Saugus River land changes status

SAUGUS – Abutters to a 19.9-acre parcel that borders Lynnfield and the Saugus River were concerned they would be getting a car auction house, but it looks like they’ll be getting a contractors’ yard instead.Attorney Larry Beals said the request for a special permit to run a contractors’ yard at 0 Rear Pennsylvania Ave. was more of a formality than a request. According to Beals, the property has a history as a contractors’ yard but it was pointed out by the building inspector that it never received a special permit to make it official.Just one year ago, the Selectmen approved a special permit allowing for Lynnway Auto Auction to open on the site, despite the threat of a lawsuit from surrounding communities. The auction house has since withdrawn its plans and Beals said property owner Helen McCarthy plans to continue to run the property as a contractors’ yard.But Selectmen first wondered about the status of a serious environmental hazard McCarthy was hit with by the Department of Environmental Protection.The DEP fined McCarthy $220,000 last year for numerous environmental infractions, including destruction to wetlands, operating an illegal dump and improperly storing and handling hazardous waste. The fine also came with a consent order to clean up the area and manage the hazardous waste.Beals said they have answered nearly all the DEP’s concerns, but admitted much of the debris has yet to be removed from the property.”It’s not hazardous,” he said.The debris has been screened and separated and the scrap metal has been removed, but Beals said the rest is in limbo until financing comes through.”It’s significantly expensive,” he added.Selectmen Peter Rossetti and Stephen Horlick both raised concerns over the cleanup. Rossetti said he would need to see a letter of compliance from the DEP before he could support a special permit and Horlick said he wasn’t sure he would support one at all.”I can’t support anything up there until I know it’s clean and I see a plan,” he said. “I want to know what trucks will be parked where and if you plan to be using the existing building.”Horlick also wondered why after all this time McCarthy even needed the permit.Beals said the permit was a housekeeping issue and was needed so they could secure more tenants. Tenants, he added, equal cash flow, which would allow McCarthy to clean up that much quicker.There were a number of questions, however, that Beals could not answer regarding what exactly business as usual would entail, which caused the board to put the request on hold. The selectmen will take up the public hearing again during its July meeting.