Since two (2) of the three (3) Select Board/Earth Removal Board members are so far up Simpson’s a$$ that they exist in airless darkness–YEAH, WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE– this postponement may actually be somewhat good for the 68 Heywood Road property abutters–they can hang onto their money before those two Select Board/Earth Removal Board members render their dishonest decision, thereby triggering an abutter lawsuit challenge.
Ms. Tatasciore was paid more than $225,000 in Sterling taxpayer money over the past thirty-six (36) months but DID NOT produce a finished Master Plan. The Select Board, WITHOUT Town Meeting authority, used her as their all-purpose ‘Gofer.’ She was too busy ‘Gofering’ for the Select Board to complete the Master Plan, apparently. The Select Board, of course, compounded the delay and waste by appointing NINE (9) circle-sitting, navel-gazing ‘Master Plan Committee’ sub-committee chairs who, recently, undertook a THIRD community SURVEY because they are aimless. SEEhttps://www.sterling-ma.gov/home/news/master-plan-community-survey-3
By the way, Ms. Tatasciore, a true Public-Mammary-Gland-Feeder/Grifter if there ever was one, in conjunction with former Town Administrator/Grifter Ross Perry, supported imposing the so-called ‘Community Preservation Act’ SURTAX on all Sterling property taxpayers. The CPA is extremely unpopular in Worcester County although it is quite popular with the Herd Sheeple populating municipalities throughout more easterly Massachusetts counties. Ms. Tatasciore, a Holden resident, would not, of course, have had to pay the CPA Surtax if Sterling adopted it. Her plan was to feed off the proceeds. Following adverse reactions by Sterling residents the CPA Surtax proposal for Sterling went nowhere.
I hope–well, not really–that the Municipal Building front door did not hit Ms. Tatasciore in the a$$ on her way out.
Kellie Hebert, Sterling Town Administrator for ten (10) months, hired a “consultant,” apparently, at Sterling taxpayer expense, about the Municipal (Butterick) Building roof leak(s), ignoring qualified local contractors in the process. It is not known whether Ms. Hebert followed Massachusetts municipal procurement law in making that hire. SEE https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2017/10/19/30bmanual.pdf
LAST WEEK’S MUNICIPAL BUILDING WALK-OUT/CLOSE-DOWN
Ms. Hebert’s reported action does not appear to be an adequate explanation as to why Ms. Hebert was escorted out of the Municipal Building by a police officer last week, or as to why other Municipal Building employees–paid by Sterling taxpayers–walked off the job, prompting closure of the Municipal Building for the rest of that day. Apparently those employee walk-offs will get that time off paid at our expense.
UPDATE, 14 OCTOBER 2021
Sources report that Ms. Hebert, on her own, ALSO retained, at $40 per hour, an answering service to answer the telephone for the Recreation Department. How many folks do you know getting $40/hour to pick up a friggin’ telephone and take a few notes??? The Municipal Building is open 40 hours each week. Assuming that that answering service had corresponding hours, that deal, unless canceled, will cost Sterling taxpayers $1600 each week! There are 20+ year Town employees who don’t make $40/hour. Moreover, sources report that several telephones throughout the Municipal Building ring with each incoming call, so other Town employees were capable of simply picking up their respective telephones and taking notes for the Rec. Dept. Evidently, when it comes to spending Sterling taxpayer money, Ms. Hebert is out of control. I don’t know whether she followed Massachusetts procurement law for her answering service deal, either.
The Select Board is obligated to tell Sterling taxpayers the full truth about this latest Town of Sterling Sh*tshow, but don’t hold your breath.
THE FOLLOWING WAS POSTED ON FACEBOOK BY ‘STERLING AGAINST WASTE PROJECT.’ LET’S SEE WHAT THE STERLING MEETINGHOUSE NEWS DOES WITH ITS OPEN LETTER OPPOSING SUSAN ALDRICH AND ‘KEEPING STERLING ACTION COMMITTEE’
“Following is a letter to the editor I emailed to Sterling Meetinghouse News on 9/27/2021. However, it appears as though anything that opposes the “Keeping Sterling Action Committee” plan to host a commercial regional food waste composting facility in Sterling must not be allowed; “Keeping Sterling” has had two guest columns in Sterling Meetinghouse News and 1 letter to the editor in the past ~6 months. So, despite the fact that the potential issues I mention in my letter are taken directly from “Best Management Practices” of the MassDEP documents re: food waste composting and from peer-reviewed research papers, my letter is getting special review.
