Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Quonset Odors topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents Demand Answers as Quonset‑area Odors Draw Large Turnout in North Kingstown
Summary
Dozens of residents urged the North Kingstown Town Council to press the Quonset Development Corporation and state agencies over recurring asphalt and sewage‑related odors; speakers called for monitoring, transparency and restrictions on proposed facilities.
Dozens of residents packed the People’s House on March 23 to press the council about persistent odors and multiple proposed industrial projects at Quonset/Davisville.
Vanessa Mascaro, who lives at 21 Parkside Way, told the council the agenda item asking the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) to investigate “odor concerns” was too vague and that residents needed clarity about which facilities were implicated. “We know something is happening, but not one person is clearly naming who or what is responsible,” Mascaro said, urging the council to identify specific sources and demand transparency.
Several other speakers described repeated asphalt or sewage smells near neighborhoods. John Dower said he has “for six years…go out in the springtime and smell asphalt on the back deck of my house” and asked the council to be more involved despite QDC’s statutory independence. Jason Bergenstock summarized the permit filing for a proposed sewage‑sludge facility (described in the application as storage, drying, pelletizing and pyrolysis at roughly 800°F) and urged the council to insist on independent, real‑time hydrogen sulfide monitoring, public complaint reporting and enforceable shutdown triggers if off‑site impacts occur.
Former planning‑commission chair and a speaker identifying as a former EPA staffer warned of complex contaminants in sewage sludge (PFAS, dioxins, heavy metals) and said pyrolysis temperatures discussed by applicants may not destroy all such compounds, calling for deeper technical review before allowing facilities near residential areas.
The public comments repeatedly raised questions about prior QDC votes, whether the town received timely notice of proposals, and the cumulative impact of multiple projects — including an asphalt plant already operating, a proposed biosolids processing facility, and a planned 208‑megawatt battery center discussed by residents.
Council members acknowledged residents’ concerns and said they would research the facts. Council member Matt McCoy, who also serves on the QDC board, recounted that Quonset Soil Solutions (QSS) appeared before the QDC board on Nov. 19, 2024, and that his vote against the ground lease reflected concerns he had raised at the time. “I would not intentionally vote in favor of any proposed ground lease which I felt would put [residents] or their health or well‑being at risk,” McCoy said.
The meeting made clear a large portion of the town is worried about air emissions and potential long‑term health and property impacts; residents asked for faster, clearer public notice and stronger town engagement with QDC and state regulators.
