From: ian blenkharn@ianblenkharn.com
Category: News & information
Date: 23 Nov 2009
Time: 10:54:49 +0100
Remote Name: 86.134.111.66
In a scene typical of planning proposals in most countries, more than 120 residents crammed a Town Hall meeting room last night to oppose the construction of a 21,000-square-foot medical waste treatment facility near a residential area on Cherry Street, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Daniel R. Kennedy, a vice president for the North America division of Daniels Sharpsmart Inc., presented his company’s plans at a public hearing before the Planning Board, which included several heated exchanges.
The proposed facility would be built at 263 Cherry St. and on adjoining land at 609 Hartford Turnpike (Route 20), which is owned by Polito Development Corp. The facility would process medical waste, including sharps, bandages, IV tubes and lab specimens. Other waste, such as human tissue and anything used for treatment of cancer patients, would be securely transported to the Shrewsbury site for a short time, then trucked to a facility in Maryland, where it would be incinerated.
http://www.telegram.com/article/20091120/NEWS/911200414/1116
As in all such cases, local opposition can be strong and tempers raised, but there is a definite need to bring clarity with a careful and honest explanation of the proposal to set minds at rest. An independent opinion from a trusted expert largely independent of the applicant can help, as well as a chat with the local newspaper hack who might be persuaded not to use such a sensationalist approach to reporting since this clearly does not help anyone.