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03/21/2018 08:00 AMMore than a hundred Clinton residents attended the public hearing last week regarding the recycling dump proposal. They endured a long-winded, boring, redundant presentation by the applicant’s engineer that clearly illustrated the unsuitability of the site. Testimony followed from two environmental experts and a microbiologist, identifying the inadequacy of the applicant’s proposed safety measures, the high level of potential contamination of surrounding wetlands, the dangerous materials and flammable chemicals this dump would receive and the effect 100 trucks, going in and out of the dump daily, would have. Attendees opposed to the application were asked to stand. Practically everyone rose to their feet.
As I told the commission, its primary purpose is to protect the residents and wildlife of Clinton. This isn’t an appropriate site for a dump. Neighboring established residential communities and the adjacent business park would be negatively impacted unnecessarily. The proximity to our downtown, our historic district, and our beaches makes this proposal nonsensical. There are suitable locations for a dump. This isn’t one of them.
Remembering the CVS shenanigans, we cannot rely on town officials to do the right thing. One commission member admitted to previous lease negotiations with the dump applicant, yet failed to recognize the obvious conflict of interest and refused to recuse himself.
Does that mean the fix is in, there’s nothing we can do? No! We must remain vigilant. As we saw with the Global Petroleum propane terminal application, our sheer numbers can effectively influence decisions.
A petition being circulated has already garnered 1,800 signatures of residents opposed to this dangerous proposal. I encourage your readers to sign it, if they haven’t already; attend the next hearing on Tuesday, April 3; and tell the commission how dangerous and inappropriate they feel this application is.
Vincent Cimino
Clinton