By Katie Farrell
Staff writer
October 24, 2008 03:59 am NEWBURYPORT — Down in Everett, when people complain about the stench coming from the city's wood waste plant, often the blame is put on Newburyport. Both cities share a common tie — Wood Waste in Everett is owned by New Ventures and William Thibeault, the owner of the stench-plagued Newburyport landfill. Newburyport has stopped Thibeault from shipping any more waste to the city, due to violations Newburyport says Thibeault has committed at the landfill. Thibeault's Everett recycling facility is causing headaches for some in that community, and city leaders are reaching out to Newburyport in hopes that citizens will attend a hearing next week to share insight as to what is going on with the Crow Lane landfill. According to elected officials in Everett, some in that city are saying what happens here on Crow Lane has a direct impact on Wood Waste. A flier circulating around Everett, and sent to Newburyport officials, asks for Newburyport citizens to attend the hearing on Oct. 29 at Everett City Hall in order to clear up any false information they have and to share what is happening with the Crow Lane landfill. "We need Newburyport's help. It has been mentioned over and over this is Newburyport's fault because you want him to pay for what the City of Newburyport dumped in the landfill for years before him. Please, can someone set the record straight. We are being told constant lies," the flier reads. The flier states that "there are a few on the council of Newburyport that just like to hold things up. We know this to be false." Erin Deveney, Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria's chief of staff, said that city believes the current situation at Wood Waste could be alleviated if materials from Wood Waste could be brought to Newburyport to cap the Crow Lane landfill. "I've never heard him cast blame on any particular individual or elected official in Newburyport," Deveney said of DeMaria, but that he has stated at public meetings that Everett's resolution is contingent on Newburyport taking action. "We've got some issues here, sort of what's happening in Newburyport," Everett City Councilor Stephen Simonelli said yesterday. Simonelli called for the meeting in Everett next week, asking the mayor to invite Thibeault, the state's attorney general and state department of Environmental Protection and advocating for more discussion. He hopes to see a presence from Newburyport, he said. "I just hope I get people to show up," he said. Simonelli said the city has been told that once the landfill in Newburyport is reopened, piles from Wood Waste can be brought to Newburyport and disposed of here during the landfill capping. Newburyport has been negotiating a deal with Thibeault to allow him to finish capping the landfill. Robert Van Campen, president of Everett's Board of Alderman, said the City Council has been consistently told that once Newburyport reaches a deal on the landfill with New Ventures, a consent order that would make Wood Waste an enclosed facility can move forward. "The implication here is that the holdup is because of Newburyport," Van Campen said. "As soon as the deal gets consummated in Newburyport, I'm assuming that we're going to see some relief on Route 16, I hope." When the piles are moved, Wood Waste can move forward with enclosing it and implement a long-term fix, Van Campen said. Both Simonelli and Van Campen say the Wood Waste facility does emit an odor — probably similar to the odor of the Crow Lane landfill, they added. "It smells like rotten eggs," Simonelli said. The facility is next to a Stop and Shop supermarket, which is being affected. "The people have been complaining and complaining and complaining about it," Simonelli said. "Customers have consistently been complaining to various elected officials about the odor," Van Campen said, adding that the odor varies according to weather and wind direction. The piles of debris are "like mountains," Simonelli said. "It's a big mess, it's a big cover-up, nobody wants to talk about it." Van Campen said the city of Everett has had problems with Wood Waste for "many years" and the Fire Department was responding to the site almost every day to put out small fires in the mountain of debris. There is now a full-time fire detail on site. Newburyport Mayor John Moak said yesterday he will not attend the meeting due to a scheduled information session on the debt exclusion proposal, but he has passed along the meeting information to other city officials. Health Agent Jack Morris also cannot make the meeting, Moak said. City Councilor Brian Derrivan, who represents the area where the landfill is, said he has not yet made up his mind if he will attend. "I've been thinking about it," he said. The public forum in Everett is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. at Everett City Hall in the council chambers.
—
Copyright © 1999-2010 cnhi, inc.