History of the "Dump"...........  

 

While most will agree the contamination at the dump is no surprise just something that seems to be forgotten about as years have gone by. People all over town all have a story to tell of a very specific recollection of the time and condition.  No one really paid much attention, most believed because it was a dump, it was normal.  It was anything but normal and this is the last site that the Town of Greenwich wants to deal with.  The BET has been trickling funding annually for the Holly Hill Master Plan for over decades.  From the 90's until present it's been all talk and no action.  This is the last major contributor of where these contaminates stem from.  While officials say the site has been capped it's really literally impossible for that to be true.  How can water be capped?  Is that not the question we should ask?  Water flows downhill with gravity and water will always find a way, contaminates that flew all over the area and the remains of dust made it's way to the water and sits at the bottom of the pond in the dump and in the Chickahominy and Tom's Brook.  You don't need a degree or to be a rocket scientist to figure it out.      

 

Few in the community have used their opinions in attempt to persuade an entire community into believing that these illnesses in Chickahominy are all a farce.  One has to wonder if they would personally live here and raise families.  The Western side of Greenwich has endured a slew of illnesses associated with pollution and to what capacity? Until studies are undertaken these people will never know.  Is the sky falling?  For the residents here, YES IT IS!  These people dying, and those that have passed on have been the receivers of ill humane references of the Love Canal.  As if, this could never ever happen in Greenwich.  Ask yourself how many that have moved from this area that are now faced with cancer.  Coincidental that all these illnesses are similar or just bad luck for the district 3 Chickahominy Residents?  Some are lucky while many are not.    

 

Now read this.......This is directly from the horses mouth...the EPA.  

 

http://www.epa.gov/superfund/students/wastsite/soilspil.htm

 

Soil Contamination

 

What kind of contamination is it?

Soil contamination is either solid or liquid hazardous substances mixed with the naturally occurring soil. Usually, contaminants in the soil are physically or chemically attached to soil particles, or, if they are not attached, are trapped in the small spaces between soil particles.

How did it get there?

Soil contamination results when hazardous substances are either spilled or buried directly in the soil or migrate to the soil from a spill that has occurred elsewhere. For example, soil can become contaminated when small particles containing hazardous substances are released from a smokestack and are deposited on the surrounding soil as they fall out of the air. Another source of soil contamination could be water that washes contamination from an area containing hazardous substances and deposits the contamination in the soil as it flows over or through it.

 

How does it hurt animals, plants and humans?

Contaminants in the soil can hurt plants when they attempt to grow in contaminated soil and take up the contamination through their roots. Contaminants in the soil can adversely impact the health of animals and humans when they ingest, inhale, or touch contaminated soil, or when they eat plants or animals that have themselves been affected by soil contamination. Animals ingest and come into contact with contaminants when they burrow in contaminated soil. Humans ingest and come into contact with contaminants when they play in contaminated soil or dig in the soil as part of their work. Certain contaminants, when they contact our skin, are absorbed into our bodies. When contaminants are attached to small surface soil particles they can become airborne as dust and can be inhaled.

 

How many people that live in Chickahominy still have or had gardens?  Plenty of people. Now isn't there a community garden in Armstrong court that is always in the newspaper? Did you know they donate their vegetables to Neighbor to Neighbor?  Do you think that trucking in "Organic Soil" into their raised gardening beds would make them exempt from lead and other harmful toxins?  Is it at all possible that the ash, dust, and particles still steming from the dump still fly all over the area and can enter these gardens?

 

Water reports within the town show the water coming out of the dump still to date contains traces of lead.  Ever wonder why Byram Beach has so many closings?   

 

Back to the research......

 

Prior to 1938 the Town utilized private property owned by the Tesei family of Gerry Street as the local landfill, for all the town’s residents to use as a dumping ground.(currently known as the Christiano Ball Field).  In 1938 an incinerator was finally erected after the town purchased 4.5 acres of land from the Tesei family and 9.5 acres of property from the Adsit family.  Dr. Albert Austin, the town's health officer strategically chooses the Holly Hill site.  The Chickahominy residents fought and took their concerns and issues all the way to the CT Supreme court where judge Hinman claimed an incinerator would not only beautify the current surroundings, property values would increase and there would be no quality of health concerns.  Payoff? Greased pockets or just plain stupid? You deciede. 