Fortunately, we are no longer reliant on newspapers to bring opposing viewpoints to our residents — public platforms are everywhere. So here is the letter to the editor that I submitted to Sterling Meetinghouse News (for your consideration). Email me at SterlingAgainstWasteProject@gmail.com if you want to join our email list. Thank you.
In “To a Mouse”, Robert Burns wrote “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft agley” (i.e., “Go often awry”). The commercial Regional Food Waste Composting project proposed to be sited behind the Sterling Police Station illustrates the timelessness of Burns’ adage. In case you are blissfully unaware of this proposed project, the Sterling DPW recently commissioned a report titled “Town of Sterling Department of Public Works Food Waste Composting Facility Final Report June 23, 2021” This report took over six months to complete! It was done with the assistance of the private “Keeping Sterling Action Committee” and Blaine Bershad of the DPW Board and other town employees (n.b., Blaine is also a member of the “Keeping Sterling Action Committee”). It remains the only official document regarding this proposed project and I encourage everyone to read it. The report states : “The Sterling DPW is proposing to develop and operate a food waste composting facility in accordance with a MDEP General Permit (310 CMR 16.04). That permit will allow for up to 105 tons per week, with a maximum of 30 tons per day, of food material.” And : “The proposed Sterling compost facility is intended to serve residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial food waste generators in the region. The DPW considered contracting with a private operator, but would prefer to operate it with Town staff and equipment” This “final” report is rife with problems and issues (hence the “best laid schemes” analogy). In fact, it contains so many problems that the “Keeping Sterling Action Committee” has already disavowed this report; they now tell us (in their 9/8/2021 letter to the editor of the Meetinghouse News) that “they have gone back to work” — ostensibly to attempt to produce a less risky regional food waste composting scheme. Well, don’t be fooled. Because commercial composting facilities are notoriously problematic. Concomitant potential issues include (but are not limited to): leachate / runoff issues; potential gaseous emissions including ammonia (NH3) and bioaerosols; traffic / public safety problems; spontaneous combustion fire risk; vermin, pest, and disease issues; impact on endangered, threatened, and “special concern” species in any surrounding wetlands; odor and dust issues. Here’s a more prudent proposal for Sterling:
Scrap the risky regional food waste composting plan
Encourage Sterling residents to compost their food waste in their own backyards (as some already do)
Have the town purchase home composters in bulk to sell to Sterling residents at cost
Ask “Keeping Sterling” to run free classes to educate Sterling residents about composting-at-home techniques Barring that, explore utilizing existing food waste composting facilities in Central MA (listed on the MA DEP website). In closing, composting is a worthwhile endeavor — but this risky regional scheme is not the answer for Sterling.”
