Category Archives: Environment

The environment, Newburyport, MA, the air, water, minerals, organisms, plants and other external factors surrounding and affecting the ecology and physical environment of Newburyport

Newburyport, A Real Estate Inquiry About the Landfill

Shortly before Christmas I got a phone call. The phone call was from a young lady who was about to buy a house in Newburyport, MA and wanted to know if it was safe to live here because of our Landfill issue.

Why in the world was she calling me?

She had called the Mayor’s office to ask this very question. I felt sorry for Lois, Mayor John Moak’s secretary, who apparently had the pleasure of trying to answer such an inquiry. My caller was not satisfied.

And she was told that our health inspector was “not available,” which he probably wasn’t, because he was probably out inspecting the work being done on the Newburyport Landfill.

So, low and behold, Google gave me up as a source of information on this subject. (There’s lots of information when one Googles “Newburyport Landfill,” not just moi, thank goodness.)

It was assumed that the “Newburyport Blogger” would have some answers for this much panicked individual.

Well, this Newburyport blogger knew that she was no source of reliable or informed information, and gave the young lady in question phone numbers of individuals who she felt would be able to impart educated, knowledgeable and fair insight into whether or not it was safe to live in Newburyport, MA.

Well, I live here, so obviously I think it’s safe.

However, the cautionary tale here is to the realtors in Newburyport, Massachusetts. The Landfill issue apparently appears to be hurting the realtor bottom-line, if people are Googling me for info and “guidance” on this stuff. Good grief.

So, I would suggest that it might be a good idea if the realtors in the region ban together and help the City of Newburyport, MA put additional pressure on the “powers that be” on the state level, so that the Landfill issue can get resolved, really and truly, real quick, and folks wouldn’t wonder if it would be a problem to live here health and real-estate-wise. My.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, The Importance of the “Ridge”

Why is the “Ridge” important to Newburyport, MA? The Newburyport Daily News has been asking this question, and an excellent question it appears to be.

The “Ridge” is the area on High Street, in the “South End” of the city that runs roughly from State Street to a little beyond Lime Street, down towards the Newbury line, that is on the upper side of the roadway. That’s the geography.

High Street itself has been called, “one of the most scenic streets in all of New England,” by the “Michelin Guide to New England.”

And to quote the High Street website, “The wholly intact nature of the setting allows the High Street of today to impart the same sense of spaciousness, beauty and dignity that it did 100 years ago.”

The Ridge has beautiful and stately mansions (not McMansions but real to goodness, the real thing, mansions.) And what adds to their beauty, their sense of mystery, their stateliness is LAND. In some cases many, many acres of land.

And this of course was true of the Wheelwright House, the back of which Mr. Todd Fremont-Smith is proposing a suburban subdivision. (See all kinds of previous posts. Just put in Wheelwright into the “search” box at the top of the main page of the Newburyport Political Blog, and you will find gobs of stuff.)

Now not to get too grandiose here, but to get grandiose here, think of “Versailles.” Yes, I’m talking about the Versailles in France, a la King Louis XIV. Yes, I realize this is a bit of hyperbole, and that any mansion on High Street, Newburyport, MA is not quite the same thing, but bear with me here, Ok?

Now, no matter how stunning, how beautiful, how tasteful, would anyone want a subdivision built at the back of Versailles? No.

No, because it would be tacky and lack class, and just plain not a good idea.

The same principle applies to any land in back of the High Street mansions on the Ridge in Newburyport, MA.

To build a subdivision of any kind back there would be tacky and lack class.

Now, my one gander at Mr. Todd Fremont-Smith at the last Public Hearing concerning his project to build a subdivision in the back of the Wheelwright property, the young man in question did not strike me as “lacking class” or being “tacky.” Nor did he strike me as lacking a conscience. (This bloggett obviously finds Mr. Fremont-Smith’s proposal completely unconscionable.)

And if Mr. Fremont-Smith goes ahead with his proposed subdivision — “tacky and without class,” what a lousy legacy to be left with. My.

And I would imagine that if he ever thought that the project would gander so much negative publicity, that he might never have taken the project on at all. And I’m afraid for Mr. Fremont-Smith, that things, bad publicity-wise, are just beginning to really rev up. Vroooom, vroooom.

So one and all, this bloggett does not wish the Ridge a tacky and without class legacy. And I know many (vast understatement) out there in Web Land do not wish this for Newburyport, MA either.