 

 The commission considered and it is a fact that the Chickahominy dump has been a nuisance to the public health of the town and to the comfort of residents in the neighborhood by reason of odors from garbage and other decayed matter, smoke from open fires of rubbish, and otherwise, and the board of health had on February 3d 1936, adopted an ordinance declaring that dump a *262262 nuisance detrimental to public health and prohibiting, after a specified date, the dumping of any garbage or other putrefactive matter thereon. The board of health considered that the best method for the disposal of municipal refuse is by incineration.

 

https://casetext.com/case/de-palma-v-town-plan-commission-of-greenwich

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                             Photo: Greenwich Historical Society

 

 

 

For close to four (4) decades the Town used an incinerator still a key contributor to air pollution throughout the community, they burned plastic, batteries, paint, rubber, chemicals, aerosol cans, among other toxins.  Similar to a fire place when you burn the remains as the saying goes, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.  The only difference from your home to an incinerator is smoke stacks instead of a chimney and you probably were or are not burning hazardous waste and chemicals.  What emerged from these stacks polluted the air in addition, the remnants of what was being burned better known as fly ash.  Fly ash consists of fine particles that are removed from the flue gas and includes residues from other air pollution control devices, such as scrubbers, it goes up into the air, and as you know what goes up must come down and the entire community received lethal doses of this, dependent on how close you live to the site would determine how much of this you and your family received, courtesy of the town of Greenwich.  Given the nature of what was being burned, obviously you would know it wasn't clean it was toxic.   

 

Even though the incinerator is not in operation these toxins still remain on our land, in the soil, and water because it’s never undergone remediation.  The particles become reactive when penetrated by water.  When fly ash enters water such as brooks, rivers, lakes, harbors, the particles from the heavy metal accumulation end up in the silt due to their density.  The only way to clean the water ways and eliminate further contamination is to dredge.  For soil, you would need to cap it, which means digging down to the most contaminated areas, scooping the contamination, line it with a very heavy plastic lining and recover the land with clean fill.  If ignored as Holly Hill has been for decades, it eventually enters the food chain.  Many people in Chickahominy still to this day utilize this soil and have been for years to grow gardens to cut back on grocery bills, little did they realize the harvests they were eating from could have contained pollutants.    

 

To date they refuse to test the soil properly, they refuse to dredge any of these waters.  From 2004-to date 11 years they continue to steer clear of this area, in respect to testing.  They made no bones about taking grants annually to the tune of 250,000.00. Why?  Where did that 2,750,000.00 go?  We have yet to find out.  What we do know, it didn't go to testing the waters that run from the dump at Holly Hill that drop out into Byram harbor and out to Long Island Sound.  We only know when it rains there is no shell fishing and no sun bathing at Byram Shore for the community. 

 

http://www.greenwichct.org/public_documents/greenwichct_dpw/greenwichct_engineering/stormwater/pollutants/index/  

 

Note: The testing program is at the back of each report. You will see no indication of water testing for Tom's Brook.   

 

(Tom's Brook November 2014)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tom's Brook May 2, 2015 Pepe's Last drink of water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tom's Brook May 12, 2015 Pepe is bloated and the insects are having a feast.  A few days later, Pepe can not be found.  Has he washed down the brook into Long Island Sound or been eaten by an animal?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holding pond 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rick Bria with his dog Gypsy float down the polluted water of the dump on Rick's make shift boat in the late 60's early 70's. Debut in Boaters Magazine Front View.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rick Bria with his dog Gypsy float down the polluted water of the dump on Rick's make shift boat in the late 60's early 70's. Debut in Boaters Magazine Rear View.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SO WHERE DID TON'S OF FLY ASH DISAPPEAR TO? 

