THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, August 9, 2019 Page 9 PROTEST | FROM PAGE 1 dent of the Port of Pines Beach Association, stood near the bottom steps of Town Hall, holding a sign declaring “Shut It Down,” which became the battle cry chant of the rally. The protesters – many of them from Lynn, Revere and Saugus who live near the plant – also came to show support for the Saugus Board of Health, which held a show cause hearing asking Wheelabrator to publicly explain recent noise issues at its Saugus plant. “I don’t like the noise that we’ve had to put up with for the past month,” Sawaya said. “And I blame Wheelabrator for that and also for the bilateral breast cancer I’ve had for living near the plant for many years,” she said. Participants in the rally, which was organized by the regional environmental group Alliance for Health and Environment, later joined other citizens who filled two-thirds of the second floor auditorium at Saugus Town Hall for Monday’s hearing. Heavy fines and a shutdown of Wheelabrator Technologies, Inc.’s trash-to-energy incinerator are the worst-case ramifiSIGN OF UNREST: Saugus Town Meeting Member Jean M. Bartolo of Precinct 6 holds a sign describing the state of mind of many town residents whose lives have been affected by recent noise generated at the Wheelabrator plant for more than a month. cations of the recent enforcement action initiated by the town’s Board of Health in the wake of numerous noise complaints that date back to midJune. The noise problems began when Wheelabrator took a steam turbine out of use for repairs. With steam being released into the air, residents of Saugus and Revere neighborhoods began complaining about the noise. A silencer that was used to soften the sound proved ineffective, forcing the company to install an enhanced silencer. At a meeting last month to discuss the complaints, Board of Health members heard testimony from residents and received a legal briefing before voting 4-0 to issue a show cause notice for Wheelabrator officials to appear at Monday’s hearing to explain what happened, why it happened and what they are going to do to keep it from happening again. “People are outraged at the noise issue surrounding Wheelabrator, and people think they should be held accountable,” said Board of Selectmen Chair Debra Panetta as she led off the testimony of a dozen speakers who went to the lectern to testify to the board. Panetta called on Wheelabrator to develop better communication with the town. “It’s a quality of life issue. It’s about the health and safety of our neighbors and family. We just need to know what’s going on in our town,” she told the Board of Health. Town Meeting Member Ann Devlin of Precinct 1, who is also the president of Saugus Action Volunteers for the EnPROTEST | SEE PAGE 10 Lawnmower Tune-Up and Repairs • We repair all makes & models! • Authorized • FREE PICK-UP for all Tune-Ups! all m • We r d K-U makes & mo ma akes & mo D KU for all Tun UP fo 1039 Broadway, Revere • (781) 289-6466 Biker’s Outfitter (781) 289 , ee (8) 89 www.bikersoutfitter.com WE WORK FOR YOU! * Have your car repaired by Real Manufacturer Certiified Technicians * An I-CAR GOLD CLASS SHOP Highest Certificate in the Repair Industry * Premier Insurance Co. Collision Repair Shop for Geico, Liberty Mutual, Metlife, Progressive and more! * Over 30 Years of putting families back on the Road Safe & Fast! * ATLAS Stands Behind All Repairs with a Limited Lifetime Warranty 1605 North Shore Road, Revere * 781-284-1200 Visit us at: www.AtlasAutobody.com or call (781) 284-1200 to schedule your appointment today! Dealer
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