Posted by Bob on June 26, 2009 under Daily Blogs | 
Those entering Naugatuck’s downtown will soon notice the final clean-up of the property known as Parcel C. The property is located in the heart of downtown on the north side of Maple Street, adjacent to the post office. Once the heart of the Uniroyal Rubber operation, the property has been vacant for many years. Earlier efforts to remediate the property were not completely successful. The Borough has taken all necessary steps to ensure that this will be the final time Parcel C is cleaned.
The permitting process is almost complete, and residents will soon notice fencing installed around the perimeter of the property. The temporary parking lot along Maple Street will be closed, and parallel parking spots will be painted along the street, with some additional lines located along Water Street. Special thanks to the businesses in the area, Nardelli’s Grinders, Burnsies, Rosenblatt, Duffy’s Tavern and Monahan’s Carpet, for their cooperation in preparation for the clean-up.
Parcel C is a vital component of the Renaissance Place Project. After the remediation, the Borough will own something rare in the Naugatuck Valley: flat, clean land with easy access to Route 8 and ready for development. The property’s proximity to the Metro North train station is a key component to the transit-oriented-development model that is such a large part of the Renaissance Place Project.
Naugatuck also received authorization for approximately TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND and00/100THS ($200,000.00) DOLLARS of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funding to conduct preliminary environmental assessments on other properties located primarily within the confines of the Renaissance Place Project special development district. Many former industrial properties are presumed to have had some impact on the environment. The initial examination of such a property is known as a Phase One environmental site assessment. If any evidence of possible contamination is discovered during a Phase One assessment, a Phase Two environmental site assessment would be necessary. The aforementioned grant will allow the Borough to conduct Phase One and Phase Two assessments on several parcels in Downtown Naugatuck.
While no construction will be witnessed during the clean-up and assessments referenced above, such steps are vital achievements in moving forth the Renaissance Place Project. Borough officials, the Naugatuck Economic Development Corporation and our valued partners with Conroy Development continue to work diligently to make this exciting and complex project a reality which will revitalize our Downtown and increase our local tax base.
Posted by Bob on June 25, 2009 under Daily Blogs |
The Naugatuck Sewage Treatment Plant has been the subject of recent stories in the local, regional and state news. Several residents who live along Meadowbrook Place, located less than one mile from the plant, have lodged complaints about air quality and foul smells in their neighborhood.
The Borough of Naugatuck takes such matters very seriously. The Board of Mayor and Burgesses has asked to meet with representatives from plant operator Veolia Water North America, and will do so within the coming weeks. In addition, I had the opportunity to tour the plant with Borough Engineer James Stewart and Second Deputy Mayor Mike Ciacciarella.
One thing that surprised me when touring the facility was what a complex operation was involved in a service most of us take for granted. Flushing a toilet is in only the beginning of a complex process to ensure that waste is properly treated, eliminated and prevented from polluting our air and river. Clearly there is room for improvement, and advances in technology and tighter regulations will result in the same.
Some residents have asked what the Borough can do to force the operator to stop the smell. The simple answer is a lot less than the State Department of Environmental Protection (hereinafter “DEP”) can and has already done. After several complaints, DEP investigated the odor and issued a consent order which included a financial penalty to Veolia and requirements that the operator put forth a plan to remedy said problem within a short period of time. All fines and costs for a remedial plan are paid for by the operator, not the Borough, per agreement.
Approximately ten (10) years ago, the Borough was forced to find an operator for the treatment company after the Uniroyal-backed Naugatuck Treatment Company choose to end its relationship with the Borough. Countless hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent to negotiate an agreement with US Filter to assume operation of the plant. Veolia is the successor to US Filter.
The complex operating agreement defines the responsibilities of the owner, the Borough of Naugatuck; and Veolia, the operator. While Naugatuck certainly has numerous protections in the Agreement which ensure that the operator perform its duties in a responsible manner consistent with all local, state and/or federal laws and regulations, the document is in fact a binding contract between two parties. The Borough does not have the unilateral right to enforce anything on Veolia. Any attempt to enforce a provision or provisions of the agreement would likely result in lengthy litigation with enormous costs to the Borough.
Waste and waste water treatment is strictly governed by the DEP in Connecticut. Requirements and regulations that were not even discussed ten (10) years ago are now proposed and enacted at a rapid rate. DEP has far more authority to regulate odor, investigate claims and issue binding orders to take corrective action. This is what happened with the current claims by residents from Meadowbrook Place.
The DEP does not require that treatment plants emit no odor. Such odors must rise to the level of nuisance, which in this particular case it was determined that such odors did. While a tremendous amount of technology is utilized to eliminate all odor, the reality of the situation is that it is nearly impossible to completely remove all odors from a treatment plant. Changes in weather, wind patterns and topography near such sites will undoubtedly make some days better than others.
