Dear Editor:
Like a snake oil salesman come to town, representatives of Casella Waste Systems arrived in the Town of Dalton on August 31st to deliver Host Community Agreement documents and a contract relative to its proposed “Granite State Landfill” (yes, next to Forest Lake and Forest Lake State Park).
Like a modern-day Cassandra, I would like to offer a warning to the Town of Dalton: Beware of this “gift” from Casella Waste Systems, for like the predicted Fall of ancient Troy that fell on deaf ears, I have spent much of my time trying to warn the Town of Dalton and the North Country of the dangers to come. We will be forced to suffer thru the very same “impacts” that Casella cites within the pages of the HCA: pollution of groundwater, surface water and air, as well as noise, odor, and visual impacts, wildlife access, increased truck traffic, and declining property values. Don’t believe me? They are all listed right there in the documents presented to the town. Why would they list them? Because Casella acknowledges that these are the impacts borne of a landfill within any community. Those same impacts have been suffered by other host communities from Bethlehem, right next door, to numerous communities from New York to Maine. Look it up, that’s the beauty of the internet, there’s so much data out there about this very controversial company.
However, I must warn that, like a snake oil salesman peddling his wares, this is a company that is not to be trusted. If we are to learn anything from the long and well-documented history of Casella Waste Systems, it is that they violate agreements when it suits their financial needs. They have been sued numerous times for breach of contract, and they are a very litigious company. Once they get a foot in the door, they will use their wealth to sue the Town of Dalton into submission if there is any opposition to their operations and plans. Bottom line, I would advise the Town of Dalton to never enter into a contract with this company.
The fact that Casella representatives came to this board meeting to present the HCA documents/contract, but failed to submit a town zoning application, speaks volumes. To so blatantly disrespect the wishes of the citizens of Dalton by bringing forth a contract to be signed, with promises of financial benefits to commence thereafter, should tell you something. The HCA contract is nothing more than an attempt to enter into negotiations for an agreement between the Town of Dalton and Casella Waste Systems and to skirt our zoning ordinance in its entirety. The details in the HCA documents and the contract do not matter in the least, frankly. The wording in the documents is very similar to the 2012 Agreement and the 2018 MOU signed by Casella with the Town of Bethlehem. This HCA and the recently-sent abutter notice confirm that Casella is in violation of those two agreements with Bethlehem! (Will Bethlehem enforce its own zoning?) Therefore, it does not matter what the terms of the HCA contract spell, for Casella will violate those terms when it suits them. Like Bethlehem, the Town of Dalton will either be forced to surrender entirely to Casella or spend much time and treasure battling them in court. Do not let them gain a foothold.
As someone who has spent the past year and a half researching the history of this company, I would advise the Town of Dalton to not waste time or legal expenses on the submitted HCA documents. Rather, I would insist that Casella submit the appropriate documentation, in the form of a zoning application, requiring town approval. Casella knows it will never get that, due to the very impacts they list in the HCA, thus the purposeful omission of the zoning application. Following that, I would advise the Town of Dalton to simply never enter into a contract with Casella Waste Systems. Let the state of New Hampshire try to force us to be host to a second landfill within our boundaries. (Hey, there’s an idea, perhaps a counter-offer to Casella to purchase the old town landfill from Dalton and create a “state of the art” landfill there!). Otherwise, history is a great predictor of things to come and Dalton has been warned.
Jon Swan
Dalton, N.H.