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| Concerned Citizens of Freetown P.O. Box 482 E. Freetown, Massachusetts 02717 June 26, 2003 Antonio M. Carreiro Conservation Commission Chairman P.O. Box 438 Town of Freetown Assonet, Massachusetts 02702 Dear Chairman: I, Curtis Dias write this letter on behalf of the Concerned Citizens of Freetown and the residents on Braley Road. We congratulate you on your new position as Chairman of the Conservation Board. We hope and pray that you will have much better success than the last leaders of the Conservation Committee in the area of protecting our wetlands, wildlife and waterways. In the past, the Concerned Citizens wrote to the Conservation Board informing the Board that Braley Road is full of wetlands which we have now learned is connected to waterways, such as streams, brooks that lead to the Atlantic Ocean. The two locations we cited in our letters to the Conservation Board are 66 Braley and 16 Braley Road. On both of these locations and these development projects, the Conservation Board of Freetown said that there are no wetlands on these properties. As you know that on each of these properties, 66 and 16 Braley Road, the EPA proved that the owners of these properties were in violation of the Federal Clean Water Act. It is obvious to the Concerned Citizens that the Conservation Board of Freetown did not fulfill their responsibilities to the residents of Braley Road and of the residents of Freetown. We see in the newspaper that your Board is in favor of allowing the owner of 66 Braley Road to attain a permit from the Conservation Board for an industrial park. Because of the past history of the owner of Braley Road, you must have major questions on his integrity, his plans and his projects for you know that the EPA reported that there was destruction of five acres of wetlands on 66 Braley Road. My question to you is how can a Board be in favor of a plan that is so incomplete of major facts and missing reports. How can a Board be in favor of a plan that the EPA has not concluded how the wetlands, waterways and wildlife will be restored on 66 Braley Road. My concern is how can your Board allow the Industrial park to go forward without the final ruling of the EPA investigation. I believe that after the EPA investigation is completed, there should be a comparison of the final EPA report and a look at the new plans on 66 Braley Road to show the affects of the two plans on the properties that abut 66 Braley Road. Do you have a wetland specialist on your Board who is qualified to tell us the affects of paving the roads and the draining system and the runoff into the wetlands? We are very concerned about the affect of this project destroying, first of all, our drinking water, our wetlands, waterways and wildlife. In light of all these concerns, we strongly suggest, as we believe the EPA has suggested that you hire an environmental consultant for the Conservation Committee specializing in wetlands. In the past your Board has okayed two projects stating that there was no wetlands on 66 Braley Road or 16 Braley Road. It is hard for me to comprehend that the Board could not see that five acres of wetlands were destroyed on 66 Braley Road and three acres of wetlands had been destroyed on 16 Braley Road. The past history of the actions of this Board leaves me very concerned either because of their lack of education or ignorance in regards to wetlands; or the more serious reason their lack of concern for the residents on Braley Road or their desire to be a rubber stamp for the local businessmen. We trust in your leadership but we do have great concern about some of the members of the Conservation Board. We trust that your local Board will do the right thing this time for the residents of Braley Road and the citizens of Freetown. We wait on your actions and decisions in this matter. Once again we strongly suggest that you hire a wetland specialist to help you make decisions in this area. Also we would like you to wait for EPA's final ruling on the five acres of wetlands on 66 Braley Road. After the ruling we would like you to compare the EPA ruling and the new plans that have been submitted to you, to determine the affects of this plan to our drinking water, wetlands, waterways and wildlife. Thank you for your immediate attention to this. Please read this letter at your meeting on July 9, 2003. Again we thank you for your integrity as the Chairman of the Conservation Board and your leadership skills. We look forward to working with you in the near future. Sincerely, Rev. Curtis D. Dias Concerned Citizens of Freetown cc: EPA, Denise Leonard EPA, James Younger, Civil Rights Division DEP, Division of Wetlands Freetown Water Commission Freetown Planning Board Board of Selectmen of Freetown McGregor Associates, Atty at Law Return to the Documents Page |
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