plant was going to blow up,” he said, adding that some hoped it was. WIN agrees to take action on recommendations Saugus Board of Selectmen Chair Anthony Cogliano said he met with WIN officials on Wednesday to follow up on many of the recommendations made in response to the incident. He shared some email correspondence he had with Mary Urban, Senior Director of Communications & Community Engagement for WIN. “The relationship I’ve developed with WIN Waste has once again proven to be benefi cial not only to the residents of Precinct 10, but the Town of Saugus as a whole,” Cogliano wrote Urban. “As unfortunate as the events of Monday night were, it is equally important that we remedy those situations as soon as possible. What we’ve been able to agree to here is a major step in the right direction. Thank you and your team for meeting with me to address these concerns in a timely manner,” he said. In her email to Cogliano, Urban said WIN intends to “immediately act on the following”: • Direct phone line to the control room for the FD/PD only • Support the reverse 911 call requested from the town • Reimbursement for the Town’s costs for emergency services to respond to the event at our facility • Increase the frequency of the BOH 3rd party Tech environmental group from monthly to biweekly reviews • Fund the installation of one stand-alone ambient NOx monitoring station in the Town of Saugus per the DEP’s regulations Peter DiCecco, WIN Waste Innovations Senior Vice President of Operations, expressed repeated apologies to the town and its residents. “Last night was the fi rst time there’s been a malfunctioning of the silencer since it’s been installed,” DiCecco said. “The audience doesn’t care that it worked 99 percent of the time,” he added. “I am extremely disappointed that we inconvenienced the community last night,” he said. In the last three years, WIN has spent more than $75 million to upgrade the plant and replace parts. “We are constantly looking at and making improveNOISE | SEE Page 19 MASSACHUSETTS TAX RELIEF BILL T he most recent tax relief bill could become law if Governor Maura Healey signs off on it on Friday, September 29th . This bill is long overdue. It will take some time to digest some of the key provisions in the bill, especially the estate tax provisions. Some of the key elements in the bill thus far include: Increasing the rental deduction from $3,000 to $4,000. Unfortunately, that only results in a tax savings per tax return of $50. The senior circuit breaker tax credit would increase from $1,200 to $2,400. This is substantial as a tax credit is much more meaningful than a deduction. It is a reduction dollar for dollar in the total tax once calculated. Either your balance due will be reduced by $2,400 or your refund will be increased by $2,400. For those 65 years of age or older who would not otherwise be required to fi le a tax return, this new bill is even more of an incentive to fi le. The income tax rate on short-term capital gains will decrease from 12% to 8.5%. I was hoping for that rate to drop to 5%, which is the tax rate levied against all ordinary income including W-2 income, interest income, dividend income, etc. However, if someone has a $100,000 short-term capital gain on the sale of real estate or stock, that would be a savings of $3,500. That is a considerable savings. The estate tax exemption will be increasing from $1million to $2million. Furthermore, only the gross taxable estate over $2million will be subject to tax. Under the current estate tax provisions, once an estate is over $1million, the entire $1million is subject to tax. The $2million threshold will now exempt many estates from the estate tax. I wish Massachusetts had adopted portability. This would have eliminated the need for many families to be put in a position to implement more complicated estate planning with the use of Trusts in order to maximize a married couple’s estate tax exemptions. With portability, if a husband died, his $2million exemption could be passed along to his wife so that when she subsequently dies with a $4million estate, no estate tax would be due. She would be entitled to her $2million exemption and her deceased husband’s $2million exemption. This would be so much easier for so many married couples. This would also have served to encourage more affl uent married couples to continue to live in Massachusetts rather than move to another state that has no estate tax. They would continue to spend money in Massachusetts and employ workers to help propel the economy. The federal government adopted portability years ago. It’s hard to imagine that Massachusetts is only going to increase the renters deduction to $4,000. That number is arrived at by taking one half of $8,000, when rent payment for one year can easily reach $30,000. Even a $15,000 rent deduction only saves $750 in Massachusetts income taxes. We’ll digest the bill when fi nalized and report back on the key provisions. Joseph D. Cataldo is an Estate Planning/Elder Law Attorney, Certifi ed Public Accountant, Certifi ed Financial Planner, AICPA Personal Financial Specialist and holds a Master’s Degree in Taxation. For Advertising with Results, call he Adv cate Ne spapers call The Advocate Newspapers at 781-286-8500 or Info@advocatenews.net
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