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Video from 6/12/08 85-minutes ZBA Members: Sara Northrup David Bloomberg Barry Smith |
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Video from 6/26/08 180-minutes My apologies for audio difficulties. |
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42 residents filed a zoning enforcement request with Northampton’s building commissioner seeking to halt regional operations of Northampton’s landfill. The building commissioner rejected the claims of the residents that the landfill is operating illegally, that its use had changed without DPW officials acquiring the proper permits. The citizens then filed an appeal of the commissioner’s ruling with another city agency, its zoning board of appeals. Lawyers from Boston descended on Northampton to argue the case. The hearing has been continued to September 11, 2008.
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Many thanks to Adam Cohen for his help in preparing and delivering these two videos that comprise 4+ hours of footage. |
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Below: Photographs from June 26, 2008 Northampton Zoning Board of Appeals landfill zoning enforcement hearing.
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Above: Planning Director Wayne Feiden and ZBA members Sara Northrup, David Bloomberg, and Barry Smith. Sara Northrup has worked as a project engineer for Mass. Development, the quasi-government firm currently redeveloping the former Northampton State Hospital. David Bloomberg is a partner in the Northampton Law firm, Burrows, Weiss, and Bloomberg. "David’s practice emphasizes the representation of clients in both commercial and residential real estate transactions, as well as banks and other financial institutions in both real estate and asset based lending transactions. He is actively involved in the representation of non-profit developers of affordable housing, having handled the closings for the creation or rehabilitation of over three hundred and fifty affordable housing units. His other work with non-profit organizations includes the development of facilities for vocational training, substance abuse rehabilitation, and transitional housing for the homeless and for victims of domestic violence." (source: Northamptonlaw.com) Bloomberg represented the owners of the South Street apartments, a plaintiff in one of the Hilton Garden Inn lawsuits, settling the matter out of court. Barry Smith is an Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at Smith College and also operates a solo legal practice. He is currently the director of the Cutchins Center for Children and Families in Northampton. (source: Smith.edu) |
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Above: Northampton city solicitor Janet Sheppard addresses the ZBA while in the back ground DPW attorney Thomas A. Mackie runs PowerPoint presentation. Planning Department staff John Frey sits to Mr. Mackie’s left while a court stenographer Sandra Deschane records the proceedings in front of them. |
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| Above: Northampton city solicitor Janet Sheppard makes a point. |
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Above: Peter L. Koff, attorney for 42 complainants, looks on as Thomas A. Mackie, attorney for the DPW, makes his case. "Representing municipal clients, community groups, and individual clients, Mr. Koff has been a key contributor to a number of historic Boston area environmental law victories including the cleanup of Boston Harbor and the control of impacts from the expansion of Logan Airport. Mr. Koff has worked on a wide variety of land use and environmental law cases involving air and water quality, solid waster, wetlands, highway and airport, and waterfront development issues." (source: EngelSchultz.com) "Mr. Mackie is currently handling the environmental permitting for the first Massachusetts renewable energy power plant that will use recycled wood as a fuel source. He is also actively involved with several other renewable energy project developers seeking to generate energy from waste. He also assists clients with renewable energy credits and carbon offsets." (source: lawmso.com) |
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Above: Northampton city engineer Jim Laurila addresses the ZBA. Mr. Laurila was formerly employed by Stantec, the national environmental consulting firm that retains 9,000 employees and has almost $1 billion in annual revenues. Stantec describes itself as a growth company to which the city has contracts totaling $609 thousand to date for its work on the proposed Phase Five expansion proper. The value of all of Stantec’s contracts with the city exceeds $1.4 million dating to 2003. Stantec has a branch office located in Northampton on West Street. "To provide greatly needed solid waste disposal capacity, the city of Northampton retained Stantec to design one of the first lined landfills ever to be constructed in Massachusetts. Over successive years, Stantec designed the Phase 4 expansion as well closures of the various phases of the landfill. In addition, Stantec designed the closure of the 22-acre, unlined landfill that the city used before constructing its lined facility, and has routinely provided landfill gas monitoring services there. This regional solid waste management facility incorporates a pumping station that draws leachate generated by the decomposing waste in the landfill sections and pumps it to the city’s wastewater collection system." (source: Stantec.com) |
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Above: Arthur P. Kreiger, attorney for Ameresco-the firm that runs a methane to electricity power plant at the landfill, delivers his arguments. "Art (Kreiger) and his firm have been very helpful to our company in dealing with all our environmental legal issues. I would highly recommend the firm to anybody other than a competitor!" "For the past three years, he has been named a Massachusetts "Super Lawyer" among the state’s environmental attorneys. This designation is based on a survey of Massachusetts attorneys and reviewed by an independent blue ribbon panel. (Listed attorneys and finalists consist of the top 5% of attorneys in Massachusetts in polling conducted by Massachusetts SuperLawyers and Law & Politics Media.)" (source AndersonKreiger.com) |