“Keeping Sterling Action Committee” is pushing the Sterling D.P.W. hard to locate a food waste composting facility that would take up to 30 tons a day of “regional” food waste–not merely Sterling table scraps– 1000 feet behind the Sterling Police Department and close to Bartlet’s Pond and Wekepeke Brook, South Branch. In the September 2021 Sterling Meetinghouse News, “Keeping Sterling Action Committee” had its open letter, “Food Scraps Composting Initiative,” printed. SEE page 2 of that issue at http://sterlingmeetinghousenews.com/virtual-paper/#
Turns out, BOTH Blaine Bershad, D.P.W. Board member, and Arden Sonnenberg, Select Board member and liaison to the D.P.W. Board, are members of “Keeping Sterling Action Committee.” As a matter of law and ethics they are BOTH, therefore, in a blatant conflict of interest and, as municipal board members, should make full, public disclosure of that fact and recuse themselves from any and all municipal proceedings involving this so-called “Food Scraps Composting Initiative.” SEE GENERALLY: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/summary-of-the-conflict-of-interest-law-for-municipal-employees
The following was posted by Rich Defuria on Facebook:
“I have not spoken on this local issue in a while. But this issue should be on every resident’s radar, because it impacts our quality of life in Sterling: a Regional Food Waste Composting project proposed to be built behind the Sterling Police Station. I encourage you all to read the ACTUAL report produced by the Sterling DPW — that is, a written proposal (versus the often conflicting [and every-changing] verbal accounts). The report has a filename of “Sterling DPW Compost Facility Final Report June 23, 2021.pdf” The title of the report is : “Town of Sterling Department of Public Works Food Waste Composting Facility Final Report June 23, 2021” So these illustrate two things: (i) this is the DPW’s report and (ii) it says “final” report. The first line of the first paragraph of the report says : “The Sterling DPW is proposing to develop and operate a food waste composting facility in accordance with a MDEP General Permit (310 CMR 16.04). That permit will allow for up to 105 tons per week, with a maximum of 30 tons per day, of food material.” It’s right there, in black and white: “develop and operate” For reference, 30 tons is equal to 3 dump trunks filled to the brim (with rotting food [and potentially plastics and other contaminants]). The second paragraph of the report says : “The proposed Sterling compost facility is intended to serve residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial food waste generators in the region.” So it does not purport to merely compost the food scraps from our dinner tables (which clearly can be done in our own back yards individually [much more cheaply, too]); rather, it targets big, industrial food waste from the “region.” Worried yet? You should be. We have formed a group of citizens, united to oppose this project; we maintain that a commercial composting facility is not a compatible so close to residential neighborhoods, a first responder station, numerous local businesses, the Wekepeke Aquifer, Bartlett Pond, etc. Email me at SterlingAgainstWasteProject@gmail.com if you want to join our group. And email me for the report if you wish to read it for yourself. Thank you for reading, and I apologize for the length of this post.”
SO, FOLKS, JOIN “STERLING AGAINST WASTE PROJECT” AND STOP THIS REGIONAL, COMMERCIAL FOOD COMPOSTING OPERATION BEFORE IT STINKS UP NORTH STERLING AND POLLUTES BARTLET’S POND AND WEKEPEKE BROOK.
Go to the Town of Sterling website and you will see huge gaps in the Sterling D.P.W. Board’s posted Meeting Minutes. Massachusetts’ “New” Public Records Law advises that town board and committee meeting minutes be posted on town websites. Until I filed an “Open Meeting Law” complaint this week–without, unfortunately, referring to the “New” Public Records Law–the Sterling D.P.W. had not posted any Meeting Minutes for five (5) months, going back to 13 April 2021. In the past day or so a couple additional D.P.W. Board Meeting Minutes have been posted.
JANUARY 2021–CASELLA REPRESENTATIVES TELL THE STERLING D.P.W. BOARD THAT THE “DUAL-STREAM” COLLECTION METHOD, NOW IN EFFECT, IS BETTER FOR STERLING
The following is taken directly from the D.P.W. Board’s 5 January 2021 Meeting Minutes:
“Curbside trash was discussed. [Three representatives] of Casella Waste participated… Erin Banfield shared that the dual stream service would better serve the Town. New equipment would be needed for Single Stream Automated system with wait period of twelve months. The Board agreed this system was not the way to go, but agreed to consider lowering trash limits in order to help lower costs for the Town. Composting options and exploring grants were suggested. Casella invited the Board to visit their facility in order to get a better understanding of the trash/recycling process. Further review is need before any final decision can be made”(emphasis added).
AUGUST 2021– THE STERLING D.P.W. BOARD FLIP-FLOPS TO “SINGLE-STREAM” TRASH COLLECTION WITH CRAM-DOWN OF ONE (1) 64 GALLON TRASH BARREL PER FAMILYAND A NEW MACK TRUCK
The following is taken directly from the D.P.W. Board’s 10 August 2021 Meeting Minutes:
“Casella Waste Discussion
Gerry Galena and Erin Banfield were present to discuss a transition for the Town of Sterling to start using a Single Stream Recycling Collection System. The equipment needed for the Single Stream Collection is a new 2021 Automated Side Load Mack Chassis truck and containers. Casella will provide 64 gallon carts for both MSW and Single Stream Recycling. Casella will provide placement instructions during outreach, education and cart distribution.”
