DANVERS - Selectmen Tuesday night took a step toward revoking the chemical-storage license held by the two companies housed in the Danversport plant that exploded last November.
They unanimously agreed to schedule a public hearing on July 17 to consider whether the license of ink manufacturer CAI Inc. and paint maker Arnel Co. should be revoked because of "failure to follow safety procedures and/or because of the inherent inordinate risk involved with such activities at that location."
CAI Inc., a family-owned company, also manufactures inks at its Georgetown facility on Martel Way, in an industrial park next to Interstate 95. The company is run by President Vincent Sartorelli of Amesbury.
State regulations require the selectmen to hold a hearing before determining the fate of the license. The hearing, which will take place in the selectmen's meeting room in Town Hall, presumably means plant neighbors will for the first time directly address and hear from the owners of the companies or their representatives in a public forum.
Neighbor Susan Tropeano welcomed the selectmen's vote.
"I'm happy that they're moving forward," said Tropeano, who is a leader of the neighborhood association SAFE (Safe Area for Everyone).
Residents of Danversport, the neighborhood where the blast damaged more than 100 homes and businesses, have been worried that the companies intend to rebuild there after learning that the town recently processed a "certificate of registration" the companies needed to maintain their license to store, manufacture or sell up to 11,500 gallons of "flammables or combustibles."
Angered that the town issued the registration on May 1, more than five months after the explosion, neighbors vented their outrage to selectmen. The selectmen voted two weeks ago to have Town Manager Wayne Marquis investigate what they would need to do to revoke the license.
"This is a very serious matter and we are without a lot of case law or guidance," Chairman Mike Powers said. "We're going to continue on a very slow, methodical approach as we go through the process to ensure fairness and equity for all."
At the hearing, the board will take testimony from neighbors and the two companies.
"The town needs to substantiate its belief that there is sufficient cause for action," said Marquis, who consulted the town's lawyer on the revocation process prior to last night's meeting. The selectmen could also modify or suspend the license.
The town granted the license in 1944. It has been used by various occupants of the chemical plant since then. CAI and Arnel split from a single company in 1985.
Two federal investigations have been sharply critical of the way the two companies were operating in the plant prior to the Nov. 22 explosion.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board said the companies ignored federal and state safety regulations and their equipment lacked safeguards that would have prevented the blast. Earlier this month, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the companies for 23 violations that exposed workers to hazards that could have seriously injured or killed them.
Danversport resident Ross Niciewsky is confident the license will be revoked.
"I think it's going to get done," he said. "(The plant) was just too close to a residential neighborhood. It can't happen anymore. It has to go."
