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Hudson Falls residents press board to challenge Wheelabrator DEC permit renewal, seek continuous air monitoring
Summary
Multiple residents described vibrations, loud noises, smoke and multi‑hour black smoke events tied to Wheelabrator operations and asked the village to request a permit delay and pursue continuous air monitoring; Attorney Bill Nikas said "DEC is the key player in this."
Several nearby residents told the Hudson Falls Board of Trustees on Nov. 12 that they are experiencing persistent noise, vibration and smoke they attribute to the Wheelabrator facility and urged the village to act as the plant seeks permit renewal from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
Andrea Kirby, Deborah Martin and Rosemary O'Donnell (River Street residents) said they are "constantly dealing with the vibrations, and violations of the noise ordinance day and night," reported hearing explosions and fires that lasted hours, and described a haze covering the area. They asked the Board to establish an advisory board and to require continuous air monitoring. Sheryl Chrissler recalled fighting the trash plant in 1988 when her father was mayor and urged the village to support Clean Air, a local group planning legal action; one audience member shared a video of black smoke coming from a stack for about 2½ hours on Election Day.
Mark Layden (North Oak) asked the village to seek continuous monitoring from the state and to request permit delays so residents and the village have time to compile information; he explicitly requested "the state is to provide us with a continuous monitoring system" and that the village ask for delays on pending permits. Attorney Bill Nikas cautioned that the DEC is the primary regulator and said the village's ability to affect state permitting is limited, adding that "DEC is the key player in this" and noting Clean Air plans to hire counsel to challenge permit actions.
Mayor Barton thanked residents for their input; Trustee Daniel Hogan asked whether speakers had attended other meetings and encouraged them to pursue guidance from Clean Air. The minutes do not record any formal village action or vote on the permit during the meeting.
