Mass. City Calls for Scrap Yard to Clean Up Site

Selectmen in Framingham, Mass., are mulling whether to reinstate a license for Framingham Salvage Co. They say waiting until next May for a new drainage system is too long and that the company should have it installed before winter.

The new drainage system is one of five conditions town officials worked out with owner Cyril Applebaum and his legal team. Salvage workers have recently reduced the piles of scrap metal to below a newly installed fence.

Framingham Salvage employees must sweep Morton Street once a week to keep down the dust and remove illegally dumped items along their property lines. Gravel will be brought on the Waverley Street site to cut down standing water.

"We gave them three years to get those piles down and now they're getting another break in timing," said selectmen Vice Chairwoman Ginger Esty. "The reality is the ground is not frozen."

Town Manager George King was unsure how complicated the new drainage system is, but didn't think it would be done by the May deadline, even if work began before snow falls.

"It will go a long way toward improving some of the conditions there," said King. "If you're a neighbor, obviously the conditions are never going to be ideal."

With a new fence installed and lower scrap piles at the salvage yard, he has seen progress on the site in recent months.

"It may be in our best interest to give them a break," said King. "I think they have the message. We're using the best leverage we can to get the best results we can."

Two years ago, the board granted its license after agreeing to restrictions aimed to improve living conditions in the bordering Morton Street neighborhood. In April, selectmen denied the license but the company has stayed in operation.

To officially revoke the license, selectmen would have to call for a public hearing. No local action has been taken against the salvage yard for operating with no license, said King.

Neighbors of the scrap metal salvage yard have complained that dust and rust from the piles of metal and aluminum blow into the neighborhood, coating their homes and cars.

The town has stepped up police patrols to curb illegal dumping and posted "no dumping" signs in Spanish and Portuguese.

King asked the board to reinstate the license, retroactive to May 1, but the board tabled a decision until its Nov. 20 meeting. Selectman Katie Murphy joined Esty in pushing for a quicker turnaround on the drainage system.