GEORGETOWN – G. Mello Disposal Corp. (Mello) has proposed and the town’s Board of Health (BOH) has agreed to allow trucks serving the new transfer station to cut the time in the morning by an hour, from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m.
The BoH had permitted the trucks hauling trash to and from the 500 tons per day facility to operate until 8:30 a.m.
A major concern by town boards, including the Board of Health, in approving the 500-tons/per day transfer station on Carleton Road was the safety of students going and coming from school.
The health board made no change to the afternoon schedule, which starts at 3 p.m. and ends at 6:30 p.m.
“This proposal is consistent with the Planning Board’s special permit which prohibits transfer trailers from accessing or leaving the site during the morning peak hour of 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and during hours when school buses are present on Carlton Drive,” Mello attorneys wrote.
Neighbors, who called the proposal “insane,” noted that only one student on Carleton Drive rides the bus. But the bus arrives about 7:30.
A concerned parent wrote to The Town Common, “To think that giving Mello that one hour to allow trailers till 7:30 won’t result in the bus and trailer to coexist at that intersection is reckless and puts the kids in danger, not to mention the time it will take for the big trucks to sit and wait to enter in prime morning traffic time. The town is setting itself up for potential liability lawsuits if any kid is hurt.”
Mello also proposed, and the BOH approved, a change that would reimburses the town for installing signs along Carleton Drive that prohibits the trailers from blocking driveways while they are waiting to exit onto North Main Street. Mello said it had not found a private company that would install the signage.
To handle any odors caused by the transfer station, Mello proposed to hire a third-party company, AirOne, to monitor the air quality stemming from the plant. The BOH approved this measure.
For litter control, Mello is required to have all drivers cover their trucks. If a driver violates that requirement in a three-month period, Mello will issue a warning for the first offense, suspend the driver for a week for the second offense and suspend the driver for a minimum of three months, if there is a third offense.
That proposal was also approved by the health board. ♦
