Council asks Board of Health for another hearing on proposed South Coast Renewables waste transfer project

The New Bedford City Council voted to refer a motion asking the New Bedford Board of Public Health to hold an additional public hearing on a proposed waste transfer facility operated by Parallel Products, which is doing business as South Coast Renewables LLC, and to involve residents of the city’s Far North (North End) neighborhood before the Board of Health takes a final vote.

Councilor Brian K. Gomes, who made the motion, said the earlier public hearings were poorly noticed and structured so that residents had little opportunity to speak. He asked the council to work with Ward 1’s councilor and the Board of Health to convene a follow-up hearing focused on appearance, notification and direct public engagement. “Many of the people in that far North End had no idea about this meeting,” Gomes said during the council meeting. “This is not how you notify people when you’re making an impact on their life.”

The council’s request to the Board of Health was referred to the Committee on Public Safety and the Board of Health; the referral…