New Haven Independent

Posted by: fairhavendoc | December 13, 2007 3:46 PM

"The owners are proud of what they have built and want the extra building to house trucks and other equipment to keep things looking neat."

It may look nice, but that place smells like ... Literally. Glad to know it is going to smell even worse. I am sure no one on the city plan commission has any idea about this...the pictures look nice but you have to visit to get a different 'sense' of how nasty this place is.

Posted by: Chris Gray | December 14, 2007 3:44 AM

In his play, "You've Heard About The Frogs, Now Come And Listen To The Toads", with characters Bloat Garter and Farter Barbarian, my mentor in the mid-'70s, John Baringer of the Exit Theater, chose to call the city Sludge Harbor.

Earlier, my buddy Carlos Icaza swore he could tell he was being driven through New Haven on I-91, even if asleep, by the scent.

I'm confident Sal and the City Plan commissioners live well away from English Station, probably upwind.

Posted by: -FairHavener- | December 14, 2007 12:29 PM

First, it is always good to hear about New Haven businesses doing well - congratulations McVac. I drive by this place everyday (NHI I think you got the wrong address) and the only thing that ever really concerned me is McVac's location. As City Plan states:

"Certain land uses, including some water-dependent land uses, are marginal or not acceptable relative to the purposes of the coastal management district. Scrap facilities, waste processing and transfer locations, oil terminals and others have compromised the overall coastal program with incompatible on-site and in-water activities."

From City Plan's "COASTAL AREA PLANNING" found here:
http://www.cityofnewhaven.com/CityPlan/PlanningPrograms.asp#Plan

I wonder if by "others" City Plan meant parking garages for waste removal vehicles? I don't see anything wrong with the business, just the location. It directly contradicts City Plan's own objectives including 2/3 of these:

"The comprehensive plan endorses economic development; a sustainable environment and cultural enrichment as the three guiding principles for coastal area planning."

I guess 1 out of 3 isn't so bad. Anyway, there is no reason why this business needs to be located on an island. In fact, because of such rapid growth, being on a tiny island may be disadvantageous in the near future. I am sure if the city wanted to it could find another location for McVac.

Here are some other interesting excerpts from City Plan's "Coastal Area Planning":

"The coastal environment is broadly organized into three categories: air quality, water quality and land stewardship. Three rivers, the West River, the Mill River and the largest of the three, the Quinnipiac River, directly influence the coastal environment...

Air quality within the coastal district is adversely affected by both point source emissions and by mobile sources...New Haven is the only city in Connecticut in non-compliance for particulate matter. The Stiles Street air quality monitoring station registers particulate emissions well above state and national averages. Particulates contribute the high incidence of asthma in New Haven."

"The purpose of the Coastal Management District is:

...to ensure that the development, preservation or use of the land and water resources of the coastal area proceeds in a manner consistent with the capability of the land and water resources to support development, preservation or use without disrupting either the natural environment or sound economic growth and to ensure public access along the city's waterfront and the preservation of natural viewpoints and vistas..."

"Coastal site plan review has played an integral role in preserving public access to the waterfront. Significant new development, including the Maritime Center, the Mill River Municipal Development Plan and the River Street Municipal Development Plan all preserve public access to the coastline. Similarly, the city's parks and open space system has enhanced public access, particularly along Long Wharf."

"These assets are compromised by adverse environmental impacts - including air and water pollution, the inappropriate use of coastal area land, as well as the spatial constraints largely derived from railroad and highway rights-of-way."

Land stewardship, quality/healthy environment, inappropriate use of coastal area, and public access all seem to be of great concern to the City Plan Commission.

Posted by: robn | December 14, 2007 1:16 PM

If bringing 7000 pounds of sludge storage to Fair Haven is Mr Brancati's attempt to win the coveted "Most Dastardly Deed of 2007" award, he needs to try a lot harder. He just can't compete with the guy who drew excessive profit from a charity by flipping an East Rock house willed by a sweet old women to crippled children .... OOPS.... that was Sal. You win Sal!!!

Posted by: Chris Gray | December 15, 2007 1:04 AM

I have to hand it to Judge Keyes, slapping him on the wrist, like that. It was probably all the law allowed.

When is this guy going to stop playing Mr. Potter in "Its A Wonderful Life"? When are the city leaders going to stop enabling him to?

He's been making mischief since forever, it seems.

Posted by: robn | December 15, 2007 9:37 AM

...correction....7000 square FEET of sludge at...lets say...10 feet deep is about 1600 TONS of sludge...WAY TO GO SAL! SHOOT FOR THE MOON!

Posted by: Ned | December 17, 2007 3:23 PM

Here's a map of the top ten polluters, in New Haven, that are known. I'm sure the DEP will be checking to make sure that the Mill River doesn't turn into a convenient dumping ground for sludge - right?
http://www.planethazard.com/phmapenv.aspx?mode=topten&area=city&state=CT&placefip=0952000

Posted by: cedarhillresident | December 17, 2007 3:39 PM

My community was just talking about the mill river and how HEALTHY is is getting! Hoo guess that was short lived excitement! I realize that they are promising that the environment will not be harmed. And who will be paying for independent monitoring of this??

robn
To funny :)

Why are we doing biz with this man still? You would think that ripping off the charity would of put him on some kind of a black list?

Posted by: Kevin | December 21, 2007 4:23 PM

The headline and first sentence of the story are misleading, if not inaccurate. First of all, you can't have 7,000 SQUARE feet of sludge. More seriously, unless McVac is expanding its fleet, it won't be storing more sludge at the site.

I have no interest in McVac, and I understand that Fair Haven has been dumped on for years in a variety of ways. But this is the type of writing I would expect from the New York Post, not the NHI.