Main
items of interest: Toxic Waste and Toxic People
By
Will Collette
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| JoAnn "Shingles" Stolle about to get full seat on Zoning |
As most readers may know, the Charlestown
Town Council is the second most powerful decision-making body in town. Or maybe
the third, since the Planning Commission, under the iron-fist of Planning
Commissar Ruth Platner makes more of the actual decisions than the Council
does.
But
the single most important decision-making body in Charlestown is the
Charlestown Citizens Alliance Steering Committee, that merry band of nonpartisan solons, who hold
monthly meetings at secret times and secret locations with no public agenda.
Just a bunch of public-spirited folks who control all of the key public bodies
in Charlestown – the Council, Planning, Zoning and Budget – who get together to
decide what will really happen.
They are totally outside of public view and as transparent as a full cesspool. Or a hazardous waste site.
They are totally outside of public view and as transparent as a full cesspool. Or a hazardous waste site.
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| One of the rumored sites for the CCA Steering Committee's secret meetings. The "Free Hugs" thing is just a diversion. CCA members don't hug. Or at least, not for free. |
To
me, one of the most interesting items won’t even be discussed. That’s the
re-appointment of CCA Party resident ideologue and Steering Committee member
Cliff Vanover to a full term on the Zoning Board of Review that expires in 2020.
Vanover is one of the most radical members of the CCA, quick to attack and
prone to ignore the law when it gets in the way of his “Open Space Uber Alles” or anti-family philosophy. He’s already displayed some unusual behavior on the ZBR, raising
issues with appellants that have nothing to do with the law – such as trying to
get appellants to agree to install composting toilets.
Cliffie’s
reappointment is on the “Consent Agenda,” meaning that it is considered
non-controversial (gag) and will be voted on without debate or discussion in a
bloc with the array of other supposedly non-controversial items. They're all marked "CA" on the official agenda, below.
Actually,
it’s just as well that Cliffie is on the ZBR where his radical views
and disregard for the law are on full display, rather than the more stealthy
role he has played since the CCA Party’s launch in 2006.
JoAnn “Shingles” Stolle is also up for an appointment as a full ZBR member until 2018. Stolle’s claim to fame was working to stall construction of the Blue Shutters Beach pavilion until there was a complete review of the types and colors of shingles that were to be used on the roof.
JoAnn “Shingles” Stolle is also up for an appointment as a full ZBR member until 2018. Stolle’s claim to fame was working to stall construction of the Blue Shutters Beach pavilion until there was a complete review of the types and colors of shingles that were to be used on the roof.
Three
other items on the agenda caught my eye, two relating to Ninigret Park. The
first of those is a plan to pay for Faith LaBossiere’s bike path about the Park
with money drawn from the Ninigret Park Fund, not the recently approved
Recreation Bond. There is a snarky, unsigned note in the agenda package that
says this approach is preferable to continuing to argue whether or not the bike
path is an appropriate use of the bond funding (which is a pretty bald-faced
misrepresentation of the argument, but whatever).
Not toxic waste - it's "virgin petroleum"
The
second Ninigret item is a rather detailed item with several documents attached regarding what is repeatedly
described in the agenda materials as the presence of an amount of “virgin
petroleum” (also known as petroleum naphtha) which
is deemed by the memo authors as “non-hazardous.” The focal point of concern
over this allegedly virgin, non-hazardous material is a location called “Site
8” in Ninigret Park where there were five leaking underground fuel tanks, each holding 25,000 gallons! See maps.
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| Unknown: how much left in those old tanks when the Navy left, how much leaked into the ground and how much is left. But don't worry, it's just non-hazardous virgin petroleum. You can sprinkle it on your oatmeal. |
I spent a lot of years working on community hazardous waste problems, and I know bullshit when I see it, and in particular military bullshit. In 1986, I was awarded the “Uncensored” award for being one of the first to publicize the prevalence of hazardous waste on just every military installation. In 1988, I wrote a manual called “Dealing with Military Toxics” and that same year, I was hired by DOD to teach a workshop in how to deal with the public on military hazardous waste problem to military environmental officers.
