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Council asks Board of Health for extra hearing, refers South Coast Renewables waste facility to safety committee
Summary
Councilors voiced strong opposition to a proposed solid-waste transfer facility at 100 Duchesne Boulevard (Parallel Products / South Coast Renewables), citing notification problems and potential health, traffic and quality-of-life impacts; the City Council referred the matter to the Committee on Public Safety & Neighborhoods and the Board of Health for additional review.
The New Bedford City Council on Aug. 21 voted to refer to the Committee on Public Safety & Neighborhoods and the Board of Health a request that the Board hold an additional public hearing for residents of the Far North End on a proposed solid-waste transfer facility by Parallel Products, now doing business as South Coast Renewables, at 100 Duchesne Boulevard.
Councilor Brian K. Gomes, who introduced the referral, said project documents show the facility would accept up to 1,500 tons per day and generate thousands of truck trips, and he criticized the format and notice for the Board of Health’s earlier hearings. "There was no right letter sent out. There was no notification…Many of those people in that Far North End had no idea about this meeting," Gomes said, urging the Board of Health to listen directly to residents before it votes.
Councilor Linda Morad, who attended the prior Pulaski School hearings, said the previous format limited public input and disadvantaged residents. "It was an opportunity for the people of the Far North End…to go before the Board of Health…and it turned into something else," she said, calling the hearing structure "a tragedy" for community input and arguing the Board should be given a full, focused session with neighborhood residents.
Councilor Naomi Carney said she shared concerns about outside experts testifying without local input and urged that local public-safety officials also be consulted. Other councilors proposed moving the hearing to a larger venue and ensuring ample time for residents to speak.
The referral asks the Board of Health to hold a hearing before it votes on site suitability and requests that the Council’s Public Safety committee sponsor or coordinate a meeting with neighborhood stakeholders if appropriate. The council did not adopt a binding moratorium or block the permit process; it asked for additional public engagement and review by local bodies.
Background: the clerk read a letter in the record saying South Coast Renewables' application to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection sought a positive determination of site suitability; the application materials in the record referenced truck counts and proximity to single-family homes, schools and other community assets. The council also read and placed on file a letter the councilors sent to federal officials asking for federal review and assistance.
