To the editor:
A number of letters to the editor have been written in The Daily Item regarding Article 34, which refers to the Host Community Agreement voted by the Board of Selectmen over two years ago.
Last year, Town Meeting members voted to establish the Landfill Closure Committee. On March 3 of this year, at a Board of Health meeting, two members of that Committee, Debra Panetta and Peter Manoogian, presented legal documents from state agencies stating that the ash landfill is not permitted to expand beyond 50 feet and must be closed on or before Nov. 1, 2027.
I urge all Town Meeting members and residents to listen to the March 3, 2026, presentation to the Board of Health, available on YouTube, before voting yes on Article 34 and the Host Community Agreement.
Once the ash landfill is closed, it will be the responsibility of WIN Waste, not the town of Saugus, to clean the land of all toxic waste. The Closure Committee has worked tirelessly to present ideas for future use of the land once cleared, which would more than offset any tax revenue thought to be lost when the landfill is closed.
Respectfully submitted,
Maddie Franklin
Saugus