Happy New Year…

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, Wheelwright Land, Wills Lane Proposed Subdivision

Wow, did I ever come away mighty depressed after going to the Public Hearing at the Newburyport Planning Board for the subdivision proposal by Mr. Todd-Fremont Smith, Wills Lane LLC, regarding the back of the Wheelwright property.

I had this vague chirpy notion that after the last hostile greeting that Mr. Fremont-Smith received at the last Newburyport Planning Board Public Hearing, that Mr. Fremont-Smith would have made some revisions to his plans for the property adjacent to the historic and sacred Oak Hill Cemetery.

But no.

And as I listen to the presentation, and Mr. Fremont-Smith’s refusal to at least remove one of the dwellings to make the whole thing a tiny bit more palatable, my mood grew fowler and fowler.

WillsLaneInvest.jpg
Map of the proposed subdivision

This image is courtesy of the Newburyport Preservation Trust. If you click on the image on the Newburyport Preservation Trust page you will get a map of the complete plot plan.

In an earlier time, given the mood of the crowd, this young man would have been tarred and feathered for his audacity to build on the legacy of Newburyport, MA.

That was then, this is now.

But Mr. Fremont-Smith apparently just doesn’t get it. And short of legal action to find some sort loophole that will stop his plans (the Conservation Law Foundation gives out advice about this sort of thing for free) or wilting under a high profile public relations assault, that was promised by one of the more talented members of our community, there appears to be no hope.

Alas and alack.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, the Wheelwright Property Subdivision

The proposed Wheelwright property subdivision is back on the docket of the Newburyport Planning Board, this Wednesday, December 20, 2006.

This photo (a much larger version) was sent around by Nathan Felde. Thank you Mr Felde.

oakhill.jpg

Aerial view of property that
Todd-Freemont Smith hopes to
develop into a subdivision.

I find the whole thing depressing.

It seems pretty obvious that local developer Todd Fremont-Smith has no intention of backing down on moving on with this project, despite what I gather was a fairly hostile reception at the last Newburyport Planning Board Public Hearing.

The land in question in the photograph is marked in orange, with a big question mark pointing to it. That’s one big piece of property.

If you want some idea of how it’s going to look, take a look at “Robert’s Lane” off High Street at the top of Marlboro Street.

That used to a be beautiful wooded piece of property.

The “lane” in question is a huge gash through the upper part of High Street, and now everyone has a lovely view of the Water Tower. Sigh.

And the houses Mr. Fremont-Smith would like to build (4 of them) would not be dainty, 3,500 to 4,000 square feet (Newburyport Daily News, December 7, 2006.) Yes, those would qualify as McMansions in my book.

Sigh.

What a happy holiday gift for the city of Newburyport, MA.

So again, the meeting:

Newburyport Planning Board
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
City Hall, Council Chamber
7PM

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, Landfill Problems, Still Here

I went outside my house a couple of weeks ago and there was this smell of rotting garbage and the smell had also seeped inside the house. I had smelled it often before and I went out to see if I had left the lid off the garbage pails. Nope.

And then I realized, no, not the smell of rotting garbage but the smell of rotting eggs. The Landfill. And I live over the Ridge and far away in Newburyport’s South End.

I guess because of the Newburyport Political Blog, I am on the Landfill email list, and hear the daily reports of calling in “odor” complaints to New Ventures, the folks that “run” and own the Landfill, as well as the physical affects that the odors have on the people in the immediate neighborhood.

The emails are heartbreaking folks. I cannot imagine getting up year after year and having the smell be so fierce that I throw up or would be nauseous until the smell abates.

The “hope” (although I believe many a neighbor thought it was a useless “hope”) was at the very least New Ventures, the Landfill operator would have taken care of the “odor” problem. Obviously, that one hasn’t happened yet.

And the anger and frustrations are obviously very high. How could this not be so?

Newburyport’s Health Director, John Morris, wrote the email list (and because the email list is considered a “publication” I hope Mr. Morris and Mayor Moak will not be offended that I pass on their messages here):

“Believe me the Mayor is briefed daily on NV. His options are very limited just as ours. He inspects the operation every day and we discuss our options on a daily basis and discuss NV every day with DEP. Let’s keep focused and united to bring this to an end. Thanks”

And the email list also received a long email from Mayor John Moak, which I thought was very empathetic, stating that:

“…I am very much concerned with what you have to live with… I visit the landfill site usually 6 days a week… I take a tour of the neighborhoods each time I am at the landfill. I talk with Jack Morris everyday about monitoring and methods we can implement to keep the project going, while stressing the need to abate odors. I am in continuous contact with our lawyer to talk about communications we need to send to the DEP and AG and NV…

….I want to stress that I do read your emails and use these to plan my course of action each day as I, along with Jack Morris, attempt to represent the City on this matter in a way that maximizes the input we have on this project. My goal is to get this landfill closed as quickly as possible while emphasizing the need to bring back a healthy environment to the neighborhood.”