 

The Town had more ash than they knew what to do with, they were not paying to have it hauled out of town, and "say" they cannot produce vendor receipts for payments made for hauling ash.  Sounds a bit fishy?

 

We discovered one of the many mystery's through the MISA project at Greenwich High School.  Other locations seem to be following, with other projects on the horizon such as Byram Shore and The Armstrong Court Revitalization.  How many more are out there?  That's the continual question that is costing tax payers millions and higher mill rate increases annually.  

 

 

What most citizens don't know and need to be aware of, that certain records are permanent fixtures within the Town.  These records have to be retained permanently; they cannot be shredded or destroyed.

 

They consist of the following;

 

1. Hazardous waste disposal records

 

2. The planning, design, and construction of municipally owned facilities, permanent maintain in municipality structures and systems (project records, project books of projects completed or abandoned)

 

3. Solid waste management records, Landfill records permanent maintain in municipality.

 

Think it's time to start questioning our local government for these records?   

 

http://www.ctstatelibrary.org/sites/default/files/publicrecords/M9.pdf

 

All the while, everything in the town was going up in smoke, so is our health.  People in Western Greenwich were complaining about health issues in the 50's and naturally it was ignored.  Where was the health department in all of this?  Nowhere to be found, in hiding. 

 

The town made rules that seemed only to apply to its residents, yet the Town still continued to be it's own biggest polluter.  They continued to break the laws of the EPA and CT DEEP and surely were never going to admit nor sanction themselves.    

 

 

Time line:

 

In as early as 1907-1908 The annual Town Report recommends the establishment of an incinerator.  At that time the borough of garbage is collected in a covered wagon, carted to the "country" and "buried".  Also, sewers were recommended to take the place of cesspools which were no longer adequate. 

 

1914 The Town is sued by the wealthy owner of Round Island (in Greenwich Harbor) for dumping sewage into the Harbor waters.  This action is seen as a move to spur the Town to build a sewage disposal plant. 

 

1925 Town meeting appoints a committee to study sites for an incinerator and methods of disposing of garbage. Appropriates $50,000.00 to get the job started.

 

1928 Incinerator is postponed mostly due to lack of money.

 

1929 Town meeting fails to decide on an incinerator site.

 

1932 Plan to put the incinerator on Steamboat Road stirs a heated controversy.

 

The town also attempts to put the incinerator in Cos Cob at the Sperco Plant and that raises controversy.

 

1936 After years of controversy a site is finally selected for the incinerator on land privately owned but used as a town dump for years.  Western Greenwich is chosen (what today is Christiano Field is the new location).

1977 the incinerator is permanently shut down from operation.

 

1997 the Town of Greenwich offers bidding to demo the smoke stacks.  No thought, care or concern about the residue contained in the smoke stacks, they utilize dynamite to knock them down.  The Community is exposed yet again to the impure, harmful particles and residue that lay dormant in the stacks from 1977 once again giving the community a lethal dose contaminating the air we breathe, our soil, and our water. Oddly enough there are no documents available to the public.  Yet, the Town has this picture hang like their prize possession in Town hall.  Think this is an accomplishment for them?  Maybe they should consider placing it in the Environmental Health Department of Michael Long as a constant reminder of what he is not doing for the community.      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1999, the town makes a decision to demolish the incinerator building.  They believe it to be another hazard to human health and loaded with asbestos.  

 

 REPRESENTATIVE TOWN MEETING
TOWN OF GREENWICH

EXPLANATORY COMMENTS FOR
SEPTEMBER 1999 MEETING

http://www.greenwichct.org/Government/RTM/RTM_Meeting_Information/Meeting_Documents/Archive/9-99/explanos.htm

 

ITEM NO:
DEPARTMENT:
CONTACT:
REFERRED TO:
VOTES:

3

Marco Madrid 622-7740; Richard Holleran 625-0867
Finance, Land Use & Public Works Committees 
Approved during FY 99-00 Budget Cycle

 

RESOLVED, that the Representative Town Meeting hereby approves the proposal of Marcos Madrid, Commissioner of Public Works of the Town of Greenwich, for municipal improvement for demolition of the incinerator building located at the Holly Hill Lane Solid Waste Facility, which proposal was approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission as Municipal Improvement #472 , on April 20.1999, a notice of which was published on April 26, 1999, said proposal being referred to the Representative Town Meeting by Richard Holleran, a property owner in Town, pursuant to Section 100 of the Charter of the Town of Greenwich.

