Letters to the Editor

Thank you to Revere Fire Department

Dear Editor:

Over the course of the last few years, it has become necessary for me to call the Revere Fire Department for assistance with my ill husband.  Without fail, they responded immediately.

During these emergencies, each member of the Engine 5 unit has been professional, kind, and understanding.  They were always courteous in the most trying of situations.

The citizens of Revere are fortunate to have such a well-trained and competent fire department.  It is comforting to know that such excellent help is always available when needed.

Kudos to the Revere Fire Department!  Thank you for all that you do for us every day of the year.

Carol Haney

 

Thank You Morris and Thank You Revere

 Dear Editor:

 I am writing to you to express my appreciation to Revere’s cable TV and their crew.

I would like to especially and personally thank Morris Morris for the invitation to appear on his show.

I was honored to appear on the Morris Morris show recently. Morris extended a warm welcome to me and my campaign announcement for the Suffolk County Registry of Deeds Office.

We talked of the need for Revere homeowner’s  access to information regarding the “ Homestead Act” on their home residence.

This is an easy fillable form and filing it provides $500,000 of homestead protection for every senior citizen home owner over the age of 62.

If elected to the Suffolk County Registry of Deeds Office I will emphasize to all who are Suffolk County Registry of Deeds customers the need of applying for “Homestead Protection “.

There is presently an automatic  $125,000 of protection on homes that did not file the

“ Homestead Act Form “ at the Suffolk County Registry of Deeds Office.

We also discussed the need for the City of Revere to adopt the Community Preservation Act.  The Community Preservation act is on the agenda before the Revere City Council this summer.

This fund is supported by the fees from the Suffolk County Registry of Deeds Office.

Only 45 percent of the 351 cites and towns of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts have adopted the CPA and Revere will be able to use the money from this fund for

• Open Space in the City of Revere
• Historic sites and resources
• Recreational projects

In my opinion, Revere being the “ First in the Nation Public Beach” would be in the forefront of these preservation funds for your community.

Thank you once again and thank you for the open friendly welcome I have received in the City of Revere.

Jeff Ross

Candidate for Suffolk County Registry of Deeds Office

 

 

Disappointed by refusal

Dear Editor:

As members of the Alliance for Health and Environment, we express our disappointment in Wheelabrator’s refusal to allow the Saugus Board of Health, Revere Board of Health, and citizens of Saugus and Revere to exercise public oversight over their proposal to dispose more than 500,000 tons of additional ash at the unlined Saugus landfill adjacent to the Rumney Marshes Area of Critical Environmental Concern. For over 40 years, dumping ash in the midst of this salt marsh has had a negative impact on people, local communities, and the Pines and Saugus Rivers.

“Citizens of Saugus and Revere should be outraged by Wheelabrator’s refusal to come before the Saugus Board of Health for a site assignment modification.  The citizens of Saugus are continually inundated with mailings, photo-ops and advertisements by Wheelabrator claiming that they are an ‘environmental company’ and ‘good neighbor.’  However, the Company’s refusal to come before the Saugus Board of Health for a determination about the impact of their proposed expansion on health, safety and the environment in my opinion sends a much different message to the community,” said State Representative RoseLee Vincent.

An Environmental Notification Form describing Wheelabrator’s proposed expansion of the ash landfill is currently being reviewed by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) office.  The Alliance is recommending that MEPA require a comprehensive Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to evaluate the impact of the proposed expansion. The Alliance is also committed to ensuring that the Saugus Board of Health and other impacted communities have the opportunity to weigh in on the decision about whether to expand the landfill through the local site assignment process.

“The Saugus Board of Health has the power to allow with conditions or prohibit this expansion through the site assignment modification process.  Wheelabrator’s refusal to come before that board appears to underscore their desire to circumvent local review and oversight of this facility,” said Environmental Attorney for MASSPIRG and Alliance member Kirstie Pecci.

 The Alliance also continues to raise concerns about the implications of rising sea levels and storm surge as it relates to further ash deposition. “Mitigation strategies are needed to protect people, local waterways and wildlife from contaminants in the event of a future breach of the existing unlined ash landfill. As rising sea levels combine with anticipated increases in both intensity and frequency of coastal storms in the future, it goes without saying that the focus here needs to shift from use and expansion to closure and protection,” said Joan LeBlanc, Executive Director of the Saugus River Watershed Council,

Former Precinct 10 Town Meeting member and current Vice Chairman of the Saugus School Committee Peter Manoogian wishes to remind the community that Wheelabrator relies on EPA regulations to make their claim that the ash is not toxic.  “We recently learned from Professor Paul Connett that EPA regulations do not require the measurement of the total content of toxics (either toxic metals or dioxins and dioxin-like compounds) within the ash. This defies scientific principles, common sense and the practices in other countries,” said Manoogian.  “Existing studies indicate that the metals content of old ash is less than the metal content of new ash. It is therefore a reasonable question to ask about where the metal is going.  How much metal is now in the surrounding waters, plant, and animal life?”

 Thus far, dozens of citizens have written to Environmental Secretary Matthew Beaton urging that a full Environmental Impact Report be required for Wheelabrator’s proposed expansion. “Because the comment period has been extended to July 26^th, I would urge my constituents of Saugus and Revere to take a few moments to either email or write to Secretary Matthew Beaton expressing their concerns about the Wheelabrator ash landfill and urging him to require that Wheelabrator conduct a full Environmental Impact Report and come before the Saugus Board of Health for a landfill site assignment modification,” said Vincent.  “Saugus and Revere deserve the same level of protections that other Massachusetts communities receive.”

  Citizens have until July 26^th to submit comments by email to MEPA Analyst [email protected] or by US Mail to:

Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs

Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA)

Attn: MEPA Office

Page Czepiga, EEA No. 15525

100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900

Boston MA 02114