Page 2 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, OCTObEr 25, 2024 CAMPAIGN | FROM PAGE 1 pate in the committee’s meeting since members began meeting. The company has taken the position that there’s no reason to meet with a town committee to discuss suggestions on how to use company property. They also maintain that the Board of Health – not the committee – is the only town body it should be Donate Your Vehicle Call (866) 618-0011 to donate your car, truck, boat, RV, and more today! ■ Support Veteran Nonprofi ts. ■ Free Pickup & Towing. ■ Top Tax Deduction. Donate Your Vehicle Today 866-618-0011 While we appreciate every donation, in some cases, we fi nd that we are unable to accept certain vehicles, watercraft, and/or recreational vehicles due to the prohibitive costs of acquisition. If you have any questions, please give us a call at (866) 618-0011. Lawrence A. Simeone Jr. Attorney-at-Law ~ Since 1989 ~ * Corporate Litigation * Criminal/Civil * MCAD * Zoning/Land Court * Wetlands Litigation * Workmen’s Compensation * Landlord/Tenant Litigation * Real Estate Law * Construction Litigation * Tax Lien * Personal Injury * Bankruptcy * Wrongful Death * Zoning/Permitting Litigation 300 Broadway, Suite 1, Revere * 781-286-1560 lsimeonejr@simeonelaw.net meeting with. After failed efforts to get WIN to have a representative participating in the meetings, Committee Chair Peter Manoogian thought the committee should make a final effort to involve the company in the ongoing discussions. ‘“It’s possible that he doesn’t know about these efforts or that he’s made to believe otherwise,” Manoogian said. “There’s really a great opportunity to convert that landfill into something productive,” he added. The committee plans to meet again on Nov. 4 at 6:15 p.m. to approve the “invitation” letter to Mayo. The cover letter to Mayo will accompany a fact sheet, briefing him on the history of the ash landfill and what’s transpired recently between WIN Waste and the town. Manoogian said it was important for the committee to demonstrate in its final report to Town Meeting next spring that members went to great measures to involve WIN Waste in its discussions. “We got to stand in front of Town Meeting and tell them what we did and that we tried,” Manoogian said. “No one at Town Meeting is going to want to hear we pulled out a flamethrower,” he said. Members stressed that it was important to write the letter to Mayo, reflecting a positive and collaborative tone. Mayo did not return a telephone call to The Saugus Advocate. Meanwhile, Mary Urban, Sr. Director of Communications & Community, issued a statement this week similar to previous ones related to the landfill closure committee’s role in town government: “While we appreciate the recommendations on potential uses for our property, it’s important to keep in mind that the predecessor to this closure committee, the landfill committee, spent 18 months doing the exact opposite of everything the closure committee is doing: The landfill committee worked with WIN in an effort to maximize the economic and environmental benefits of our monofil operations. Our waste-to-energy facility and monofil play a critical role in the state’s waste-disposal infrastructure, which is under growing pressure due to decreased capacity. There are many people in the town and the region who understand our integral role in local, reliable and sustainable waste disposal and we hope to shift the conversation to again focus on how to sustain this asset, which includes the crucial conservation work being done at WIN Waste’s Bear Creek Wildlife Sanctuary.” WIN Waste has not given up on the possibility of the life of the ash landfill being extended at least another 20 years – the time period stipulated in Host Community Agreement (HCA) approved on a 3-2 non-binding vote of the Board of Selectmen last year. WIN Waste continues to point to the tentative HCA approved by a majority of the five sitting selectmen as evidence that town officials are amenable to a deal that would allow expansion of the ash landfill in return for compensation and other conditions. Selectmen Jeff Cicolini and Corinne Riley at the time of the non-binding vote said they supported the HCA as a precautionary measure in case the state weakens environmental regulations related to the landfill.In fact, the HCA has no legal basis, under state law and under the Town of Saugus Charter. Furthermore, any HCA would have to be negotiated by the town manager and wouldn’t take effect unless the state allowed the company to expand its ash landfill. If the state loosened the regulations at the ash landfill, the Board of Health would have authority to conduct site modification hearings to ultimately decide whether and how expansion of the ash landfill would proceed. Saugus would receive $20 million over the next 20 years while WIN Waste could continue use of the ash landfill, according to the hypothetical HCA supported by a majority of the selectmen. WIN is currently trucking 50 percent of its ash to a landfill in Shrewsbury to prolong the life of its ash landfill in Saugus. Meanwhile, WIN has declined repeated invitations by the landfill closure committee to attend and participate in the meetings as a non-voting member. Manoogian noted that an inspection of state environmental records by the committee hasn’t turned up any evidence of WIN seeking to modify or change the regulations which currently prevent it from expanding the ash landfill. “The state has stated there is no pathway for expansion,” Manoogian said. “There’s no pending legislation or regulation changes,” he said.
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