" Most of the candidates that were elected and the incumbents that were reelected were in favor of Northside Carting to take control of the land, tear down the old incinerator building and cap the ever-spreading ash pile and construct a state-of-the-art transfer facility."

That's just not true. Minimally, Sargent, Lovely, Siegel, Prevey, Turiel (as currently proposed), Sosnowski are all opposed. This hadn't come up because the mayor doesn't have the votes.

You seem confused on all the issues regarding the proposal. A few more trucks? You must be kidding. Swampscott Rd allows access for traffic to Highland Ave,from there all trucks have to go to Boston St in order to exit the city.

I live about 1/4 mile away from the Transfer Station, and I've not noticed "dust and stink." However, the smell from the mulch company further down Swampscott Rd. can be strong when the wind blows just right. Some neighbors adjacent to this road do have dust issues, but I thought that was from Aggregate Industries.

You have no problem with the station going from 100 tons to 400 tons? With it morphing from just construction debris to every type of trash, including household and hazardous waste, from heaven knows where? With truck trips increasing by 25% over the course of a business day?

Not so fast! I defer to the neighbors on much of this, although we all have an interest just by virtue of it being "city".

with a new recycling center you will be able to recycle those nasty noisy leaf blowers and weed whackers then you can buy the much quieter electric versions.

Chester has been a long time supporter of a new transfer station in Salem and he certainly has that right. Last year, when this was a hot topic,he mentioned how impressed he was with the North Andover facility and used that as example of what Salem would be. The N Andover facility is a recycle center and does not transfer household garbage. The current site should be closed for the following reasons until it's fate is determined, it is contaminated,it is unsafe to work near and unsafe for the public to have access too,It cannot possibly pass any city inspections that are required to operate such a business and the liability is the city's because we own it.
Residents of Salem have lived with the power plant,sewer plant,college,and many other businesse that are used by our neighbors. I don't think Salem residents want or deserve to live with a garbage transfer station. In fact,the idea of unloading garbage and reloading it into another truck seems to be a giant step backwards.

I agree that it should be closed until a buyer with a price and plan that everyone can agree on is found, It's just not safe up there. I hadn't heard the plan called for household waste disposal and I don't see the need for it. There are facilities in Lynn, Danvers and Peabody for transfer and an incinerator in Saugus,all handle household trash only. I will say that the North Side facility in N. Andover is run very well, about as clean as you could expect it to be. I dont know why they are trashing, (pun intended) the Salem Transfer.

Chester lives dowmtown,see no evil,hear no evil,speak no evil.Northside will make the city come out smelling like garbage.I see no reason to think they would be good for Salem,just look at the operation they are running now in Salem.Nothing will change for Chester, he only cares about himself not the people that will be impacted.

Chester you must be a relative of R George. What deal is so great? Selling the property for $1. Salem pulled a million out of thin air to clean the contamination at McGrath park but the mayor wants to give Nortside the land so they can operate a stinking GARBAGE transfer station.The DEAL is dead in the water.What does that tell you? As I have said in the past I don't trust any company that is willing to operate a business that is in violation of every OSHA law in the books and is getting a free pass from city inspection. What kind of operation will they be willing to run in the future. You pump up Northside but never address these outrageous facts.This is the company that picks up our trash and leaves our barrells all over the streets. This is the company, that I have seen 3 times in the last year,operates trucks that blow hydraulic lines all over the street and sends out workers to clean up the mess after it's been spread up and down the street. At the rate we are going hard hats should be worn while driving on Swampscott Rd in your car.

no i am not a relative of robie george. and speaking of facts get yours straight . what nothside carting is operating it took over from the city of salem. as for the rest of your rhetoric name anpther city that that does not happen in.
mcgrath park does not even have anything to do whith the current problem at the transfer station. that is a sin of salem from before the transfer station. get your history correct..

Isn't the transfer station also a sin of the city? McGrath does have something to do with this because it's all about money.Northside did not take it over for the city. It was closed for years.Are you actually trying to justify the legal issue based on other illegal issues.OSHA violations are not city issues.If that place collapses and the city gets sued,it's people like you that should be blamed.You mention facts and history,try using a little common sense!!!

i'm going over to dunks and get a jumbo black coffee an italian from lenas then going to go behind the home depot and watch the sun go down over the transfer station..

