SAUGUS — The Ash Landfill Closure Committee spoke at Monday’s Board of Health meeting, addressing the board and WIN Waste for the first time since the passing of Article 18 by the Attorney General.
The meeting started with WIN Waste’s Elliott Casey giving an operational update on the Landfill for the month.
“Since the last Board of Health meeting, the facility has operated at approximately 90% boiler availability, processed just over 42,000 tons, and generated just over 22,000 megawatt hours,” Casey said. “We had one scheduled downtime event totaling 162 hours.”
Since the last meeting on Dec. 2, the facility has shipped just under 6,100 tons of ash to the WIN Waste landfill in Shrewsbury, according to Casey.
After the operational update, Peter Manoogian, chairman of the Ash Landfill Closure Committee, took to the podium to address WIN and read a cover letter for a report prepared by Selectmen Michael Serino and closure committee member Michael Serino.
“The committee voted to invite a representative of WIN Waste to participate as a non-voting member, and that was the wish of the Town Meeting,” Manoogian said. “When the committee was created and when I spoke to Town Meeting, members they were emphatic that they wanted to see a collaborative process.”
Manoogian compared the collaboration to the Aggregate Post Closure Committee, which had a member of Aggregate at its meetings.
WIN has declined the invitations to the landfill closure committee. However, the committee continues to operate without a WIN Waste member. The committee sent a letter to WIN’s CEO, Daniel Mayo, but there was still no collaboration, according to Manoogian.
“According to the most recent correspondence with the DEP, it states that they can get up to 50 feet or to Spring of 2028. After Spring of 2028, if they’re not at 50 feet, it’s going to close anyways,” Manoogian said.
Manoogian wants to know why there is an unwillingness for there to be collaboration with WIN Waste.
Board of Selectmen Chair Debra Panetta also stood to speak as a member of the closure committee.
“In life, we always plan for the future, whether it be short-term or long-term, and I ask why we are not planning now. We know that the landfill at WIN Waste was supposed to close back in 1996. It’s been almost 30 years, and we still have no closure plan,” Panetta said.
She continued to say that strategic discussions need to happen now and that there needs to be a remediation plan once the landfill is closed.
Board of Health Chairman Maria Tamagna said she wishes WIN would participate in the closure committee.
“I don’t think that this would be a bad thing for WIN to be involved in. The only way we could get anything done effectively and in a good way is to have cooperation,” Tamagna said.
She said that the presence of WIN Waste at the Board of Health meetings has been a blessing and significantly helped with communication.
“This is going to come to an end at some point, and we all need to cooperate, and it is not a witch hunt. We know that this is going to happen…To work together is the best way,” she said.
“As an engineer myself, you’re always planning for the future. Engineering-wise, you’re always looking at what your next step is,” Board of Health member Joseph Durant said.
He said that it’s time to start planning now.
Don Musial, Director of Ash Monofills, stood to represent WIN and addressed statements made at the meeting.
“I’ve been involved with Saugus for 30 years with all development permitting, daily operations, planning, and closure. Everything that’s going on out there has gone through my desk,” he said.
Musial continued that there was an approved closure plan and approved post-closure plan from the Department of Environmental Protection and that WIN had every intent to operate under those plans for closure.
“Ultimately, there’s a 30-year post-closure period of care, maintenance, and monitoring, and beyond that would likely be [more] monitoring as well,” he said.
Manoogian asked to approach the podium to comment on the statements made by Musial.
“What’s happening down there now does not exist anywhere else in this country and in this world to have this type of operation on a consent order,” he said.
He asked Musial what the plans are when there are multiple things preventing any expansion of the landfill through the Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC).
“Are you looking to modify the ACEC? Are you looking for special legislation?” Manoogian asked.
Musial said that, as of right now, regulations state today that there is no avenue for expansion; however, WIN believes that there is an avenue that can be found.
Musial continued in a statement to say “WIN Waste participated on the Landfill Committee that spent more than 18 months discussing and negotiating how the Town could partner with WIN to maximize the economic and environmental benefits it receives from our monofill operation. The result, which was approved by the Board of Selectmen, was a plan that secures benefits to the Town of at least $20 million, in addition to environmental benefits, if WIN obtains the required permits from the Board of Health and MassDEP. The BOH chair at the time ‘participated in the Host Community Agreement negotiations and supported the HCA eventually approved by the selectmen.”
We fully understand that gaining the approval to continue using the monofill would involve a thorough and transparent process,” he continued. “We have also heard from many Saugus residents and leaders who believe we should continue our operation as is, keep the ash trucks off the roads and bring more financial benefit to the town. They support sustaining this asset, which includes our Bear Creek Wildlife Sanctuary. We continue to hope that we will find a better solution as we work to show our value as a partner to the Town.”
During the meeting, both Panetta and Tamagna commented on the vote that was taken by the Board of Selectmen. Panetta and Serino both voted against the expansion.
“When people say that the Board of Selectmen approved the landfill going up to 100 feet, that vote never should have come before the board,” Panetta said.
Tamagna agreed that this should have been a vote and discussion by the Board of Health, not the Selectmen.
“I think a lot of things have happened that our forefathers have not done correctly for us,” Tamagna said. “It has left pages open and gray, and that is a real issue for us, but we have to deal with that here and now.”
John Fralick, Public Health Director, added that everything was hypothetical right now when it comes to the possible expansion of WIN Waste.
