New Haven Independent

Posted by: Walt | October 4, 2007 9:01 AM

A similar plan for Hamden to become trash Capitol was announced several years ago, , at the former Detroit Steel property, I think,

Hamden had the sense to turn it down Hope New Haven has the sense to do it too.

Brancati's involvement should be an added reason for rejection, definitely not a plus,

Posted by: Steve | October 4, 2007 9:51 AM

Hey Karyn,

HOW ABOUT GIVING THEM A PLANNED DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT--YOU COULD CIRCUMVENT THE ZONING LAWS!!

Also in honor of Alderman Smart you could call the it "Operation Smart Trash"

Please let's give Mr Brancati a break, he needs to recoup the money he gave back for the Cottage Street swindle. The old bird has come back to rooost. Hard to be a critic of the Monsters You Create!!

Posted by: True New Havener | October 4, 2007 10:26 AM

This is so ridiculous that I cannot even begin to comprehend why anyone would think it is a good idea. We would get smelly trash on rail cars coming through New Haven -- no doubt sitting in many cases waiting to be moved into the yard.

And boy that picture looks really clean. Just two problems. (1) That's what it theoretically would look like when it LEAVES New Haven. And (2) the trash industry is notorious for looking pretty when it applies but then when it actually gets built -- it looks awful.

In the end, this would have smelly trains running through New Haven, large separating piles, trash falling off rail cars, and no doubt a new project to figure out what to do with the trash once it's "processed."

And one more question . . . why wouldn't a town just compress its trash at its OWN landfill.

Notice I did not even mention once any possibility of corruption in the trash/politics industry in Connecticut. Mighty nice of me.

Posted by: eli | October 4, 2007 11:47 AM

Why don't we get the rubberstamp aldermen to pre-empt this issue by creating an "import tax" on all garbage, recyclables and other waste that is brought into the city. charge per pound / ton / railcar or whatever. Make the tax high enough to keep mafia wastemongers looking to make a quick dirty buck away, but may perhaps bring in someone with ample "green" technology eventually who can properly (i.e. no smell or discharge in the elm city) treat it. garbage has to go somewhere, even ours, perhaps we can use the eggheads at yale to help out thier gracious hosts. The monies generated could go back into the city coffers, where of course the aldermen will put it back to waste. Screw it, we're all doomed, enjoy life while you can.

Posted by: East Rock Resident | October 4, 2007 12:03 PM

This is a terrible idea. What's wrong with Alderman Smart? I called my alderman (Lemar) to see what was up with the Alders looking a this awful thing- he told me that he consideered it an awful idea for New Haven and that he would exhaust every legal and potentially illegal means of preventing this use from moving into that site.

So if he is any indication, hopefully not all the Aldermen are complete boneheads about this awful thing. I'll make an excuse for Alderman Smart , maybe he is just looking at this from a jobs standpoint, but even then it is a bad deal for New Haven.

Posted by: Your Tax Dollars at Work | October 4, 2007 12:22 PM

Mike Smart, 8th Ward, Wooster Square Alderman is in league with Sal Brancati supporting an effort to bring Connecticut's garbage to his own ward so the City can get extra tax revenue ???

Residents of Mike's Ward should be overwhelmingly against this further effort to line the pockets of Sal Brancati and his politically well connected friends, as usual, at the expense of honest citizens.

There are political, environmental, zoning, and legal issues which will take decades (not years-DECADES) resolve.

BE WARNED, MIKE AND SAL -- AND ANYONE ELSE INVOLVED IN THIS NEFARIOUS PLOT: Aggrieved Ward voters and citizens will fight this in City agencies, in the State and Federal legislatures, in the voting booths and in State and Federal Courts for as long and for as many years and as many dollars as it takes!

Posted by: STATE STREET | October 4, 2007 12:46 PM

Does anyone know when Alderman Smart is up for reelection?
Kudos to NHI for letting constituents know where their Alders stand.

Posted by: Your Tax Dollars at Work | October 4, 2007 2:24 PM

He's up for reelection this November along with the entire Board of Aldermen. Unfortunately, Smart's running unopposed as he has since he was first elected. All that's left is write-in.

He's unopposed for 2 reasons: (1) when he first ran, six years ago, in a hotly contested election, he was willing to spend 5 figures to get elected (guess he was very interested in the job) & that scares off potential opponents; (2)the City has 30 wards, each with maybe 2,000 votes -- only about 25% or 500 voters in each ward - max - come out in a municipal election -so, basically If he were opposed) Smart can win with about 200 votes. Smart has been able to get his 200 or so mostly from one housing project located in his ward. He really controls ward politics because he's packed the Ward Committee with his supporters. Neat, huh?

He really could be beaten, but the real problem is nobody cares.

Posted by: True New Havener | October 4, 2007 3:18 PM

Kudos to Sal and Mike -- they have accomplished something Paul Bass has heretofore been incapable of accomplishing.

They have united the myriad voices of commenters to NHI in agreement that something is idiotic. We just need OnWhalley, Esbe and Cedar Hill Resident to comment and it will be a universal raspberry -- without regard to political affiliation or ideology.

Dumb idea -- should die quickly -- hopefully!!

Posted by: cedarhillresident | October 4, 2007 4:30 PM

True New Havener

Cedar Hill here and I vote NAY!!
As reading the story I was totally horrifyed. And not at even the thought of doing this to our save the sound community. But I live near the tracks I would have to live with the daily smell and all those extra trains shacking my house everyday!! I will be there to fight this!! But I don't think it will go any further!!

Posted by: New Haven Tea Party | October 4, 2007 4:41 PM

Have to say this is right up there with the ban on plastic bags and windmills in every yard.

Posted by: Bill Saunders | October 4, 2007 9:13 PM

Is this what Mayor Johnny was alluding to in the debate, when he mentioned increasing city tax revenues through increased regional use of our transfer station???

Posted by: robn | October 5, 2007 1:15 PM

Is Sal Brancati crazy for trying to turn East Rock neighborhood into a dumping ground for solid waste? Oops, sorry...the article says "East Street". East Rock Neighborhood is something entirely different ...East Rock is like a dumping ground for the dreams of crippled children...the crippled children who had a house donated to them by a sweet old woman...the house that Sal and his buddies conspiratorily underpaid for and then flipped for an outrageous profit. But I digress.

Posted by: luna | October 5, 2007 3:37 PM

What these guys are after is not the plant, or the statewide center, but New haven's trash hauling contract, when it next comes up for bid.

shoot for the stars and get the moon.

any company tied up with brancati is one we shouldn't flirt with.

Posted by: marge | October 5, 2007 3:43 PM

If the mayor is gung-ho on expanding the transfer station to increase revenue he must be really nervous reporters are close to noticing the whopping interest payments new haven taxpayers are making on its debt, largely thanks to his monumental school construction project, (which were only partly subsidized) We didn't need to build the pyramids of Egypt to educate kids, while teachers are still forced to buy classroom supplies.

Posted by: Lynne | October 10, 2007 4:42 PM

New Haven is already a sludge capitol of CT, the recipient of concentrated sewage (sludge) from up and down the CT coastline-it's trucked in and burned at the East Shore Plant. 40 % of the sewage burned here isn't even from our region. They are the major contributor to mercury vapor in our town and also release a lot of other hazardous chemicals into our air. We definitely don't need any more waste products in town and we don't need sewage from other towns trucked in.