JOHNSTON, R.I. – Spurred on by a smoky three-alarm fire earlier this month at Metals Recycling on Celia Street, a town councilman and some neighbors want curbs placed on businesses operating heavy equipment in residential
neighborhoods.
Town Councilman Joseph Wells yesterday said he plans to introduce an ordinance that would restrict the operation of heavy equipment in areas within 1,000 feet of residences. The machinery could run between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday. The
equipment could not run on Sunday.
The measure restricts the operation of bulldozers and Payloaders, auto shredders, trucks with a gross weight of over 20,000 pounds and any other
equipment designed for the purpose of excavation or the movement of heavy
materials.
It calls for a fine of $100 for a first offense, $250 for a second offense and $1,000 for each subsequent offense.
Wells said that some companies affected by the ordinance, such as Metals Recycling, also fall under the regulation of the state Department of Environmental Management.
But he said that when companies violate DEM regulations, they are subject to
civil penalties.
With the town ordinance, we could take them to court, he said.
Wells expects the council to hold a special meeting sometime early next month, so the measure can be formally introduced. Then the council could hold a public hearing and vote on the measure during its regularly scheduled meeting on Aug. 13.
Wells said his proposal follows two incidents, including the five-hour fire at Metals Recycling.
Also, at the Town Council meeting this month, there was a lengthy discussion
about noise emanating from the Allied Landscaping Management Corp. on
Greenville Avenue.
Neighbors complained that bulldozers and other equipment were running early
in the morning, Wells said.
Wells said he is particularly concerned about the early morning operations. "If they're running before [7 a.m.], they're disturbing the peace. People
just want some peace and quiet."
Wells stressed his measure is not intended to target just the recycling and
landscaping operations. Rather, it is intended for all companies that operate heavy equipment in residential areas.
Some neighbors, however, are targeting Metals Recycling.
Metals Recycling crushes cars and other metal items. Besides scrapped cars,
the company also stores piles of auto fluff, the nonmetal products such as
seats left from the crushing operation.
Linda Carmone, of Merino Avenue, said she and several others are circulating
a petition, asking the council to take steps to either have the facility closed or moved.
She said a chemical-like odor comes from the plant, and she said there are
occasional explosions, apparently from gas tanks left in the cars that are to be crushed.
I can't use my yard, during the summer because of odors, she said. She started the drive after a neighbor became ill with cancer. Carmone wonders if airborne pollution that she attributes to the plant may have worsened her friend's condition. She expects to present the petition to the council next month.
Zeno Trabucci, the controller at Metals Recycling, yesterday declined comment. He referred questions to Anthony Izzo, a manager there. Izzo could
not be reached for comment.
The fire that has apparently fueled the concerns broke out on July 13, about
1 p.m. Fire Chief Victor Cipriano believes the fire started from spontaneous
combustion, when heat built up in the piles of metal and fluff.
Yesterday, a spokeswoman for DEM said the agency sent an inspector to Metals Recycling on Monday in response to an odor complaint.
There were only a few small piles of fluff, and the cars were pretty well gone, Gail Mastrati, a spokeswoman for DEM said, after speaking with an
inspector. There wasn't any odor either.
Mastrati said that DEM has a complex agreement with Metals Recycling,
spelling out how many cars can be stored at the 18-acre site and how much
fluff can be there also. They were pretty well in compliance, she said.