Residents urge action on off‑road vehicles and lithium‑battery fire risks during public comment

Three residents used the board’s public‑speaking time on June 22 to press aldermen on two recurring public‑safety issues: off‑road ATV/dirt‑bike nuisance and safety, and the risks posed by lithium‑ion batteries stored or handled at large distribution and recycling sites.

ATV complaints: Martin Spring, a neighborhood community‑club leader, told aldermen he’d observed ATVs tearing up Waterville Park and riding on Thomaston Avenue late at night. He reported officers at neighborhood meetings saying they felt constrained by liability risk and state law and urged aldermen and state legislators to pursue legal fixes and join neighborhood meetings with officers to devise enforcement strategies. "They were ripping everything up and everything. He said, 'I can't do nothing 'cause of the no‑accountability bill,'" Spring said, calling for coordinated action and legislative attention.

Lithium‑battery fire concerns: Sharon Sumasko urged the board to assess local risk after citing a string of fires linked to lithium‑ion batteries at warehouses and recycling centers nationwide. She asked whether large facilities (she cited Amazon by proximity) have fire‑protection, cooling and containment systems and how contaminated firefighting runoff would be handled to avoid river contamination. "We need to be proactive and not reactive," she said, listing toxic compounds released in such fires and urging resident outreach and disposal guidance.

Board response and context: The board listened but took no formal action during that meeting; both topics were raised in public comment and were not on the evening’s agenda for immediate votes. City staff and aldermen acknowledged the concerns and indicated avenues—community policing conversations for ATVs, and state and fire‑safety protocols for battery storage and handling—would be the next steps if staff are asked to investigate further.