Comments
Tullyswimmer t1_jdwkro0 wrote
There's a concrete and asphalt plant in Lebanon... The smell is horrendous. They blame it on the landfill across the street but... It's not.
RickyDaytonaJr t1_jdxht2t wrote
I’m sure the asphalt plant in Lebanon smells bad. But, I can’t tell because all I can smell is hot, rotting garbage anywhere within about 2 miles of that landfill.
Tullyswimmer t1_jdxm75z wrote
No, you're smelling the asphalt plant. They've fought HARD against any sort of mitigation by blaming it on the landfill. But anyone who's been around concrete and asphalt plants knows what they smell like.
cwalton505 t1_jdxmknv wrote
My hometown has a old closed and capped llandfill, at also has a concrete plant about 8 miles away. One of them stinks like sulfurous eggs pooped out of satans ass. Guess which one?
The landfill.
picklehaub t1_jdxtclc wrote
It’s definitely Pike/Carroll, the dump before the City installed the waste gas burners was 30X worse ( I mean like get out of you car and start heaving on the worst days).
Tullyswimmer t1_jdy4re9 wrote
Oh yeah, I'm sure. And even capped landfills do smell. But the smell of concrete and asphalt production is VERY distinct if you know it.
l337quaker t1_jdxju58 wrote
I can assure you, having been on both sites it's definitely the landfill.
Tullyswimmer t1_jdxmega wrote
Seems really odd that it's the most noticeable specifically when Carroll is making asphalt and concrete then...
akmjolnir t1_jdxlqj3 wrote
Carroll Concrete is a shitty company, owned by shitty people, but the stench is 100% methane gas being released by the landfill across the street.
Sand & gravel pits aren't the same as asphalt plants.
"The More You Know"
Tullyswimmer t1_jdxmayi wrote
They make asphalt and concrete at Carroll. It's not just a gravel pit.
Dark_Azazel t1_jdx6pd3 wrote
My town residents don't show up for a lot of meetings. Really nothing at all. But man, when there was a proposed crematorium up on the agenda, the town hall was over flooded.
d-cent t1_je02jh5 wrote
Yeah this may be the only time I'm in favor of NIMBY because this is something that shouldn't happen in anyone's back yard
BackItUpWithLinks t1_jdwz70d wrote
There’s no reason for this to be allowed anywhere near residential
vexingsilence t1_jdx45vo wrote
That area has been industrial for a long time. Residential uses creeped up on it. Not saying I'm for or against.
BackItUpWithLinks t1_jdxfqjb wrote
Ok
> …the 250 to 300 diesel trucks that… would be traveling through the neighborhood once the plant is in operation wouldn’t significantly increase the noise.
> The company’s traffic specialist said traffic would remain normal, even though about 33 trucks are expected to circulate every hour for eight hours daily
Sure.
vexingsilence t1_jdyw0rp wrote
How is that a reply to my comment? The number of truck runs doesn't change the fact that residential areas have been creeping in on what has always been an industrial area. The rail yard is right near there too, if you needed any more indication of what the area is.
megagem t1_je1hqgb wrote
The area has been blighted forever and the obvious fix, converting it into high-density housing surrounding a functioning train station, always seems to be opposed by NIMBYs worried about bridge traffic.
vexingsilence t1_je1oxz5 wrote
Traffic is a major concern for that area. There's a lot of through traffic trying to get over the river, adding in local residential traffic and possibly even commuter rail traffic is just not going to happen without major changes. Whether that's severing Bridge/Canal St from the bridges and making it local traffic only or making both Bridge/Canal and East Hollis St one-ways.. something is needed.
Then there's the lack of schools in the area, a lack of recreation options (parks), it's not pedestrian or cyclist compatible. Who knows what the underground utilities are like... water and sewer.
If commuter rail does happen, they might want to consider access from the south, perhaps using Alds St somehow so the vehicle traffic isn't added to the bridge and local traffic on Canal/Bridge & East Hollis.
megagem t1_je2eyzg wrote
The great thing about bringing in additional residents is that you get additional taxes to help fund any needed infrastructure improvements, the existence of which you can use to issue bonds now to complete those projects ahead of time.
There is no need to do anything about traffic for a commuter rail station there. Build lots of housing in the area within walking distance, a grade separated cycling/PEV path network linking the greater downtown, improve general walkability, and include a nice drop-off/pickup loop and dedicated lanes for local buses. Don't build any car parking; the train is for people that aren't driving. If a park-and-ride option is desired, use an infill station next to the Pheasant Lane Mall, it's not like they're using the space these days.
