By Chris Frost
Eagle Times News Editor
CLAREMONT, NH — The City Council stands in opposition to the proposed Acuity waste transfer station on Industrial Boulevard along with a bipartisan effort led by Representative Hope Damon and the Claremont Delegation at the New Hampshire Statehouse.
The letter states that a transfer facility is not permitted in Industrial District 1 under the Claremont City Code, and the Zoning Board of Adjustment’s (ZBA) 1987 special exception does not apply to transfer stations.
Calls and emails from the Eagle Times to American Recycling in Claremont and Acuity Management in Methuen, MA, were not returned.
The council feels Acuity is a Claremont issue, neither Republican nor Democrat.
“According to Acuity’s estimation, the facility will receive 77 trucks daily loaded with an estimated 500 tons of toxic construction and other waste,” said Ward 2 Councilor Jim Contois, a member of A Better Claremont. “Toxics contained in the waste are threats to public health and the environment, including PFAS, mercury, lead and formaldehyde.”
He appreciates the bipartisan effort to keep the transfer station out of the city.
“In the effort to oppose Acuity, the more opposition, the better,” Contois said. “In the rare instance in today’s politicized society where we can agree, the weight of the people and their elected representatives can create meaningful change.”
Ward 3 Councilor Jonathan Stone said Acuity’s approval to operate in Claremont creates an environmental issue.
“We used to have a facility that operated similarly there at one point, and the collateral damage for the residents was substantial when it came to road debris, unsecured loads, a lot of debris on the roadways, incoming and outgoing on Maple Avenue,” said Stone. “There was stuff everywhere.”
He noted that Claremont had a lot of debris from manufactured homes in the 1950s and 1960s.
“There are a lot of different plastics from back then that aren’t considered safe today,” Stone said. “On this issue, we do not want any more trash coming to Claremont. We’re tired of Claremont being a trash receptacle for other areas.”
Councilor William Limoges said the entire council agrees that Acuity in Claremont would be an “unholy mess.”
“This is bigger than party lines,” said Limoges. “It’s good to see both ideologies pull together to keep this out of here. So often, it’s like us against them, but on this, everyone is on the same page, and that’s how we get things done. We don’t even need to compromise; this is a bad thing for Claremont. I’m not surprised that we pulled together, and I hope we can keep doing that.”
Councilor-elect Jonathan Hayden likes the council working together to keep Claremont clean.
“Why do we need to bring truckloads of waste and hazardous waste to downtown Claremont,” Hayden asked. “Is that what Claremont wants? It sounds like people don’t want a lot of a lot of that. I know financially, it brings a lot of numbers in, but in the long term, do we need truckloads of hazardous waste? Why does Acuity from Massachusetts want to dump in New Hampshire?”
Assistant Mayor Deb Matteau said most of the city council stands united against Acuity coming to Claremont.
“Party doesn’t play a role in local government,” said Matteau about the bipartisan effort. “It’s not a Democratic or Republican idea. I think of it as a good or bad city idea.”
Councilor Spencer Batchelder thinks local control is important to both parties in New Hampshire.
“Acuity is important because it allows us to come together as a community, find common threads and decide our future,” said Batchelder. “These kinds of issues cross party lines for that reason.”
He is concerned about the trash influx in the area and on the rail line.
“We’ve done a lot of work to change the trajectory in the city over the past two decades,” Batchelder said. “This would take us a step back to become New England’s recycling hub. I think it’s up to the residents to decide what they want their community to be, and I think the residents have spoken numerous times to the Zoning Board through their voices. These kinds of things involve people, not parties. When we can find common areas where we can agree and show each other grace, that’s how we build a society that works.”
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