STERLING TAXPAYERS WILL BE HOSED FOR THE COST OF THE REQUIRED MACK TRUCK AND 2600 “TOTERS”-BRAND 64 GALLON TRASH CARTS/BARRELS
Recent D.P.W. Meeting Minutes referred to “totters” [sic] being used. “Toters” is the correct trash cart/barrel brand. Sterling has 2600 households. Did you folks get a survey questionnaire from the Sterling D.P.W. Board asking if you preferred “Single Stream” trash pick up with one (1) crammed-down 64 gallon cart/barrel, the cost of which, together with the cost of the required new Mack truck, will be tucked up your wazoo??? I didn’t either. The Mack truck will cost approximately $300,000– https://www.trashtrucksonline.com/category/GARBAGE-TRUCKS/Side-Loaders/listings/21850/2020-Mack-LR64R,-31-Yd-Labrie-Side-Loader — and 2600 Toter-brand 64 gallon curbside trash carts will cost well more than the $116,870 they would have cost in 2010 according to Commonwealth of Massachusetts 2010 bid/contract documents. SEE https://www.mass.gov/doc/fac31doc/download Scroll down to Toters.
WHAT ABOUT THE LEGALITY OF THE STERLING D.P.W. BOARD’S REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS/BIDS AND THE BIDDING PROCESS???
Since the Sterling D.P.W. flip-flopped over the course of eight (8) months, from “dual stream” to “single stream” trash collection, that raises the next obvious question: was the bidding process open and fair? Did the Sterling D.P.W. Board put out Requests for Proposals/Bids to other trash hauling companies–besides Casella Waste Systems, Inc.–for proposals/bids on BOTH “dual stream” and “single stream” methods? January 13, 2021 Meeting Minutes show that a Waste Management representative addressed the Sterling D.P.W. Board about its trash collection proposal– https://www.sterling-ma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif1266/f/minutes/dpw_board_minutes_01-13-2021.pdf — but the D.P.W. Meeting Minutes posted on the Town website as of now DO NOT SHOW that Waste Management or any other such company was requested to present a “single stream” trash collection proposal/bid. SEE, GENERALLY— https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2016/08/vt/swcntkey.pdf
PROBLEMS WITH “SINGLE STREAM” RECYCLING
Problems with “single stream’ recycling are well documented:
THE STERLING D.P.W. BOARD REQUESTED THAT THE SELECT BOARD SCHEDULE AN AUTUMN 2021 SPECIAL TOWN MEETING
The Select Board’s 15 September 2021 Agenda included the D.P.W.’s request for an Autumn 2021 Special Town Meeting. YOU decide whether or not to approve D.P.W. capital spending requests in connection with trash/waste collection, and YOU decide what is best for your family –and the Town as a whole–so stay tuned.
The so-called ‘vaccines’ aren’t preventing ‘breakthrough’ infections and transmissions because they aren’t vaccines at all. They are messenger RNA experimental therapeutics targeting a single Wuhan Flu protein, thereby actually spurring the coronavirus ‘variants’/mutations. BUT, the fake ‘vaccines’ are generating huge profits for Big Pharma. You can bet Big Pharma is promoting and lobbying for Indefinite Wuhan Flu Panic Porn.
The Sterling Select Board, now acting as the Sterling Earth Removal Board under Sterling’s Developer-Promoted, Crony-Crafted new Earth Removal By-Law, has scheduled a 15 September 2021 Public Hearing on Simpson’s/Sterling Real Estate Development, Inc.’s Application for an Earth Removal Permit to take 18,000 cubic yards of sand or sand and gravel from 68 Heywood Road. SEEhttps://www.sterling-ma.gov/calendar
By its terms, Article 48 eliminated the former, highly questionable, Sterling Protective (Zoning) By-Law “Variance” provision, Section 6.2.2.2.a.4, that had allowed the Sterling Zoning Board of Appeals to grant ‘earth removal’ ‘use’ “Variances” in areas of the Town Zoned Rural Residential & Farming (RR) and Neighborhood Residential (NR). Article 48 substituted the term “Quarrying or Mining” for the former term “Earth Removal” and now PROHIBITS in areas zoned RR and NR “Quarrying or Mining,” meaning “earth removal for the purpose of extracting soil, loam, sand, gravel, clay, rocks, minerals, or other earth material, including establishments engaged in operating sand and gravel pits and in washing, screening, or preparing sand and gravel for construction or industrial uses, but excluding grading of a lot in preparation for the construction of a structure…for which a building permit…has [already] been issued by the town.”