What can we do? I don’t know, except not to forget the people in the immediate neighborhood that the Landfill affects everyday. And to know that the Landfill affects everyone of us in Newburyport, MA as well.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport’s Water Supply

E-coli? In OUR water supply? Excuse me.

Goats? How many goats around a crucial drinking water source? Say what.. 450 goats and “1,000 animals in virtually a few months.” (Newburyport Current, Friday, November 24, 2006.)

My.

Definitely a no-brainer. 1,000 animals would probably cause trouble to the water supply for the City of Newburyport, that happens to be on this particular piece of property. Yikes.

The “twins” the aspiring consultants to the Newburyport Political Blog want in the worst way to comment on this one. (Shall we let them?)

The twins, C. G. Cushing and G. C. Cushing of Frog Pond at the Bartlett Mall, believe that anyone having had the pleasure of kicking a kickball from the Kelly School playground into the Bartlett Mall could tell anyone that it is a “gross” experience retrieving such a ball. Yuck.

The twins, who really know zip about ecology (you gotta remember that these are 2 twerpy little frogs) feel that it is obvious, that if you have a lot of frogs in or a lot of animals around a water source, it’s going to be “gross.”

twins.jpg
The Twins: C. G. Cushing and G. C. Cushing
Aspiring Consultants to the Newburyport Political Blog

George Cushing, of Frog Pond at the Bartlett Mall, the true consultant for the Newburyport Political Blog, is rolling his beady little eyes and is somewhat perturbed with moi for even thinking, much less giving the “twins” any sort of input, even if it is inane comments about “gross” water supplies.

george.eye.jpg
George Cushing being perturbed with moi

Luckily Paul Colby, Newburyport’s Water Operations Superintendent, Mayor John Moak and John Morris, Newburyport’s Public Health Director were on the case ASAP. And according to the Newburyport Current, December 1, 2006, things are much improved (I think) (and the e-coli never made it to the public water taps.)

Whew.

This is the drinking water for all the 1,300 new folks from Plum Island that are going to be joining us in drinking what those of us originating from New York City (namely me) call the “mayor’s water” (as opposed to bottled water.)

And when I watched the last Newburyport City Council meeting from the comfort of my comfy chair, the hard working Brendan O’Regan, the Director of Public Services, seemed to indicate that the water treatment supply thing, being very old and with a possible add onto, will cost the tax payers mucho money. Prepare ye for another very necessary possible override.

Better figure the whole water supply, water treatment thing into the City’s ongoing, endless fiscal woes. A big “Yikes” on that one.

The more I blog, the more complicated this whole “how in the world are we ever going to pay for everything” gets. Hence my moving from the “left” and sniggling towards the political “center.”

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, Plundering the Wheelwright Property

A little clarification here on the proposed plundering of the back of the Wheelwright property by Wills Lane LLC. This proposal will be in front of the Newburyport Planning Board December 6, 2006.

This is a traced/drawing from the Newburyport GIS map showing part of the back of High Street, from State Street to Lime Street or what is know as the “Ridge” the land behind the stately High Street mansions.

ridge.3.jpg

The area in red was the original Wheelwright Property, the back of which Wills Lane LLC is proposing to develop a subdivision.

This is a photograph taken of the beautiful entrance to the Oak Hill Cemetery off State Street. The “lane” of the proposed subdivision by Willis Lane LLC would basically parallel this gorgeous, historic roadway.

wheelwright.1.jpg
Edward Gerrish Mair © 2006

And this is a close up of the subdivision Wills Lane LLC would be proposing in front of the Newburyport Planning Board. This is the “sensitive” community version, rather than the “by right” version (see pictures in earlier post.)

