Mayor and Pond View VP Walk Rumford Area and Hear Opposition

Mayor Bruce Rogers and Pond View Vice President Jack Walsh walked the Omega Pond area of Rumford Saturday morning to address residents' concerns about the recycling company.

Walsh was also accompanied by Brian Dunn, a hired land development and environmental expert. Dunn said he was willing to collect samples of dust or other materials from residents' homes, test them, and determine their source.

The three made their way down Roger Williams Avenue, amid a litany of signs that read "Stop Pond View."

The morning started off somewhat slow, as Mayor Rogers knocked on the door of every home with a sign, initially receiving no answers.

"I'm here to solve as much of this problem as I can," Rogers said. "If some of the problem is coming from Pond View, we'll get it fixed. If some of what people are complaining about is a city problem, we'll get it fixed."

When asked whether or not he felt the charges of pollution, odor and noise were coming from Pond View, Rogers said: "No, not right now. If they are, we'll fix it."

After an oncoming driver shouted "get out of here," Rogers and Walsh were greeted by Roger Williams Ave resident Al Polotta.

Though Polotta was receptive to Walsh's conversation, he stood his ground on his feelings about the Dexter Road facility.

"I've been here since 1986," he said. "I didn't notice these problems until you guys moved in. I don't understand why you can't just move to another area."

While Walsh offered personal tours of the facility, along with documents with from DEM and other environmental findings stating that the company was not at fault for the state of the Omega Pond, Mayor Rogers took on mediating role.

"I don't think we can just ask someone to up and move," Rogers said. "If it's a smell problem, we'll fix it for you."

Polotta said that most of the issues he experienced, such as "particles in [his] eye," were most noticeable over a year ago.

"The reason why it's not as bad now as it was a year ago is because you guys aren't putting out as much," he said.

Walsh responded by saying that the company has maintained a consistent level of output for the past year.

Polotta also showed him the top of his mailbox, which had the words "Help Us" written in dust.

Rogers also spoke directly addressed Polotta's concerns.

"My house is on Route 6, and I have just as much dust as you do," he said. "It could be carbon from exhaust."

Walsh encouraged Polotta to "go to [his] property when it starts to smell" so that he could see that the cause was not from his facility.

Afterwards, Polotta said that while he appreciated the visit from Walsh and Rogers, he was still "definitely against Pond View."

After knocking on another door, Walsh and Rogers were greeted by Ricky Tiburcio and his family.

When asked if he would talk of his concerns, he replied: "Come here. I won't even tell you, I'll show you."

After winding down into his back yard which sits on Omega Pond, Tiburcio held nothing back.

"Look at the dead fish, look," he said. "Do you see that orange cone? Do you see this trash? Where did that come from?"

When Walsh and Dunn suggested that a storm drain which opens into Tiburcio's back yard may be the source, he responded by saying that "storm drains don't throw out orange cones."

Rogers told Tiburcio that if any trash was going over Pond View's fence and landing in the pond, he would cite them.

"Oh yeah, you're going to cite them," he said. "That's pocket change to them. It's lunch money."

Tiburcio speculated that Pond View had "taken a loan and bought a vote," as it related to the speculated relationship between Pond View and former Councilman Brian Coogan.

Tiburcio served up sarcastic speculation against Walsh's claims that Pond View is not the source of neighborhood pollution.

"Everybody makes pollution but you," he said. "It's the trucks, it's the this or the that, but it's never you."

Walsh remained optimistic, however.

"This is a good dialogue," he said. "I'm going to have a meeting next week and sort it out."

Tiburcio said that while he has used the recycling facility in the past because he works in construction, his negative feelings toward Pond View remain.

"Just because I've used the facility doesn't mean I'm going to shut my mouth about what they're doing," he said.

When asked if his using Pond View's services in the past offered him proof of their polluting, he said: "I can't prove it. Nobody can. That's why they're able to keep doing what they do."

Walsh offered to pay for water and other environmental testing on behalf of the residents who say they are experiencing pollution.

After leaving Tiburcio's home, Walsh called attention the bank of the pond a few yards away.

"This is fresh trash," he said. "People park over here and throw stuff out of the window in a hurry. This could also be part of the problem."

With the to grant Pond View a license to eventually expand their operations to 1,500 tons a day and a neighborhood of residents still holding firm to their claims, the battle of Rumford versus Pond View is far from over.

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