“Quarrying or Mining” is now permitted ONLY in those areas of Town zoned “Light Industrial (LI).”
SIXTY-EIGHT (68) HEYWOOD ROAD IS ZONED RR– https://www.sterling-ma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif1266/f/file/file/part15.pdf –SO THE SELECT BOARD CANNOT, LEGALLY, EVEN ENTERTAIN SIMPSON’S EARTH REMOVAL PERMIT APPLICATION. Simpson was not conducting any earth extraction operations at 68 Heywood Road when Article 48 passed–the Sterling Zoning Board of Appeals having shut his previous extraction operations there down because of abuses–so Simpson cannot claim ‘grandfathering’ either.
CONCLUSION: Sterling’s 2021 Annual Town Meeting voters finally bit Sterling’s biggest SNAKE in the ass. YEAH!!!
Sources report that the Sterling D.P.W. Board wants to limit Sterling families to one (1) trash barrel pick-up per week and impose a money penalty for anything in excess of that one (1) barrel. Of course, the D.P.W. Board lacks transparency–it hasn’t posted on the Town website any Meeting Minutes since those dated April 13, 2021.
The D.P.W. Board’s August 31, 2021 Agenda, interestingly, lists as separate items “Food Waste Collection…Handouts…On-going Discussion” and, further down, “Refuse/Recycling Contract/Totters…Awaiting contract.” https://www.sterling-ma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif1266/f/events/2021_08_31_dpw_agenda.pdf It appears that “Totters” is a misspelling and that the intent is to limit each family to one (1) Toters-brand trash barrel– https://www.toter.com/products/homeowners –similar to what the City of Leominster crammed down on its taxpayers/ratepayers.
We all own our own trash barrels already. Does the D.P.W. Board really think it can cram down a one-size-fits-all Toters trash barrel that we, the taxpayers/ratepayers, will have to pay for one way or another? Well, if so they are arrogant, out of touch, and have another thing coming. We can’t discern their recorded intentions because they have withheld from the public their Meeting Minutes for the past four and one-half months.
Of course, the “Food Waste Collection” bit raises another question because the D.P.W. Board’s July 13, 2021 Agenda refers to “Report on Compost Facility.” https://www.sterling-ma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif1266/f/agendas/dpw_agenda_7.13.21.pdf We don’t know who authored the report or what it said because, again, those Meeting Minutes have been withheld from the public. WE DO KNOW THAT D.P.W. BOARD MEMBER BLAINE BERSHAD BELONGS TO A LOCAL GREENIE GROUP CALLED “KEEPING STERLING” WHOSE MEMBER LIST HAS NOT BEEN DIVULGED TO THE PUBLIC. “KEEPING STERLING” WANTS LOCAL FAMILIES AND BUSINESSES TO BRING THEIR FOOD WASTE TO A COMPOSTING SITE HERE IN STERLING. THAT’S “BRING,” FOLKS, INDICATING THAT THEY DON’T WANT FOOD WASTE COLLECTED BY THE TOWN TRASH HAULER. THAT FITS–GREENIES ARE AUTHORITARIANS BYNATURE.https://www.telegram.com/story/news/local/the-item/2021/02/19/composting-proposal-sterling-could-reduce-waste-bring-revenue/6792068002/
If the Sterling D.P.W. Board posted its Meeting Minutes in a timely manner we might be able to determine just to what extent Blaine Bershad is in a conflict of interest on these matters.
Attend, or watch via Zoom, the August 31, 2021 Sterling D.P.W. Board Meeting, and those upcoming. These people require monitoring.
STERLING, MASSACHUSETTS, OVERWATCH 