Wheel.C.close.jpg

What I did was take a picture of the public document at the Newburyport Planning Office. The “peach” colored area is the Oak Hill Cemetery. The beautiful entrance to the cemetery is also sort of in peach color. This was done by moi for clarification sake… I hope I can’t be sued for this. If I could, would somebody please let me know ASAP. (Actually if the developer, who lives in town, is proud of this plan, the nifty peach color could be an asset, setting off the planned subdivision in all its “glory.”)

If a picture is worth a 1000 words, then this is a pretty sorry state of affairs.

Again, for activists out there in local Web Land, the City cannot do all that much to stop this “ridiculous” plan (as Ester Macomber calls it in the Newburyport Current, October 27, 2006.) It is the owner, who lives in Newburyport, MA, who does not appear to be changing his mind one little bit.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

(Editor’s Note: For an even more detailed map please see The Newburyport Preservation Trust)

Newburyport, Wheelwright Property Proposed Plunder

I took a look at the Newburyport Planning Board’s agenda and low and behold Willis Lane LLC, Brown Street is up to bat, yet again. (December 6, 2006)

So, curious human being that I am, I totteled over to the Newburyport City Hall Planning Office to take a look at what Willis Lane LLC might have in mind for the back of the Wheelwright Property that abuts the sacred Oak Hill Cemetery.

Could our happy developer, who lives in Newburyport, have come to his senses and amended (or scrapped) his previous plans to plunder (changed the verb) the property.

The answer is apparently not.

Here are the plans for what the developer feels that he could do “by right.”

Willis.0.jpg

Now whether or not he could do this “by right,” I have no idea. Fortunately the Newburyport Planning Board does.

And take a closer look at what the developer feels he could do “by right.”

Willis.3.0.jpg

Yes, you saw correctly, three 2-families (plus a one family that is not on this detail.) Isn’t that fun.

And having been shocked at what the developer might be able to do “by right” here are the sensitive community plans.

Willis.C.jpg

Doesn’t look like much change to me. Sigh….

Houses, with (it looks like) garages now right by the scared Oak Hill Cemetery. The “lane” to the subdivision pretty much paralleling that gorgeous “lane” to the Oak Hill Cemetery. Sigh…

Unfortunately, it seems to me, there is no accounting for taste.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, The Waterfront Opus

The Mayor’s Task Force on the Waterfront also meets tonight (Police Station Conference Room, 6:00 PM) So many civic things going on ( yes, don’t forget the Public Hearing on the “Infill Ordinance” 7:30 PM, City Hall, City Council Chambers.) Let’s all run around in circles and try and figure out how to go to all these meetings plus get something to eat for dinner.

What will happen this time a la Waterfront Task Force — the latest episode in Newburyport’s enduring, multi-decade Waterfront saga.

This is the latest installment, of what may be one of the longest running ongoing “happening” (my, that dates me; you’ll just have to get out your dictionary or even revert to Googling if you have no idea what a “happening” was or maybe still is) in Newburyport’s (three, maybe four decades, one begins to lose track) civic drama.

This chapter stars Mayor John Moak, a former mayor and a surprise guest appearance by a long time, much loved (I gather) preservationist (you’ve noticed I’m leaving out names now, hoping that upset emails and phone calls will diminish??) The plot centers around the desire to pave over the Central Waterfront by apparently, it seems to me, clouding the issue with legal mumbo-jumbo. (Is this too catty of moi?)

The tension in this particular drama comes from a colorful brigade who are fighting for at least some semblance of a park on this gorgeous piece of priceless property along the scenic Merrimac River.

And then there’s the chorus, those in Newburyport who have seen the latest version of the new Waterfront possible plan and are saying “Say what? The green part is where?”

Can’t you just feel the conflict? Could this possibly be made into a PBS Special?

My prediction, is it won’t be picked up by PBS, alas, or even Bravo (frankly “Project Runway” was just so much more compelling.) And this act, like so many, many before it, (I hope) will end in a heap and a jumble. And when we have the next administration, we will have the enormous treat of having a whole new “plot” and the Waterfront saga may “entertain” us all by a never ending bevy of complete confusion.

The chorus of course will remain somewhat the same. It once said, “You want a parking garage where?” What will it say next? One thing that does seem for sure, three-part harmony (or any harmony at all for that matter) seems unlikely. Dissonance does appear to be the one unifying “note” on this ongoing, going on way more than a quarter of a century, emotionally charged, stunningly hapless Waterfront magnum opus.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, Development, Back of High Street

The Newburyport Daily News on Monday October 9, 2006 ran a cartoon by Gary Robertson (no, not our City Councilor Gary Roberts) on what is being proposed for the back of the Wheelwright property by Todd Smith and Peter Nordblom of Willis Lane LLC, or what is now being referred to by the developers as “Brown Street.”

