Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Last week's meeting and future meetings



The committee meeting met last week for a presentation from Alan Benevides of Woodard & Curran about the geotechincal characteristics of the landfill. The presentation is available over on the right column of this site. It was an interesting an information presentation. Individuals from the CT Audubon Society, the Hartford Library and Hartford 2000 attended. Key points to take away from the presentation when developing post-closure plans are:
  • The landfill is up high. The main landform is quite tall, approximately 120'.
  • The landform has steep sides, 33% grade. The top part has a 4% slope, sloping away from the spine of the hill.
  • There are 78 gas wells on top of larger portion of the landform. While they pose no threat to the public, people shouldn't mess with them.
  • The larger portion of the landform contains putrescent waste, which can settle somewhat over time. Any structures errected would need to take this into account.
  • The smaller portion of the landform contains ash and is not given to settling.
  • The membrane (cap) is below aproximately 1' of fill. Care must be taken not to damage it.
  • While it will be safe to human health upon capping, there is a perception associated with land that was once a landfill.
To paraphrase much of what Mr. Benevides said, anything is possible on the landfill, but there is a pricetag associated with it. One also has to be cognizant of the cost to maintain things annualy.

The committee will meet next on July 15, 2009 at 3:30pm in the Council Chambers of City Hall. City Hall is located at 550 Main Street in Hartford. This meeting will be with the lawyer on issues related to CRRA's contract. It will also be the last "fact finding" meeting of the committee before public hearings and subsequent discussions are held. We invite you to come to the July 15 and all future ones.

Photo courtesy Heather Brandon.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Who are we?

The Landfill Post-Closure Community Advisory Committee is comprised of a number of residents and concerned individuals who are working together together to develop recommendations for the Hartford Landfill's post-closure activities. These members are:
  • Julio Concepcio
  • Luis E. Cotto, Chairperson
  • Robert Cotto
  • Gladys Ellis
  • Butch Lewis
  • Trude Mero
  • Dr. Mark Mitchell
  • Dr. Robert Painter
  • Phil Schonberger
  • Alan Benevides, Consultant, Woodard & Curran
  • Marilynn Cruz-Aponte, Staff Assistant, Hartford DPW
  • Peter Egan, Director of Environmental Affairs, CRRA
  • Brendan Mahoney, Staff Assistant, Hartford Court of Common Council

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Welcome!

In an effort to make the Landfill Post-Closure Community Advisory Committee a more transparent and dialectical body, we're establishing this blog to have increased opportunities for dialog with stakeholders and community members. We hope you finding it engaging and useful.