There aren't any physical or financial limits preventing Nashua from making the downtown a much better place to live. They simply choose not to do so to benefit cars, like most cities and towns in the country.
vexingsilence t1_je495kq wrote
>complete those projects ahead of time.
Not sure how often that happens in reality. Building ahead of time creates risk. Populations rise and fall. Get it wrong and you waste a lot of money. The more likely case is that those kids are getting bussed to a distant location for a good number of years while city hall debates or ignores the problem. Hope they like getting up early. Water and sewer might be better at this, although we still dump overflow in the river for Lowell to have in their drinking water, so I'm skeptical.
​
>Don't build any car parking; the train is for people that aren't driving.
This mindset is great. Supporters can't convince enough people that commuter rail won't be a waste of money and your tagline is "it's not for you!" If you make it just for the handful of people that buy into new housing in that somewhat isolated section of the city, it's never getting built. There's no point having a train station for such a small area. People complain that the parking garages are too far from Main St, they're not walking any significant distance to get a train station, and no one is going to trust that a bicycle will still be there when they get back. Busses would just lengthen the already long amount of time it would take to travel all the way to Boston, ignoring any addition subway or bus time you'd need on that end.
​
>If a park-and-ride option is desired, use an infill station next to the Pheasant Lane Mall.
Why would people who live closer to downtown want to drive all the way to the Pheasant? They wouldn't. That's not how our society functions. If you omit a parking lot, people will leave cars anywhere they fit. Then you'd have parking bans, upsetting the locals, mass hysteria. You have to account for parking. Even the thought of having multiple train stops in Nashua is reaching. It's a long trip all the way to Boston, every stop is going to make it a little less viable for commuting. It's also not an area people will walk to and even if you wanted to risk locking up a bike or taking it with you, that area is deadly for cyclists.
>They simply choose not to do so to benefit cars, like most cities and towns in the country.
That's our culture. What's Nashua supposed to do? Ignore it? Like I said, then you'd have a bunch of cars that you purposely didn't plan for. Big cities might be able to get away with that somewhat, but not places like Nashua. Motor vehicles are the only practical option for most people.
Tullyswimmer t1_jdxmvtw wrote
Yeah, there's already a couple of manufacturing plants right across the river from the proposed spot. It's very industrial.
Eyeless_Sid t1_jdwujy1 wrote
Yeah , Nashua is bad enough without them adding that mess to essentially the middle of town. Way too close to the Merrimack river as well.
SomeSortofDisaster t1_jdx2edy wrote
>Way too close to the Merrimack river as well.
Oh don't worry, Saint Gobain has gone out of their way to make sure that river will be toxic for the next 50,000,000 years
Cantide756 t1_jdzk3rw wrote
Wasn't there a report of a "lagoon of mercury" in the Merrimack in Nashua? Thought I saw that in the UL long while ago. From the mills upstream
mrhuggiebear t1_jdx2osw wrote
Does nashua politics have deep pockets is the real question?
last1stding t1_jdx5u6p wrote
After reading the article this would be a nightmare for the people living near the proposed plant. This paragraph "The company’s hired sound specialist told city officials the 250 to 300 diesel trucks that, according to the company, would be traveling through the neighborhood once the plant is in operation wouldn’t significantly increase the noise. The company’s traffic specialist said traffic would remain normal, even though about 33 trucks are expected to circulate every hour for eight hours daily, based on the company's traffic projections."
Ivy0789 t1_jdxmind wrote
Wow, they're just blatantly lying. That's wild and probably way more common than I know
XEssentialCryIceIs t1_je065j1 wrote
You have no idea. This dude first cropped up with his caricature of a lawyer at a planning meeting last year trying to push this shit.
The owner insists that the smell isn't bad and that he lives near his other asphalt plant in Massachusetts. The residents there also fought him on that plant, lost, and litigation is ongoing because the whole town fucking reeks of that shit. He keeps insisting the fumes are all within "safe levels".
They flat out lied to the planning board about community pushback in Mass.
3rd_ferguson t1_jdxggwe wrote
'Andrew Prolman, an attorney for Newport Construction Corporation, said the company has the right to build according to Nashua’s zoning ordinance.'
This is going to be an ugly fight. Nashua should have updated their zoning many years ago. The planning board will seek legal guidance, and the news they get back probably won't be good. Westford MA didn't manage to keep Newport Asphalt out, and that's a pretty affluent town.
poniop t1_jdxixis wrote
There are fewer residential buildings surrounding Newport Asphalt in WESTFORD. The two clusters of housing that surround NA are both in North Chelmsford, and the Westford planners do not give a fuck about them.