The cartoon has a bunch of construction folks with chainsaws hacking down trees to make way for the development by Willis Lane LLC. There is a sign that says:

“COMING SOON
to this Historic Property…
Wheelwright Estates
FIVE –count’em – 5 Luxury Homes
Priced from…must you ask?”

And then there is a gentleman standing inside the Oak Hill Cemetery gateway saying:

“Hey! Are you the same guys that tried to build a strip Mall right next to Gettysburg?”

Gotta love it!

I have traced/drawn from the Newburyport GIS map part of the back of High Street, from State Street to Lime Street or what is know as the “Ridge” the land behind the stately High Street mansions. The tracing/drawing is pretty crude, but I hope it will give folks an idea of just how much land is back there.

ridge.3.jpg

The area in red is the Wheelwright Property that is being developed by Willis Lane LLC. Two little dark blobs near High Street are where the Wheelwright House, the historic gardens and the Carriage House would be. (The Wheelwright House is very large, so that gives some idea of how huge the property actually is)

The little green squiggly part is the “wet-lands” in the middle of the property. And then the brown line starts at what is Brown Street, and my freehand drawing of the extended road would give an idea of what the developers have proposed for the road in the ORSD or Cluster Zone subdivision.

(See previous post for the actual plans.)

It sure looks to me as if that whole area by the historic Oak Hill Cemetery would be decimated. And the neighbors are beginning to organize, handing out flyers and circulating a petition. That’s a relief.

The green area belongs to 67 High Street and that area has a deed restriction on it by the owner. That land bordering Oak Hill Cemetery can never be built on. Well, yeh, whew…thank goodness.

I’ve outlined the Ridge area in blue. (Again, a little crudely drawn, but the hope is to get the general picture.) This as far as I know, except for 67 High Street, is completely unprotected. (Please see Disclaimer on the “Overview, Guidelines and Information” page.)

As I understand it, there are things that the owners can do, like putting deed restrictions on the property, or possibly the City of Newburyport could do a protective overlay, I don’t know.

Who would have thought that a beautiful piece of property like the Wheelwright land would be proposed for a subdivision, of all things. I hope that the residents and the City of Newburyport could do something to protect the rest of this irreplaceable landscape.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, Wheelwright Subdivision Plans

I went down to the Newburyport Planning Office and took pictures of the two plans that were submitted to the Newburyport Planning Board by the developers Todd Smith and Peter Nordblom of Willis Lane LLC. The plans are for the back part of the Wheelwright property that abuts historic Oak Hill Cemetery.

The proposed Wheelwright subdivision project is being called “Brown Street.”

There is also a memo from the consultant who is helping out the Newburyport Planning Office, former Newburyport Planning Director, Nancy Colbert (a great person.)

I would need the help of a pro for me understand what it all means. The gist of the memo appears to be, “there are a lot of problems with this Preliminary Application, folks.”

I did understand: “ The proposed cul de sac does not appear to comply with subdivision regulations.”

There seems to be some concern with the steep slope of the land (and the land is very steep.) From the same memo: “For the Board’s information, many communities prohibit development on steep slopes and do not allow the inclusion of steeply sloping land to be part of lot area calculations.”

Here are the two maps.

The first is the traditional subdivision map (this does seems unlikely to me.)

Wh.map.2.jpg
Traditional subdivision map for Wheelwright Property

The second is the OSRD or Cluster Zoning version. Things are real close to historic Oak Hill Cemetery. And there appears to be retaining walls along part of the proposed road.

Wh.map.1.jpg
OSRD subdivision map for Wheelwright Property

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, the Roadway into the Wheelwright Property

Just our of morbid curiosity, I decided to take a look at “Brown Street,” the street that Todd Smith and Peter Nordbloom of Willis Lane Investments LLC are planning to use to develop the back of the Wheelwright property, or the “rape of the Ridge.”

So I crossed State Street from Greenleaf Street (which goes past the Newburyport Fire Station and the video store) and went right onto Brown Street.