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| This Army Corps of Engineers map defined known contaminated areas more specifically |
The
Ninigret Navy Auxiliary Airfield (NAAF), like just about every other military
installation, was contaminated by fuel, solvents, explosives, old transformers
and the like that were simply dumped in pits. Up until the 1970s, that’s what
most industries did, so the military was simply following the norm during World
War II and right up until it was decommissioned.
When
Charlestown took ownership of Ninigret Park, a town ad hoc commission was set
up to look at the potential hazards on site. The Commission was headed up by
none other than the CCA Party’s current President, Virginia Wooten. They apparently only met once and left no records on the town website. Apparently, Virginia and her colleagues saw no cause for alarm.
Well,
Virginia, not exactly. The issue described in the agenda materials for this Council
meeting describe old, leaking underground storage tanks that were filed with
aviation fuel – that’s the so-called “virgin petroleum” that is supposedly “non-hazardous.”
Since
this “virgin petroleum” and “non-hazardous” stuff made no sense to me, I did a
little research and discovered there is a peculiarity in the Rhode Island General Laws that classifies “virgin petroleum” as “non-hazardous,” so if you
can get your toxic waste classified as “virgin petroleum,” you can skate on the usual
environmental standards.
There
is a case pending before the RI Supreme Court on exactly this subject. More
details HERE.
This Council discussion may be an attempt to get out ahead of any likely Court
ruling since you can never count on the RI Supremes to take logical positions in
their rulings.
If you look through the documents, it seems that Charlestown is about to sign off on an agreement that plays along with the farce that dumped aviation fuel is "non-hazardous" except that nobody should go digging around the area. And the farce that all those thousands of gallons of oil and fuel spilled into the ground over the past 60+ years have been all safely cleaned and contained. And the farce that no more groundwater monitoring needs to be done.
Why not wait until the RI Supremes decide the case? Why sign a document that holds absolutely no self-interest for Charlestown or its citizens, but rather lets the DOD and DEM off the hook?
Why not wait until the RI Supremes decide the case? Why sign a document that holds absolutely no self-interest for Charlestown or its citizens, but rather lets the DOD and DEM off the hook?
Boosting business by cutting taxes for business by $40.62
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| According to the CCA Party business geniuses, a tax break of $40.62 will "make it easier for businesses and entrepreneurs to prosper in Charlestown" That's a direct quote. |
This proposal bears a twisted resemblance to the Homestead Tax Exemption idea that town Democrats proposed in December 2011. At that time, the CCA Party and the RI Statewide Coalition eviscerated the proposal, saying it was unfair to non-residents that year-round Charlestown residents should get a tax break.
Now
the CCA Party thinks it’s time to try to give Charlestown businesses a break,
but they want to do it in the cheapest, least effective way possible. While I
don’t dispute that some small businesses will benefit, the total amount the CCA
Party seems willing to invest is $13,000. That’s the amount of tax revenue Tax
Assessor Ken Swain estimates the town will lose by granting this exemption.
According to the memo in the agenda packet, there are 320 registered business
owners in Charlestown, so if you spread that $13,000 among them, the average
tax break would be $40.62 each.
Now
how is that going to change Charlestown’s anti-business reputation?
Incidentally, that reputation recently took another hit on page one of the Westerly Sun –
click
here.
I’ve
offered several tangible, practical ideas for ways Charlestown can improve the
town’s economy and boost business and employment. CLICK
HERE for the details. But, yeah, let's see what $40.62 will do to reduce our unemployment rate.
Here
is a cut-and-paste of the actual agenda including links to agenda materials. My
usual snide remarks are in bold red.
Charlestown Town Council
Regular Meeting 7/13/2015 7:00 PM Council Chambers
Town Hall 4540 South County
Trail Charlestown, RI 02813
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Downloads:
Agenda Agenda Packet
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