Choice_Philosopher_8 t1_jdxfv70 wrote
Asphalt plants should not be near anyone’s home. Good for the people who showed up and are standing up against this.
CobaltRose800 t1_jdy7pbq wrote
> They also asked the city to bring interpreters to Thursday’s meeting, but the board denied it. The organizations found their own.
That's your indicator for what the board wants. Keep the locals in the dark so they can approve it over their heads... Fuck's sake.
TurretLauncher t1_jdxlolu wrote
> An asphalt manufacturing plant—which breaks down used product, and makes 1,500 to 2,000 tons of new hot mix asphalt for paving and construction contractors daily—found itself in the middle of new housing developments, as a nearby town grew into the previously uninhabited vicinity around the facility. Being proactive, the plant knew it needed to mitigate its odorous releases, or else they would end up as a popular target for complaints online and at town hall meetings.
>
> Initially, the plant tried using masking chemical products, but it found these agents did not adequately hide the asphalt processing smells, and the coverups made the problem worse in some cases. A lab then analyzed a sample to determine the most effective product for the unique odor combination.
>
> Using GC-MS and a human nose panel, the team determined an additive blend made to reduce hydrogen sulfide, mercaptans, styrene and general hydrocarbons in asphalt neutralized the offending odors of the unique asphalt blend. The plant now adds about one gallon of this formulation to each of its 6,000-gallon hot mix tankers, and remains in the good graces of its neighbors.
https://www.controleng.com/articles/odor-measurement-control-at-industrial-plants/
> A hot mix asphalt plant located in a rural area of North Carolina has a community of neighbors living approximately a quarter mile away. They began complaining about strong odors from the plant.
>
> The plant typically has several trucks a day arriving at the plant to offload liquid asphalt, with a volume that fluctuates depending on workload. The general amount of liquid asphalt is 6,000 gallons per truck, pumping into two 10,000-gallon tanks and one 20,000-gallon tank. In addition, a 16,000-gallon fuel tank accepts reprocessed motor oil #4.
>
> The asphalt plant, already keen on being a “proactive good neighbor,” addressed these odor issues by contacting us. With over 25 years of neutralizing odors in the asphalt industry, OMI Industries has experience in addressing the complex odor issues in the market.
>
> OMI responded quickly, and after an initial phone conference to establish the details of the problem, one of the company’s field sales engineers visited the facility. We recommended Ecosorb® additives, mixed directly into the asphalt. Ecosorb asphalt additives were successful in eliminating the odors from the facility by reducing hydrocarbon emissions during production and transport of hot mix asphalt.
>
> OMI’s additive injection equipment automates the process of feeding Ecosorb products into liquid AC or waste oil received at an asphalt plant. In this case, the customer chose to manually add the Ecosorb asphalt additive as the liquid AC and waste oil are offloaded on-site. This facility is using Ecosorb 206A at a feed rate of 0.7 gallons per 25 ton load of liquid AC. For the fuel oil, a feed rate of 1.5 gallons of Ecosorb 206A per 25 ton load is used.
https://ecosorbindustrial.com/resources/case-studies/asphalt-plant/
XEssentialCryIceIs t1_jdxnblk wrote
That dude's lawyer is comically evil. Saw them trying to pitch this same crap last year.
TiredCr0codile t1_jdzhblk wrote
I hate the smell of asphalt being placed. Can't imagine how bad living by a plant would be.
AmuTealways t1_je0h5dv wrote
Curious, who are the people on the board that are for this asphalt plant to be built? I’ll be sure to vote them out or something next election.
mattd121794 t1_je083rx wrote
This meeting had been rescheduled so many times I didn’t even know it was finally happening. Wish I could have gone to voice my concern as well. This best not be approved, there’s no reason for a site like this anywhere near either a river or downtown area. Place it in this company owners backyard if he’s so adamant about how non toxic it is.
TheMobyDicks t1_je06n77 wrote
I'd take an asphalt plant over a paper plant any day. Have any of you ever been to Rumford, ME on a foggy day. Egad, the smell is hideous. And then, of course, there's the cancer thing.
Still though, I don't wish the asphalt plant on those folks.
A question, since I know nothing about asphalt plants. Does it have to be on town water/sewer? If not, why not build it somewhere away from residents?
Hextall2727 t1_jdwhhux wrote
Having worked on a site downwind from an asphalt plant that was discharging in accordance with state guidelines (albeit not NH), good for them for not wanting this near their homes. The odors were horrific. A coworker was dry heaving, although he is a bit of a baby.