That beautiful driveway down to the cemetery where the Wheelwright family is buried is real easy to find.

wheelwright.1.jpg
Edward Gerrish Mair © 2006
The driveway to the Oak Hill Cemetery
off Brown Street that Willis Lane LLC plans to develop

But although Brown Street is large as life on the Newburyport GIS map, all that was in front of me, one house in on Brown Street were lots and lots of trees. I couldn’t even find a path, much less anything that resembled a road.

Well, two things.

Just to build a road, much less a 4-6 house subdivision back there would entail an incredible amount of damage.

Second, from what I understand reading planning and development stuff, it’s really, really not a good idea to put in any new roads (or in this case resurrect what was once an old roadway) because it only leads to more and more development.

(One can envision “Brown Street” going all the way across the Ridge enabling all that land back there to be developed. What a treat.)

So I was really depressed on my foray down Brown Street, and I am very, very angry that Todd Smith and Peter Nordbloom of Willis Lane LLC are determined to make this come about.

Zoning amendments to protect our historic heritage where are you?

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, Save Our Town

Well, I went for a treasure hunt, hunting down “Save Our Town” bumper stickers.

Preserve Newburyport’s historic character, charm and beauty

The first one I found was not on a car, but on a door. Going down Fruit Street from High Street, just as I was getting near Temple Street, low and behold, a Save Our Town bumper sticker on a very classy looking door.

flier.3.jpg
Save Our Town bumper sticker
on a classy looking door

And then when I walked downtown, and low and behold right there in the Screening Room window is a Save Our Town bumper sticker. How cool is that. Many, many thanks to the Screening Room. Wow.

flier.2.jpg
Screening Room window with a
Save Our Town bumper sticker

And then further downtown I found this Save Our Town bumper sticker on a bulletin board. I’m going to leave that treasure hunt for readers of the Newburyport Political Blog, but the fellow to the upper left of the bumper sticker definitely gives a hint as to where it might be.

flier.1.jpg
Save Our Town bumpersticker

And of course they are popping up on cars all over Newburyport, MA.

redcar.jpg
Save Our Town bumpersticker on a red car

If you would like a bumper sticker, it’s not too late.
You can contact Save Our Town. Or you can find Save Our Town bumper stickers at:

Magpie Café at the Tannery
Ganesh Imports, on State Street
Angie’s Coffee Shop, on Pleasant Street
Leary’s Fine Wines, on Merrimac Street
Fowle’s Market, on High Street

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, Landfill, Firing New Ventures

I was talking to someone about the Crow Lane Landfill and they suggested that we as a City fire the company (New Ventures LLC) that is causing us all the problems.

That seemed like a great idea to me. A solution to all our problems.

I ran this by folks who know about all this stuff, and they said unfortunately we could not do that because New Ventures owns the land.

I was not aware of this. And I talked to a number of other people and they were not aware of this either. For me, that’s a big piece of the (unfortunate) puzzle.

And I think Urlika Gerth of the Newburyport Current did a fantastic piece on the Newburyport Landfill and all the heartache, distress and loss of quality of life that this awful situation is causing residents of Newburyport, MA.

Many thanks for that very empathetic, thoughtful and substantial piece of journalism.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Landfill Agreement, Newburyport, MA — It Stinks

I was very glad to read in the Newburyport Daily News, September 19, 2006 that Mayor John Moak and the Newburyport City Council are as upset about the state’s agreement with New Ventures LLC, (the owner of the Crow Lane Landfill) as residents are.

City Councilor Barry Connell is quoted as saying “The deal the DEP laid out was to have a criminal pollutant bring more pollutants into our landfill…”

There will be a meeting with the City Council, the Mayor and the City Attorney to try and figure out how to help the citizens of Newburyport, MA.

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Attorney General’s Office (AG) would like to resolve the Crow Lane Landfill issue without a court battle. However, that solution is obviously unacceptable to the citizens of Newburyport, MA.

The DEP and the AG would allow New Ventures to resume dumping construction and demolition debris at the landfill, the very debris that is a cause of the toxic odors in the first place.

So this is what I would like to see–as much media attention on this ridiculous fiasco as possible.

I would like to see Channels 4, 5, 6 and 7 camped in the Crow Lane Landfill neighborhood. I would like to see the residents telling their heartbreaking stories on television as well as to other major media outlets.

It is one way to force the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and New Ventures LLC to do right by the citizens of Newburyport, Massachusetts.

This is as important as any other disaster. The residents of Newburyport, MA have been and still are going through hell.

Major media outlets where are you?

