Public Forum on Fuel Tank - Latest "Untruth" Revealed
A second Public Forum on the replacement of the DPW fuel tanks is Tuesday night, September 28 at 7:00 PM. Details to join the meeting are in this link. We encourage you to attend and comment. This project represents a large appropriation of your tax dollars and requires thorough vetting. Stay informed and make your voice heard!
The replacement of two underground fuel tanks in the DPW yard is an issue that CFRB has monitored throughout 2021, as the vote progressed through Town Meeting to appropriate funds. CFRB objected to the initial proposal for many reasons.
The Capital Budget Committee advanced a highly bloated proposal of $1.1 Million to replace the two aging fuel tanks (one for diesel and one for fuel) with Above Ground Storage Tanks (AST or AGT). The tanks are 35 years old. We can agree that the tanks should be replaced at some point, although they have passed all inspections, and are in full compliance with Mass Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regulations. However, the proposal brought before Town Meeting for vote this Spring included unreasonable and unjustified costs, supported by numerous “untruths”. There was a lack of transparency throughout. The request for funding the tank replacement was defeated and Town Meeting asked the Capital Budget Committee to go back to the drawing board to present an acceptable proposal.
The Latest “Untruths”
The Capital Budget Committee and other town officials have claimed that former Fire Chief David Frizzell "ordered" that there should be no Underground Fuel Tanks in Belmont. Former Chief Frizzell categorically denies this and highlights other misstatements made by current and past town officials. See his full letter refuting the Committee claims about him and tank policy here.
Below are quotes by former Chief Frizzell from his August 17, 2021 email to Belmont town officials. (This letter is now Public Record)
“Statements have been made at Town meeting that I “ordered” the removal of the DPW tanks as well as other Town USTs. This is in fact not true and the Town has multiple USTs currently installed in the Town that are still being operated.”
“I asked if the plan was to put new USTs in and she emphatically said “no” the Town does not want USTs anymore any new ones will be AGTs. I raised the question again and she got angry. It was clear the Town’s Administration wanted Above Ground Storage Tanks.” (Note from CFRB: This administrator at the time of this conversation was Phyllis Marshall.)
“There is nothing that would prevent the installation of one or more ASTs or USTs at the DPW Yard. They are both safe from both an environmental and a fire safety perspective.”
“The DPW yard is a large parcel of land. I believe there are multiple sites within the Town Yard that would accommodate the needs of the Town and consideration should be given to locating either USTs or ASTs in a location where they could be installed and keep the current operation up and running and for future DPW planning.”
“I am happy to meet or discuss with anybody. I have not been contacted by anybody in a year about the project but people are saying things that they do not have first-hand knowledge of and in fact, are not accurate.”
Summary of the “untruths” and missteps made by town officials
We were told that Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) would cost in excess of $1Million. From our independent research on current projects, replacement Underground Storage Tanks cost from $350K - $450K. This figure was quoted by local gas station owners and verified by DPW directors in other state municipalities.
The single estimate provided by the DPW to the Capital Budget Committee was from an engineering firm which neither bids nor implements fuel tank replacement projects. It was acknowledged in a public meeting that original replacement estimates were wrong.
The entire cost estimate process was not transparent. The decision to install Above Ground Storage Tanks (AST) vs. Underground Storage Tanks (UST) was made several years ago without input from affected residents, and ignoring input from Fire Chief Frizzell.
Abutting residents do not want ASTs sited in close proximity to their homes for safety, visual and other reasons.
A homeowner cannot get a HUD mortgage on a property that is less than 300 feet from ASTs. These tanks would be within 150 feet from the homes of our Belmont neighbors.
ASTs are subject to possible vehicle accidents, dangerous weather and potentially catastrophic vandalism as compared to USTs.
We were told by the Capital Budget Committee that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) mandated that Belmont’s USTs must be removed because they were old and no longer compliant. This is untrue. In fact, the DEP confirms that Belmont’s non-corrigible fiberglass USTs are in full compliance and pass the frequent leak-testing requirements.
We were told that the tanks could no longer be insured. This is untrue. We learned through our research that in fact the tanks can be insured, and as a result Belmont has obtained insurance in recent months.
We were told that USTs could no longer be installed – only Above Ground Tanks are now permitted in Massachusetts. This is untrue. There are no restrictions on installation of USTs. All of the towns abutting Belmont have USTs and the town of Belmont has USTs in other locations.
Please attend Tuesday night to stay informed and to demand
transparency, responsibility and accountability in this important issue.