SAUGUS — The Ash Landfill Closure Committee met to draft a letter to the CEO of WIN Waste to find a way to collaborate with the company in a way that will favor both the town and WIN.
When asked what the committee’s goal was, Peter Manoogian, the group’s chairman, said, “The goal of the committee is to fulfill the unanimous mandate of Saugus town meeting, which is to explore not only the closing of the ash landfill but also the economic opportunities that can come from the development of the ash landfill.”
During the meeting, committee members made it clear that WIN had been invited to the meetings to promote collaboration between them and the group.
“As everyone knows on the board and the people who are sitting in the audience, we have been inviting WIN Waste to our meetings, and unfortunately, they have not accepted coming,” committee member and Chairman of the Board of Selectmen Debra Panetta said.
Manoogian also wanted to clarify the group has given WIN Waste plenty of notice about the meetings and the discussions going on during them.
According to Manoogian, it was originally voted on in a town meeting that the committee would have a WIN Waste representative on it, but that hasn’t happened yet.
The committee spent the meeting brainstorming ideas of what they should include in the letter to WIN’s CEO, Daniel Mayo. Manoogian wants to ensure Mayo is up to date on the town discussion.
“We’re under the assumption that as Chief Executive Officer, he’s aware of what’s taking place here, but as I read his role, he’s overseeing a lot of different locations, and he may not be aware of what’s happening with this committee as well as the feelings of this committee,” Manoogian said.
Manoogian, Panetta, Jeanie Meredith, who is a committee member and Scott Crabtree’s designee, and the committee’s Clerk, Carla Scuzzarella, decided it was best to include not just a letter, but also a fact sheet to accompany it.
“I don’t think the tone should be demanding… I just think that we should be trying to make him aware… and that we’re just trying to bring them to the table,” Meredith said.
The committee decided it was best to take a step back and draft the letter before coming together again to look it over during the next meeting. The letter will include what the committee discussed and the input from the locals who attended and joined in on the conversation.
As a whole, the group wants to discuss ways to use the landfill positively for both parties.
“We want to do what’s in the best interest of Saugus, and we believe that WIN can also benefit. It can be a win for WIN as well economically,” Manoogian said.
There is hope that collaboration can boost the town and WIN’s economy while helping the environment and public health.