Mary Eaton
Newburyport, MA

Newburyport, The Wheelwright Property Subdivision Proposal

The Wheelwright property developers, Wills Lane Investments, are speeding right along. The developers are on tomorrow night’s Planning Board agenda for an OSRD Pre-Application Conference (Wednesday, September, 20, 2006, 7PM, City Hall.)

(I believe that the fact that this is a Pre-Application Conference means that the neighbors (much less the public) are not notified. As I understand it the neighbors are only notified once an application has actually been submitted.)

The developers have not formally submitted a development application. The Pre-Application Conference gives them the chance to float their plans to the Newburyport Planning Board to get feedback before filing an application that may get rejected. (This blogger hopes everything they would like to do would get rejected and they would not be able to do anything at all.)

The street that the Wheelwright property developers list is Brown Street. Brown Street is an extension of Greenleaf Street (that goes past the Newburyport Fire Station and the video store.) It is on the other side of State Street.

On the Newburyport GIS map, it looks like Brown Street curves around the property. But from what I can make out, that curve looks like it would be the driveway to the Cemetery where the Wheelwright family (among many others) is buried. That picture is in a previous post on the Newburyport Political Blog. I am not absolutely sure of this.

But what is for sure is that the proposed road and 5 house subdivision would border right along the Cemetery. It’s bad enough that the Wheelwright property developers would already like to rape the Ridge, much less desecrate Newburyport’s ancestors.

Newburyport Planning Board
This Wednesday
September 20, 2006
7 PM, Newburyport City Hall

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

Newburyport, Crow Lane Landfill, Let’s Put on Some More Pressure

Let’s kick this one up a notch.

The Crow Lane Landfill agreement that the DEP is making with the owner of New Ventures LLC (who could not be bothered to attend the meeting about this issue on Thursday, September 14, 2006) is unacceptable.

And it’s not as if the Mayor, the Newburyport City Council or State Representatives Mike Costello and State Senator Baddour aren’t doing everything they can, because they are.

I love the quote in the Newburyport Daily News September 15, 2006 on the meeting, “Nylen (New Ventures Attorney Richard “Chip” Nylen) said he agreed that odors were a nuisance, but dismissed claims that they cause health effects that residents have complained about…”

The Crow Lane Landfill reminds me a little of the movie “Erin Brockovich” where everyone knows that the toxic chemicals are not good.

Mr. Chip Nylen can be in denial all he wants, but believe me nausea, dry-heaves, headaches, difficulty breathing, this doesn’t work for me.

This strategy worked for the fight to save High Street, so maybe it would work for the Crow Lane Landfill (it’s worth a try folks.)

Two things… “Everyone has got a Mother”…and “The power is in the Cc’s.”

_____________________________________________________

1) Every time a stench report is made (or if you would like to write a general email of protest, that couldn’t hurt either,) email New Ventures with the details and then “Cc” it to Jack Morris at the Newburyport Health Department (Mr. Morris can keep a record,) and to Senator Kerry and to Senator Kennedy. We are going right to the top.

    • *New Ventures LLC:
      crowlanelandfill@verizon.net
      (Extra information : Phone # for owners Della and William Thibeault, Wood Waste of Boston, Everett, MA, (617) 387-3700, no website and the only email I could find was wwob8587@aol.com…these folks are hard to find.)

      *Jack Morris,
      Newburyport Health Department:
      jmorris@cityofnewburyport.com

      *Senator John Kerry:
      http://kerry.senate.gov/v3/contact/email.cfm

      *Senator Edward Kennedy:
      http://kennedy.senate.gov/senator/contact.cfm

    • (At the moment Senator Kennedy and Senator Kerry’s emails will not go through unless the web forms above are used. If someone knows better email addresses please let me know and I will change the email addresses above ASAP.)

    _________________________________________________________

    2) Every email contains what I call one of the “Mother buttons:”

    • *“I am so disappointed that New Ventures cannot bother to take the time….”

      *“It is so shameful that New Ventures LLC can not be bothered with the health of the citizens of Newburyport, MA…”

      *“How unfortunate that New Ventures is so selfish that it is unable to consider the children of Newburyport, MA…”

      *“We are at our wits end because New Ventures LLC has been so inconsiderate…”

    • Think of the worst thing that your Mother could have said to you and include that in every email that goes out to New Ventures and “Cc” it to Jack Morris at the Newburyport Health Department and Senator Kerry, Senator Kennedy. Write 3 variations and stick one of them at the end of every email, every time.
    __________________________________________________________

    It worked against MassHighway when it came to saving High Street maybe it has a chance of working here too.

