Here is a complete blip.tv video of the 10/30/09 debate between Northampton mayoral candidates Michael Bardsley and Clare Higgins (incumbent). It took place at the Florence Civic Center. This video is 38 minutes long and was recorded by Adam Cohen and Lachlan Ziegler. The image for the first four minutes is a bit shaky due to lack of a tripod (Adam’s fault), then the image stabilizes.
See also:
Video: Mayoral Debate, 10/27/09; Landfill Risks; Costs of Alternatives to Landfill Expansion
Mayor Higgins says (emphasis added), “We could close the landfill, create a transfer station where people could bring their recyclables and their trash, and it would be picked up and taken to some other landfill. Currently, it would go to one of the three remaining landfills in Western Mass if we close–Chicopee, South Hadley, Granby–and once those close it would probably end up being trucked out of state or on a train out of state, or out of the region, including as far away as the Midwest. And the cost, that would probably double, up to about $120 per ton…”
It’s not clear to us how Mayor Higgins estimates such dramatically higher costs for out-of-state waste disposal. Here is page 30 from Stantec/HDR’s 8/17/09 Landfill Alternatives Study presentation (630KB, PDF). It shows how Northampton’s current $68.07/ton average net tip fee for commercial customers compares to some out-of-state disposal options…
Gazette: “Controversial landfill question on ballot Tuesday” (10/31/09)
The non-binding referendum question addresses the proposed expansion of the landfill over a public drinking water supply area and has sparked no small amount of controversy in recent weeks, dividing residents, political leaders and candidates for mayor in both Northampton and neighboring Easthampton.
This is the exact question voters will be asked: “Shall the City of Northampton expand the Northampton landfill over the Barnes Aquifer?”
Barnes Aquifer Protection Advisory Committee: “Why Aquifers and Landfills Don’t Mix”