Resistance Baffles Massachusetts Firm

One of the men behind the proposed construction waste transfer station on Industrial Drive in Lee, Mass., said he is taken aback by neighborhood resistance to the facility, which he contends is misunderstood.

"We just basically want to start a new business," said Thomas M. Garrity, president of Valley Mill Corp. of Lee. "The way people classify [the facility] as a dump is incorrect. This facility is state-of-the-art. Everything that is done is internal" to the building.

The proposed facility, located on a 13-acre parcel framed by the Housatonic Railroad and the southwest branch of the Housatonic River, would process construction and demolition debris, including asphalt, brick, concrete, wood and scrap metal. It was granted an order of conditions from the Pittsfield Conservation Commission last fall and is in the midst of the state environmental review process.

Garrity said Valley Mill Corp. planned the project last summer and notified abutters on Harding Street, as required, during the Conservation Commission's review. A hearing was held at which neighbors voiced their desire to have continued access to the property for uses such as walking their dogs.

"We walked out of that meeting and everyone we walked out with was very satisfied and happy with what the outcome was," he said. "At that point, it was fine."

The commission issued its order of conditions in September. In October, Valley Mill Corp. acquired the property from Bonita H. Lipton for $320,000, according to a deed filed at the Central Berkshire Registry of Deeds.

After The Eagle reported on the proposed transfer station in January, however, neighborhood opposition mounted. More than 100 people packed the City Council chambers in mid-April to criticize the project, and neighbors have turned out for a number of other meetings, most recently at St. Teresa's Church.

During the April meeting, at which James Scalise of SK Design Group outlined the project, "you couldn't say anything right about it," Garrity said. "It turned into a mob affair. There was always a boo or a nay or a hey. How do you operate like that?"

Following that meeting, Valley Mill Corp. posted the property for trespassing because "if somebody got hurt, liability-wise, we were going to be in trouble," he said, adding that most of the signs have since disappeared.

Garrity argued that all tipping and processing of construction debris would be covered and no hazardous materials would be accepted. The staff would be trained to inspect incoming materials, and trucks would be videotaped. Upon leaving the facility, trucks would pass through a wheel wash.

The transfer station would complement the state's "Beyond 2000 Solid Waste Master Plan," he noted, and would be open to the public. Much of the material would be generated by area contractors, including Garrity-owned LB Corp. of Lee.

Certain materials would be transported by rail to permitted facilities, Garrity said. Discussions already have been held with the Housatonic Railroad, based in Canaan, Conn. Asphalt, brick and concrete -- known collectively as ABC -- could be crushed for reuse in Lee or elsewhere.

"It's stuff you're trying to keep out of the waste stream, so you're not filling the landfills," he said. " People do agree that it's a good [idea], but it's 'not in my back yard.'"

Garrity said the company looked at other potential sites from Stockbridge north to Pittsfield and determined that the Industrial Drive parcel was the best option because it has rail access and adequate separation from residential properties.

"You try to find a piece of property located on a railroad, in an industrial zone, that is not within 500 feet of the neighbors," he said.

Garrity acknowledged that traffic at the South Street access to the proposed facility is problematic, but referred to several traffic-related improvements the company has offered to make.

"It's a busy corridor," he said. "We have configured what we feel is the best [way] to exit that place. It's never going to be easy."

Garrity said Valley Mill Corp. is not opposed to considering other locations for the transfer station if the city or another landowner could help.

"We'd be willing to venture into something," he said. "But as we speak, we have a major investment of capital [on Industrial Drive], so we have to proceed with what we're doing." Berkshire (Massachusetts) Eagle