    Mary Eaton
    Newburyport

    Reporting Toxic Stench from the Newburyport Landfill

    The toxic fumes from the Crow Lane Landfill are from hydrogen sulfide and smell like rotting eggs or rotting cabbage. The odors have caused headaches, nausea and dry-heaves, among other symptoms.

    Residents are urged to continue to call in stench reports to the landfill owner, New Ventures (978-462-5240), whenever they smell hydrogen sulfide from the Crow Lane landfill — day or night, weekdays or weekends.

    The DEP and the Attorney General’s Office pay attention to the number of recorded episodes. Apparently, if only a few calls are recorded, New Ventures claims that it is “only a few troublemakers” who object and that no one else notices the hydrogen sulfide or cares about it. So residences are urging people to encourage their neighbors to call as well and keep calling until the problem is permanently solved.

    If possible, please also e-mail Ron Klodenski at (ronklod@verizon.net) or Jack Morris at the Newburyport Health Department (jmorris@cityofnewburyport.com) or both after an odor incident is called in.

    Please include the approximate time, date and location of the fumes so that the Health Department can verify that the telephone report was recorded and reported back to the Health Department by New Venture. Every attempt will be made to forward e-mails onto the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) so that they know the problem has yet to be solved.

    Again the meeting addressing this acute problem is this Thursday
    September 14, 2006
    7 PM
    Newburyport City Hall

    Mary Eaton
    Newburyport

    Pollution Runoff from the Newburyport Landfill

    Hi Mary

    It isn’t only the air quality that we should be concerned about – it’s the water and the soil too. The landfill problem is a package deal of all three – air, water, and soil.

    landfill.1.jpg

    All the landfill runoff pollution that is seen in this photo ended up in the Little River water that flooded all the homes and yards downstream in the Doe Run/Quail Run area and continued on through the Industrial Area into the Parker River and the clam flats during the May flood.

    The big question to the DEP and the AG is, ”What are you going to do right now short term to mitigate the problem?”

    I believe that David Chatfield (chemical engineer and articulate spokesperson for the neighborhood) will tell them to raise the pipe of the flare much higher into the air NOW, and then get on with the longer range solutions.

    Yes, the first thing that must be fixed is the air quality, but DEP and the AG need to see the big picture of the problem in terms of the health, safety and welfare of the public.

    Thanks for urging folks to attend the meeting:

    This Thursday
    September 14, 2006
    7PM at City Hall.

    Best,
    Marlene Schroeder

    Crow Lane Landfill, Newburyport, Toxic Fumes

    I live outside of the Crow Lane Landfill fumes. And typically, if something going on in town does not affect me, I do not pay as much attention to it as I would otherwise.

    Yesterday I talked to some folks who are affected by the Crow Lane Landfill fumes. Apparently New Ventures, the Landfill operator, has claimed that they have fixed the problem, but they have not.

    From what I have heard, this weekend the toxic fumes were for some people at their very worst.

    The smell has been described as rotting eggs or rotting cabbage. One family who lives beyond the hospital on the other side of High Street (which is quite a ways from the Crow Lane Landfill) has said the odor woke their family out of their sleep and the stench is so bad that they could hardly breath. One can only imagine what it is like for the folks who live closer to the Crow Lane Landfill.

    As I understand it the fumes from the Landfill affect people in different ways. These are some of them:

    *Burning eyes
    *Scratchy throat
    *Headaches
    *Nausea
    *Earaches
    *Dry-heaves

    Apparently the odors start in the evening, typically around 8PM and go all through the night.

    This is really terrifying folks.

    People in Newburyport are at their wits end as to what to do. Obviously they are terrified for their health and their family’s health. We should all be terrified too.

    If it is not safe to breath the air in Newburyport, MA, it really won’t matter about anything else.

    The hope is that the State will do something immediately. State Representative Michael Costello and State Senator Steven Baddour have been invited to attend Thursday night’s meeting. So have Officials from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Sate Attorney General’s Office. Mayor John Moak and members of the Newburyport City Council will be there as well.

    People need to pour into this meeting. Numbers count folks. This is a citywide emergency.

    And this is the meeting to go to.

    This Thursday
    September 14, 2006
    7 PM
    Newburyport, City Hall

    Mary Eaton
    Newburyport