I'm all for the transfer station being rebuilt. I just don't recall the City laying all the cards out and inviting the private sector to bid on the purchase and capping of the ash. I can't stand even the appearance of a back room deal. Plain and simple, transfer stations are gold mines. The city has a valuable asset, tainted but valuable.

"bringing garbage from surrounding cities into salem" Not really. With transfer stations all around no one is going out of their way to dump there. Cities and towns have contracts with incinerators at a reduced rate so municipal trash will not be brought in. The trucks dumping there will be trucks that are already in Salem servicing commercial customers, contractors and homeowners. In the waste industry there is no friendly competition, I would expect to see mostly Northside and Charles George trucks. I do agree about the wear and tear, our streets are hurting all ready. And the no trash left overnight thing is common place. Nobody empties out for the night, it just doesn't happen anywhere.

I think you are mistaken.IF approved they can take garbage from anywhere. They are not locked into a contract with Salem for curbside pickup, It's awarded by bid.If they build this transfer station,It's possible they could loose Salem's contract but still operate the station.They will have a limit on what they take in in tons and it can come from anywhere. Northside services many cities and towns.I am confused by your comment.Nothside wants to build a transfer station to unload and reload garbage before they take it to the incinerator.It's only a convience for them.

Yes I know what they want to do, what i'm saying is trash from other towns (curbside) will not be brought to Salem and be transferred. Towns have contracts with haulers like Northside and they also have contracts with dumps or in the case of north shore cites and towns incinerators like Wheelabrator or Covanta. Bring the waste directly to its end destination saves the cities huge $$ and it is built in to any contract a city enters into with a hauler. Salem should put a line in the sale agreement that lets us dump our trash there no matter the hauler we are using at the same rate the incinerator is offering.

We obviously have a differet understanding on this issue.All towns put contracts out to bid for curbside pickup. This issue has been hanging around for years and has no support from the council because it DOES NOT limit where the trash comes from.You also stated that garbage would be left on site overnight but that issue is part of the proposal. They cannot leave garbage on site overnight or they could be shut down.I also disagree that the city has a contract with the hauler and the incinerator.The city has a contract with hauler and the hauler has a contract with the incinerator. I believe Northside has a contract with
Wheelabrator North Andover because most of the towns they serve are in that area.Insted of running every full truck to N Andover they want to fill trailers at Salem to cut down on their cost and move much more garbage.If they were planning on Salem only, they would not be looking for a hugh increase in volume per day.

john just to set you strait. northside has its own transfer facility in north andover . at that facility they separate all the trash that is sent to its respective recycler ( metal , paper ,plastic , etc. ) the rest is sent to a incinerator on maine.
the total recycled material in north andover is 89% with th remaining 11% going to the incinerater.
before you say something john get it straight

I am going to go against my own promise and repond to Chester. First, don't think for one minute you can set me staight on anything. Second the recycle center in N Andover that Northside owns DOES NOT TAKE HOUSEHOLD GARBAGE. Is it even possible for you to see the difference? There is garbage and there is recycle,you can't recycle garbage. Get it?

If you can offer some proof that I am wrong,I will buy you a bench at the new garbage dump!!

The Northside facility in N. Andover processes construction and demo. While there is a small amount of trash that gets mixed in it is sorted out during the recycling process. Yes demo is recycled. The nails, copper, steel and even the wood gets turned into things like pellets for stoves.

Thats correct. N Andover is a recycle facility and Salem would be a garbage transfer station.Big difference.Northside offered tours of N Andover to Salem residents?? Thats what I call deception.

john the facikity in north andover is a regional recycle center for northside carting that has a 89% recycle rate with the other 11% goes to an incinerater in maine which uses the sterilized ash as a landfill subcap. so nothing really goes to waste.

Thats great but what does it have to do with transferring household garbage in Salem? Also in Salem,Northside unloads the recycle trucks at North Shore Recycled Fibers on Jefferson Ave.Why not unload the garbage at the incenerator near GE? This whole thing is about the garbage not the recycle and that is why I question why Northside wanted Salem residents to see N Andover. Apparently neither the recycle or garbage will go to N Andover and Salem would be a completley different operation.I also don't understand why they would take 11% to Maine when there is an incenerator right next door to the N Andover facility.None of it makes sense.

jon did you ever collect scrap metal? you get enough of it and you take it to a scrap metal yard to sell it to them. they in turn sell all they have furtherup the recycle chain to get melted down and get reused. the same principle applies to the north andover recycle facility they just separate and sell the individual items ( metals ,wood, paper, drywall, plastics ) that are sifted out of housuehold trash.
the trucks that go to north shore recycled fibers are taking the recycled stuff people put out in the blue recycle bins. this is a direct contract to a local buisness. this means local jobs.
i hope that i have explained this process clearly if not go see robie george at the transfer station on saturdays starting in june.