The Borough’s options, if unsatisfied with the current operator, are likely limited to the following:
- renegotiate the agreement with the operator;
- find a new operator;
- sell the entire asset to a private company and (a) send our waste to a different facility and incur the costs to do so; or (b) continue to send the waste to the existing facility under new ownership.
All of these options would result in enormous burdens to taxpayers
Most Naugatuck residents would welcome the opportunity to send our waste products to other communities without incurring any additional cost to taxpayers. The reality is that we have a sewage treatment facility in the Borough which has been in existence for many years. The Borough will do everything in its power to ensure that our plant is operated in the most professional manner consistent with applicable law, but enforcement of violations is primarily entrusted with state agencies such as DEP.
Posted by Bob on June 18, 2009 under Daily Blogs |
Much has been made of the need for our society to “get Green”. Here in Naugatuck we are slowly but surely working to become more conscious of conserving energy and protecting our environment. The Renaissance Place Project is seeking to become the first energy self-sufficient development of its kind. Efforts continue to make our Borough buildings more energy efficient. Earth Day-type activities and clean-ups are starting to happen more than once a year. We have begin to realize that preserving open space should be an important goal of government policy. Finally, after years of neglect and abuse, we are starting to realize how important the Naugatuck River is not only to our quality of life, but to our economic development efforts as well. While much work is yet to be done, the Borough is starting to do its part to ensure we preserve our planet for generations to come.
Where we have been struggling in recent years, however, is the area of blight. One online definition of blight describes the word as meaning: “Something that impairs growth, withers hopes and ambitions, or impedes progress and prosperity” (www.thefreedictionary.com/blight). While the word has different meanings, the aforementioned describes the situation in Naugatuck most appropriately.
For years Naugatuck has endured inappropriate dumping and littering at the hands of irresponsible individuals. Many areas of the Borough, some at the gateways to our community, have been tarnished by trash and debris. Public and private buildings have been defaced with graffiti, and windows have been broken by vandals. Certain billboards have become unsightly. While some might think this has financial consequences only to the direct victims of such actions, all of us are harmed economically by damaged property, eyesores in neighborhoods and debris discarded in random fashion. Blight reduces all our property values, and makes a negative statement to existing and prospective businesses who help to reduce our residential property taxes.
Our administration intends to address this difficult situation in a comprehensive manner. It would be easy for us to ask the Borough Board to pass an anti-blight ordinance. We currently do not have such a law. Simply passing a law, however, will not solve the problem. Laws must be enforced, and doing so requires resources which we do not have.
At the July Borough Board meeting, our administration will propose the creation of a “Blight and Beautification Council” to address questions in the following areas:
- Current blight laws and/or lack thereof - What does Naugatuck current law provide? What language should be used to create a new blight ordinance? What are the successes and failures of existing blight ordinances in similar communities?
- Enforcement -What are current enforcement methods? How successful are current enforcement options? How will the Borough enforce any new blight laws or ordinances? Who should be responsible for enforcement efforts in whole or in part?
- Resources - What existing resources are used for enforcement? How much would enforcement of any new laws or ordinances cost? What is the cost of any marketing or educational campaigns?
- Education - How can we educate residents and businesses to keep their properties clean and free from blight? How can we spread the message of keeping our community clean through our schools and community groups and organizations? What is the correlation between a clean community and economic factors such as property values and the ability to attract businesses?
- Beautification - What groups and/or efforts have been successful in improving the image of our community (i.e. Naugatuck Garden Club, Earth Day Clean-Ups, Gateway Sponsorships and Signage, etc.)? How can we encourage property owners to take more pride in their properties (i.e. Beautification Awards)? Should there be any common themes and/or unification of effort to existing beautification endeavors? How do we increase awareness of and appreciate for beautification efforts?
We also must be conscious of the fact that most residents are struggling during these difficult economic times. The goal of a Blight and Beautification Council is not to make life more difficult for struggling individuals and/or businesses; but to assist and educate all of us to do our own individual part to clean and beautify the Borough of Naugatuck.
We believe that this holistic and positive approach will allow our community to address blight in our community with a plan; one that will produce results, not rhetoric. Tackling this problem will not be easy, but together we can develop a plan to beautify our community in a comprehensive manner. Please contact our office by email (bob@bobmezzo.com or bmezzo@naugatuck-ct.gov) or phone (203-720-7007) if you are interested in becoming part of our Blight and Beautification Council.
The Borough can be Green and Clean. Let us work to making Naugatuck the community we always hoped it would be.
Posted by Bob on June 10, 2009 under Daily Blogs |
The Borough of Naugatuck Charter and Code of Ordinances is now online on the Borough’s website, www.naugatuck-ct.gov. The above referenced link directs viewers to the www.municode.com website, which hosts the Borough charter.
For years citizens as well as elected officials have asked for the ability to view the laws of our town on the web. Online access increases transparency in government and encourages stronger citizen participation.
Special thanks to Borough Comptroller Wayne McAllister and Internet Technology Director Jim Kallipolites for providing this long-overdue service to the Borough.
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