Proposed Stoughton Recycling Center Presented To Selectmen

STOUGHTON, MA — A proposed recycling center across the street from O'Donnell Middle School will not have the impact residents think it could have, representatives for the project said Tuesday.

In an unusual step, the selectmen spent about two-and-a-half hours on RecycleWorks' proposed operation at 220 Cushing St., despite the fact that the project’s fate will be decided by the zoning board of appeals. Resident concerns came following the posting of a public hearing notice for a building that processes and treats raw materials and a waste disposal facility that includes incinerators, a transfer station, and a resource recovery facility.

Those things will not be at the facility and it was a consequence of how public notices must be written, Barry Crimmins, an attorney for the project said.

“It is not an incinerator, there is no plan. It is not a transfer station, we have not asked for that. It is simply the way the section of the bylaw is worded,” Crimmins said.

Moe Banville, the COO of RecycleWorks, admitted that he would be upset if he saw a similar notice in his local newspaper. He told the board that the company intends on operating a recycling operation for beverage packages that are no longer suitable to be sold, such as expired drinks or spoiled milk.

He said the entire operation would be inside with no audible noise from outside the building. Traffic concerns would be address by telling truck drivers to enter from Simpson Street rather than Cushing Street. About five to eight trucks are expected to make trips to the building.

RecycleWorks is hoping to rehabilitate a building that has been abandoned, run-down, and vandalized for years. The company has already invested $3.5 million into the property, Banville said.

“We are not a waste disposal facility. We are not leasing 220 Cushing St., we’re buying it. We’re going to be a neighbor, we’re going to make a huge investment in the town,” Banville said.

Banville said he would be open to permit conditions including one that would limit when trucks can arrive in order to avoid a conflict with the middle school’s peak hours. A fence will be added to the perimeter of the property to prevent kids from using the land as a cut-through as some do now.

Project officials said they would abide by any conditions added to the permit.

"If we violate any of the conditions of the permit, we risk having that permit revoked," Crimmins said.

The few residents who live near the building and spoke Tuesday night were not swayed. Resident Debra Menz said the operation was inconsistent with the existing character of the area and wanted to see the company move to an industrial park similar to the one they currently work out of in Weymouth. Other residents were worried about the prospect of tractor trailer trucks on Simpson, Canton, and Central streets, which would be the truck route to the building.

No vote was taken by the board on a possible recommendation, but some members appeared to have a more favorable opinion of the project, especially with the project that a by-right with a larger impact and no need for a special permit could take the land.

“I’m personally willing to if the time comes to make a recommendation that we recommend approval with some conditions,” Sullivan said.

The only vote by the board was to direct Interim Town Manager Marc Tisdale to ask Town Planner Noreen O'Toole to create a report on the need for the potential zoning changes around schools, parks, and libraries.

The zoning board of appeals is expected to hold their hearing on April 5. RecycleWorks is also scheduled to give a presentation to the school committee next week.

Image: File Photo