This conversation has gone full circle and has com right back to the same concerns.The people of Salem do not want a garbage transfer station. The N Andover facility is not even remotely doing what is proposed for Salem.I have no problem with the recycle part it's mandadted by law. The question is very simple do the people of Salem want a garbage transfer station(unload and reload)in Salem? It only serves the trash companies that will use it rather than driving every full truck to where ever they currently unload.If you could get close enough to the actaul garbage at these incinerators (which i have) you would be shocked by the smell. The same process will take place in Salem except instaead of burninig it ,it will be loaded into another truck.The people don't want it and it has little support in the council.Also, N Andover does not take household trash,they take construction debris which may or may not contain paper or plastic.Salem's Paper and plastic goes to Nort Shore Recycle.They do not sort through garbage

North Andover Transfer Station

Our facility is the most advanced commercial waste processing and construction and demolition recycling facility in North America. Their words not mine

No mention of garbage

John,
I think the intent of inviting folks from Salem to the N.Andover site was to give us an idea of the operation they are planning, yes I know different material but one can see they do run a pretty tight ship and can be a good neighbor. You say that you have gotten close enough to the trash at incinerators to smell it, how close would you say one would have to get? Why were you so close? You suggested Chester is a relative of R. George, perhaps you are a relative of one of their competitors. I wouldn't say that only the trash company's would win if the transfer station was expanded. It would bring more jobs and tax money right?

I understand the confusion.I worked for years for a company that made deliveries to Resco,Wheelabrator N Andover and Wheelabrator Millbury(next to Worchester) and I saw what the garbage drivers see every day. I have seen live rats come right out of the trucks.Those incinerators are located in very isolated areas for a reason.Again.you cannot compare a garbage transfer station to a recycle center. It is totaly different.My remarks about Chester were sarcastic but in response to the type of operation they would operate,I can only say look at the operation they are running in Salem. Trust me when I say the homes close to the site will smell the garbage. The only iron I have in the fire is to keep Salem from making a big mistake.As for jobs it would be very few as Northside trucks would still operate from N Andover. The city owns it now so regardless of what we do tax money may be a factor but an expanded industrial(non garbage) area would be a better fit.You have to ask yourself one question,If you lived in the condos off traders or anywhere along Highland Ave, would you want to live with this? You yourself said the objective should be to get the material to it's final destination in the most timely manner. This does not do that.For years most househould garbage goes directly to the end process(like it does currently in Salem) an incinerator.

I agree that we would be better off as city to see it developed in a different way. That said how do we get that ash heap capped? If and when we do can the site even be developed into some other use? It is zoned for a transfer station. Are there restrictions on building so close to something so toxic even after its capped?
Your a good sport John, thanks for humoring me on the competitor thing. I don't have to trust you on the smell though, I'm around those same facilities all the time.

john mcgrath park was the city dump BEFORE INCINERATOR TRANSFER STATION WAS BUILT. all the city trash went there. it has nothing to do with the current problem. the trauck traffic at peak would be 26 trucks a day is in consequecial . read the study done by the state in 2007. its all there on the web john.

Last chance,the point about McGath was the money and how quick the city found it.You may think 26 trucks a day is no big deal because you wont see or hear any of them.That would be 26 in and 26 out and I am sure that number will increase .It;s about he garbage.They did a study on the parking meters too,I'm not into reading the study.

john your honestly going to tell us that you are going to notice two more trucks an hour?

Very informative! I did a google search to find some info on Salem trash pick since i see so much bulk items left curbside (walking my dog) Also i feel suspicious of why i have been seeing the recycling buckets dumped into trash trucks instead (this summer). I wont waste any more time or resources washing out containers if NO need to?

Considering whats going on with school biding,I wonder if Northside really is low bider on trash???? I have also seen recycle picked up in regular trash trucks,unsorted.