THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, March 13, 2020 Page 9 A Committee of Conflict New Wheelabrator subcommittee created by Board of Health has critics before it even gets started By Mark E. Vogler B oard of Selectmen Chair Anthony Cogliano irked a few people last week when he recommended a list of members to serve on the Wheelabrator subcommittee that he proposed to help resolve ongoing issues with the owners of the local trash-to-energy incinerator. Selectman Debra Panetta was visibly upset that she wasn’t one of the selectmen named to the 10-member panel. “I’m very disappointed,” Panetta told the Board of Health after hearing that she had been left off the list. “I’ve been following Wheelabrator for the past three decades,” she said, noting that she had attended many meetings and was well-versed on Wheelabrator-related issues. She also suggested that the subcommittee needs to have more members with an environmental background. While she cited her longtime review of Wheelabrator-related issues, she suggested that Selectman Michael Serino has even more experience and would have been a good addition to the committee. Precinct 10 Town Meeting Member Peter Manoogian, a longtime Wheelabrator critic, expressed concerns that the committee might be inclined to make a deal with Wheelabrator that would further increase the life and size of the ash landfill near the Wheelabrator plant on Route 107. “They’re going to offer a fire station for more ash – that’s the quid pro quo,” he told Board of Health Chair William Heffernan. Manoogian suspected that was a possibility after hearing that Cogliano had recommended Saugus Fire Lieutenant William Cross, an outspoken advocate for a West Side Fire Station. He told Heffernan he hoped he had assumed wrongly. But Heffernan shot down that theory. “It’s not going to be more ash,” he said. Initially, it appeared that the board had voted unanimously to accept the 10 members recommended by Cogliano to sit on the special committee. But Heffernan later said the vote was only to create the subcommittee and then confirm the members at a later date, perhaps at next month’s meeting. “It is not ‘a quid pro quo committee,’” Heffernan said. “If anything, we’re hoping to drive improvements at the facility as well as get a closure date for the landfill,” he said. THE FINAL SAY: The Board of Health at last week’s meeting. The Board will have the final say on the composition of members of a subcommittee that will work with Wheelabrator Saugus, Inc. on town issues, including a date for closing the ash landfill near the company’s trash-toenergy plant on Route 107 in Saugus. (Saugus Advocate Photo by Mark E. Vogler) Not enough environmental input, say some Even so, disappointment remains among several town officials – some who have been outspoken Wheelabrator critics for years. Precinct 1 Town Meeting Member Ann Devlin, president of Saugus Action Volunteers for the Environment (SAVE), complained that the committee needs more people with an environmental background who were knowledgeable about the Wheelabrator issue. State Rep. RoseLee Vincent, D-Revere, whose district includes Precincts 3 and 10 in Saugus, requested that the committee include a Saugus resident who is a member of either SAVE or the Alliance for Health and the Environment – “local environmental advocacy organizations that have vast knowledge on the background of Wheelabrator Saugus as those who live in East Saugus. “Additionally, it would be a nice gesture if you would include a Revere resident on this sub-committee, as the people of Riverside are just as impacted by the operators of Wheelabrator Saugus as those who live in East Saugus,” she said. But Cogliano said he has misgivings about loading the subcommittee with “anti-Wheelabrator members.” “It would impede any productive talks between Wheelabrator and the town,” he said. “It’s hard to put people on a committee that is trying to work with Wheelabrator when they are on other committees that are anti-Wheelabrator,” Cogliano said. He also took issue with nontown residents serving on the committee. “The committee has two selectmen, two members of the Board of Health, a Town Meeting member from Precinct 10, a Town Meeting member and Fire Department Lieutenant from Precinct 1, the Town Manager, two former members of the Board of Health and a former School Committee member,” Cogliano said. “The Town is well represented. The committee will seek to find new ways to work with the company to improve the safety and quality of life for not only the Saugus residents but those in our surrounding communities as well,” he said. “The committee will be charged with Ash Landfill post closure use/future development, the NOX level, The landfill height and closure facility upgrade, water testing, fire and safety issues, quality of life issues and a host community agreement.” People can still apply The Board of Health invited Cogliano to Monday’s meeting to address the board on his ideas about the special subcommittee. But Heffernan stressed that it’s a committee that he will chair and that the members will be approved by the Board of Health. “If anyone is interested, send an email to the Board of Health with some kind of contact information and we’ll be happy to reach out and see where it goes,” Heffernan said. He envisages a committee of seven to 10 members. “We’re just trying to keep it from not being a mass of people and then have three Wheelabrator guys sitting across the table,” Heffernan said. “I think it behooves us to keep it smaller, to make it as productive as possible,” he said. Board of Health Member Shawn Ayube said he wants to see a well-balanced board. “I think it’s extremely important that we have a diversity of opinions and people representing all sides,” he said. Meanwhile, Wheelabrator officials say they are happy that after years of attempting to develop an ongoing dialogue with the town without much recent success, that the committee could be a facilitator for better relations. “We have long sought to have a meaningful discussion with the town about how we can best continue to provide economic and environmental value to Saugus and the region,” said Wheelabrator’s Director of Communications and Community Engagement, Michelle Nadeau. “We welcome the board’s creation of a committee as a first step in that process,” she said. Here is the list of members recommended by Board of Selectmen Chair Anthony Cogliano: • Board of Health Chair William Heffernan and Board of Health Member Shawn Ayube • Board of Selectmen Chair Anthony Cogliano and Board of Selectmen Vice Chair Corinne Riley • Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree • Precinct 10 Town Meeting Member Peter Delios • Saugus Fire Department Lt. and Precinct 8 Town Meeting Member William E. Cross III • Former Board of Health Members Diane Serino and Joe Vinard • Former School Committee Member Elizabeth Marchese Heffernan stressed that the Board of Health will have the final say on the selection of members on the subcommittee. B BUONFIGLIO FUNERAL HOME BUONFIGLIO FUNERAL HOME INVITES YOU TO A FREE INFORMATION SEMINAR ON FUNERAL COSTS, CREMATION AND PRE-PLANNING Thursday, March 19, 2020 at 11 AM and 6 PM Held at Buonfiglio Funeral Home 128 Revere Street, Revere, MA 02151 R.S.V.P. by March 13, 2020 at 781-284-3376 Seating Is Limited & Refreshments Will Be Served “Providing compassionate, quality service and counseling to the families we serve before, during and after their time of need”
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