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Resident and councilors press for investigation into DCM incinerator work tied to APA funding at 10 Lewiston St.
Summary
Christopher Peckham urged the council to freeze APA funding tied to 10 Lewiston Street and asked that the mayor and the APA committee answer questions about alleged hazardous disposal and decontamination. A councilor said a resolution to investigate has been filed for a future meeting.
Christopher Peckham, who identified himself during public comment as a follower of the city’s Operation and DCM history, said a recent news report and a private investigator’s document raised questions about alleged hazardous toxins disposed in an incinerator at 10 Lewiston Street.
Peckham said two separate APA line items (identified in his remarks as "APA 64 and 64a") total $16,219,213 for work at that location, and asked whether APA funds allocated to DCM had been intended to decontaminate an incinerator area if contamination existed. He asked whether the Department of Environmental Protection had been contacted and whether surrounding homeowners and businesses had been notified of potential hazards. "I am asking the city council to call upon the mayor's office and the APA committee to freeze this line item within APA until these questions can be answered. The taxpayers should not be footing the bill," Peckham said.
A councilor (who identified they had submitted a related resolution) told the public hearing that a resolution to investigate has been filed and is expected to be placed on a June 10 agenda. That councilor said a public, non-private investigation was warranted to resolve possible accusations of fraud or malfeasance referenced in reporting.
Several councilors and staff said redacted and unredacted copies of prior reports had circulated among council members, and some said the unredacted version recently released contained additional information not previously available to all councilors.
Why this matters: Peckham's remarks request an immediate pause to APA-funded work at a site tied to alleged hazardous-waste disposal. Councilors indicated they would consider an investigatory resolution; if the APA funding is paused it could affect capital projects and contractors funded by the APA allocations.
Ending: A councilor told the meeting that a formal resolution had been filed and would be considered at the next council meeting; the mayor's office and APA committee were asked to provide a clear accounting of the funds and any remediation plans.
