By BOB MARTIN
Eagle Times Staff
CLAREMONT, N.H. — Much to the delight of the public on-hand, the Claremont Planning Board unanimously voted to approve amended language to the city code that prohibits the collection, storage and/or transfer of construction and demolition debris.
The amended city code will now go to City Council as an agenda item for their Aug. 28 meeting. The approval would be vital to halt Acuity Management building a construction and demolition debris facility that officials and members of the public have both voiced concerns and opposition about.
City Planner deForest Bearse outlined the proposed amendments to the city code to the planning board.
“We’ve included a comprehensive definition of construction and demolition debris, which we don’t have now,” she said. “We’re adding a definition of hazardous waste, and I’m also proposing to add a definition of water pollutant.”
Attorney Michael Courtney advised adding a sentence to special exceptions, to read: “the collection, storage, and and/or transfer, of hazardous waste or construction and demolition debris is expressly prohibited and not subject to a special exception.”
Another change was in a section prohibiting uses, that states that all uses of land, building, structures and industrial processes that may be noxious by reason of production or emission of dust, smoke, refuse matter, odor, gas, fumes, noise or similar substances are prohibited. She also added “water pollutants and similar substances” to cover all bases for concerns with regard to construction and demolition debris.
“This is definitely consistent with comments and discussion that we’ve had for months with the board and also the community,” said board member David Putnam, who added that these are concerns spanning the past several years.
Putnam added, “This has been a while coming and I am pleased to see now what our position is for the community.”
A local grassroots group called A Better Claremont has been working to spread the word about the hearing and providing information to interested parties about the saga between the city and Acuity Management.
Recently the group published a letter in the Eagle Times that noted that Acuity is ignoring a “No” they received in August from the Zoning Board of Adjustments. There has also been a bipartisan letter of support from the city’s state representatives supporting the ZBA decision.
“Acuity’s efforts are blocked at the local level, and they have refused to respect the city code,” the group wrote in the letter. “They have filed a threatening lawsuit against Claremont and aggressively pursued a state-level permit application at the Department of Environmental Services (DES). State permitting officials must recognize that the site is far too small for a massive waste transfer station.”
The letter noted that the company estimates that the facility will receive about 80 trucks a day with 525 tons of mixed construction and demolition waste. It adds that over four or five days, more construction and demolition waste would come into the city than Claremont produces over the course of a year.
The property in question is adjacent to the Westwood Village Housing Complex on a small piece of land at the end of Maple Avenue at Claremont Junction.
Prior to the vote, the planning board held a public hearing where city residents passionately spoke out against Acuity Management, Inc.’s proposal, as well as asking the board to vote in favor of the amendments to the city code.
Judith Koester of Ward 2 is a member of A Better Claremont and thanked Bearse for her efforts. She was hoping for the amendment to pass and hoping for decisions to be made regarding Acuity. She hopes they get the message that “the answer is no” to them coming to Claremont due to concerns for the health and well-being of the citizens of Claremont, their children and their grandchildren. She thanked the citizens for speaking and the local officials for their work.
“I want to thank the planning board, zoning board and city council for the protection of the citizens and future citizens yet born for the city of Claremont,” she said. “I want to thank all of you for your continual efforts in supporting the city of Claremont to be a healthy, vibrant and economically prosperous, joyful and hopeful city for all of us to live in.”
Karen Parker of Ward 2 said she was just recently made aware of the situation and thanked A Better Claremont for being that catalyst.
“There is no place for Acuity in Claremont,” Parker said. “There are too many hazards to even consider them coming in.”
Norm Blouin said there was a burning plant in the city that still comes back to haunt them, and the cancer rate skyrocketed because of it. He doesn’t want to see a repeat disaster.
“I don’t need cancer,” Blouin said. “I’ve already been through it once. I don’t want their soot blowing on my end of town. Since I live out on that end and the winds blow from the west to the east, guess where it is all going? I don’t need it. The town doesn’t need it.”
The planning board ultimately voted 8-0 to approve the amendments to the city code. It will now be reviewed by legal counsel to be made into ordinance form, and then brought to city council for approval.