 

Explanation by the Commissioner of Public Works

 

After exhaustive study and discussion, the decision to demolish the Old Incinerator Building at The Holly Hill Resource Recovery Facility was reached in 1998. During preparation of the FY 99-00 Budget, all necessary approvals were obtained; Greenwich has appropriated $1.2 million to accomplish this task. A motion to delete the $1.2 million was made at the RTM budget meeting of May 10, 1999, it was defeated by vote of 20-166-1.

 

Public Works has prepared specifications to demolish the incinerator and bids were opened on August 27, 1999. The schedule to perform the actual demolition is for this fall. Once demolished, future planning for the Holly Hill site will require additional approvals from the Planning and Zoning Commission as well as appropriation approvals from the BET and RTM.

 

DPW has received a copy of the petition from one member of the RTM asking that the Planning and Zoning Commission’s Municipal Improvement Approval #472 for the incinerator demolition be rejected by the RTM. DPW recommends that the RTM sustain the decision of its Planning and Zoning Commission on MI #472.

 

The petition notes three reasons to overturn P & Z’ MI approval.

 

Below is DPW’s response:

 

1.    That the structure has great dollar value: DPW points out that the structure is an eyesore that will cost the town considerable monies to mothball. It remains a nuisance hazard especially for children who can access the site despite security precautions taken by the town. We do not see any dollar value to the town in keeping the structure, but we do see considerable maintenance costs to keep it.

 

2.    Excellent masonry: The roof is leaking and must be replaced. Water is infiltrating into the incinerator damaging masonry work. There is considerable asbestos contained in the building. If the town wishes to keep the incinerator, it must immediately invest in a new roof to prevent potential asbestos contamination. This is a similar problem to what has happened at the Cos Cob Power Plant.

 

3.    Future useful life: The issue of reuse of the incinerator was studied and evaluated by the town. No specific use was identified and the costs to convert it into unneeded storage were high. The incinerator was constructed for a specific purpose and does not lend itself to conversion for other uses without significant cost

 

In summary, DPW recommends we move forward with the demolition project as soon as possible and as planned. We have developed plans and specifications and are prepared to complete the work this fall.

 

Explanation by the Petitioner

Explanatory Comments Part I
See specifications of referral in 23 May 1999 letter to Clerk of the RTM on file in the Town Clerks’ office.

Explanatory Comments Part II

·        The demolition estimates of $2,000,000 indicate that this project be given the most careful scrutiny. Two million is a lot of money.

·        Ingenious tabulations to substantiate the supposed necessity of demolition have forged by the Town administration.    

·        A.    "The placement of new scales and office facilities requires demolition" Such is not the case. The projected scale locations many yards away from the footprint of the incinerator leaving most bays completely accessible.  The office location proposed is contrived to be superimposed on where the incinerator now sits. Other locations including the present site of the temporary office trailers are available and the incinerator building itself includes office space which could be restored.   

·        B.    Scare tactics involving the presence of asbestos as ground for demolition do not hold water. According to state guidelines any asbestos would have to be removed before load bearing masonry and steel were disturbed.

·        In a studied manner the Town has neglected the building and its security which neglect has been acknowledged by the "Holly Hill Solid Waste Facility Conceptual Master Plan" of May 10,1995 by the Maguire Group Connecticut in New Britain. Herein attention is drawn to these inactions by the Town. This displays a callous disregard for taxpayer investment and liability. This modus operandi should be looked at in a dim light indeed.

·        The brickwork of this eight bayed structure of splendid proportions and art deco detailing is largely intact representing an immense investment in today’s dollars. Damage is evidenced only where human neglect, malicious or otherwise has been at work.

