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Since 1989 Ogden Martin has burned 1650 tons per day of solid waste at its Haverhill incinerator. on March 16,1995,
Mayor Rurak announced a 75 page agreement with Ogden Martin which needed only the consent of the city council to
become a binding 20 year contract. This contract would allow the expansion of Ogden Martin to burn 2450 tons of solid
waste daily as well as 91,250 tons of sludge per year (Haverhill produces 12,000 tons a year).
Many of us who had opposed Ogden Martin in the 80's attended the informational meeting and the city council
meetings to protest. Despite our protest, the majority of the council voted to accept the contract on March 28,1995.
Many of us, who fought the incinerator previously, organized a group which we called the Haverhill
Environmental League. Brent Baeslack was voted chairperson and Margaret Eagar was voted vice chairperson. At our
first meeting, we were supported by the Lawrence Environmental Action Group and by Lee Kettlesen of Clean Water
Action.
Ogden Martin's next step was to request a special meeting of the Haverhill Board of Health on June 6,
1995 to "clarify" that the existing site assignment allowed the burning of sludge without further modification of
said site assignment. Simply put, this meant that Ogden Martin could burn sludge without seeking a new or modified
site assignment at the state level. Attorney Charles Lord of ACE and Attorney James Fiorentini filed challenges to
this concept. Terry Greene of Tellus Institute was present to testify. We had written testimony from Dr. Theodore
Schettler of Physicians for Social Responsibility and from Lee Kettlesen of Clean Water Action. Steve Yianocopoulos, representing Ogden Martin, asked that the meeting be postponed until June 27.
This meeting was never held. Ogden Martin announced on June 20 that it would follow the more "formal" site
assignment procedure, which involves certification by MEPA and DEP.
HEL continued to research ways to stop this environmental assault on Haverhill. In August, we decided that we
should seek to have a non-binding referendum placed on the ballot. To do that, we needed the signatures of 5% of the
registered voters. We needed 1200 signatures to present to the council on September 12. In ten days we had collected
over 3300 signatures.
There was drama at the council meeting of September 12, As Brent Baeslack prepared to present our collected
signatures to the council, the council received word that the mayor would like to address the council. Mayor Rurak
read a letter from Ogden Martin Vice President John Shortsleeve stating that increased project costs and the threat
of a binding anti - sludge referendum had caused the company to cease developmental efforts on sludge burning.
Despite this withdrawal HEL insisted that the question should be placed on the ballot.
At a subsequent council meeting, the council voted that the letter of withdrawal concerning sludge should
become a binding addendum to the contract.
on November 7, 1995 the following question appeared on the ballot:
SHALL THE CITY OF HAVERHILL ALLOW OGDEN MARTIN TO EXPAND ITS INCINERATIon AND TO BURN SLUDGE?
The citizens of Haverhill voted 10,198 to 2369 against expansion
and against sludge burning. A NO vote of 76% is a definite mandate!
Since then Mayor Rurak has formed a sludge task force to deal with the proper disposal of our sludge. Brent
Baeslack was appointed to the task force. A contract that disposes of our sludge in an environmentally beneficial way
has been approved by the task force, and signed by the mayor and the council.
We have many people to thank - Attorney Charles Lord, Attorney James Fiorentini, Councilor Betsy Conte, the
Lawrence Environmental Action Group, Terry Greene of Tellus Institute, Dr. Theodore Schettler of Physicians for Social
Responsibility, Clean Water Action, as well as many other individuals and groups who lent us their hearts and their
hands as we wrote letters to the editor, protested, petitioned, did research, and picketed.
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