    The Explanatory Comments submitted by the petitioner were also signed by the following:

Alfred F. Camillo, Jr.
Carl G. Carlson, Jr.
June E. Curley
John E. Gerli
Richard P. Holleran
Walter H. Liebman
Mary Pellegrino
Timothy Schipper

 

They hire Areoclean Demolition Contractors the same contractor St. Joseph's Hospital used to remediate asbestos.  Well you can read what happens, more asbestos for Western Greenwich, another hit to the lungs of the community.

 

   

Read in its entirety:  http://www.dir.ct.gov/dph/hcquality/Physician/053-ASBESTOS%20CONTRACTORS/053-000065/20000706053039.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

http://www.greenwichtime.com/local/article/Contamination-concerns-go-back-a-century-6082007.php#photo-7521751

 

 

Time line:

 

In as early as 1907-1908 The annual Town Report recommends the establishment of an incinerator.  At that time the borough of garbage is collected in a covered wagon, carted to the "country" and "buried".  Also, sewers were recommended to take the place of cesspools which were no longer adequate. 

 

1914 The Town is sued by the wealthy owner of Round Island (in Greenwich Harbor) for dumping sewage into the Harbor waters.  This action is seen as a move to spur the Town to build a sewage disposal plant. 

 

1925 Town meeting appoints a committee to study sites for an incinerator and methods of disposing of garbage. Appropriates $50,000.00 to get the job started.

 

1928 Incinerator is postponed mostly due to lack of money.

 

1929 Town meeting fails to decide on an incinerator site.

 

1932 Plan to put the incinerator on Steamboat Road stirs a heated controversy.

 

The town also attempts to put the incinerator in Cos Cob at the Sperco Plant and that raises controversy.

 

1936 After years of controversy a site is finally selected for the incinerator on land privately owned but used as a town dump for years.  Western Greenwich is chosen (what today is Christiano Field is the new location).

 

https://casetext.com/case/de-palma-v-town-plan-commission-of-greenwich

 

1938 Greenwich Municipal incinerator, subject of many years of wrangling through committees, boards and courts, get full operation of an 8 hour a day basis.

 

1960 Expansion of the incinerator.

 

1963 The new addition to the incinerator is complete.

 

1966 Outside burning at the incinerator comes to a halt as bulky refuse is hauled away by an outside firm with specialty build trucks.

 

1975 The incinerator catches fire.

 

1977 The incinerator shuts down completely.

 

1997 The incinerator towers come done.  The town uses dynamite to deconstruct them.  The town fails to use any type of remediation or containing what is inside prior to.

 

http://www.toxicsaction.org/problems-and-solutions/energy

 

Call it what you like, it still and will always be "The Greenwich Dump” Most refer to it as "The Dump".  The town has tried to give it more pleasant names over the years such as the Holly Hill Transfer Station, Holly Hill Resource and Recovery, regardless of what you call it, it will always be the Town Dump.

 

 

Years of Pollution:

For 39 long years the Town polluted the air we breath with an incinerator to save money. After the clean air act it still continued to belch out toxins from anything and everything that was burned, whatever failed to burn was put back into the incinerator until it did burn.   was in operation

 

Why won't the Town be honest concerning this serious issue with its constituents?  Why don't they have standard soil and water testing procedures?  Why standoffish and unresponsive? Simple, they want to make you tired so you give up and go away, they won't have to deal with these realities.  These realities cost money and it's easier to be in denial of facts than face them head on.  They demonize people that are the watchdogs for the community, and have no fear questioning authority and corruption.  Can they put a dollar figure on human health? They can only put a number on your property and if you have a low value they just don't care.  Doesn't matter if you pay or what you pay in taxes?  You are a parcel number that is all.  Is this the Greenwich version of Water Gate?    

 

If you reside in the country don't dismiss pollution doesn't exist beneath your feet, before this area was utilized, the trash was taken back country and buried.  Don't assume your family isn't breathing the same air as those in Western Greenwich you may reside further from it, it still exists.  WE ALL BREATHE THE SAME AIR!

 

Now how about that Holly Hill Master Plan the town has been working on for 10+ years?