Greyhound Action Alert

In This Issue:

March 18, 2005 

Dog Track Owner Wants to Build Trash Plant Next to Racetrack, Letters Needed

Friends,

Christopher Carney, whose father George owns the Raynham-Taunton Dog Track, is planning to erect a full-scale garbage plant next to the track’s greyhound kennels. Please help us stop this dangerous proposal.

According to newspaper reports, 2500 tons of trash would be moved to the 30,000-square-foot plant every day, exposing area residents to noise, windblown trash, odors and air pollution. Eleven trucks per hour would enter and exit the grounds for ten hours each working day.

To stem community protest about environmental dangers, Carney has promised that the operations will face the greyhound kennels, not the open road! This is not a solution for the town, and will expose hundreds of greyhounds to dirty air and noise.

Please submit a Letter to the Editor to the Taunton Daily Gazette expressing your opposition to this proposal.

You can send your letter to:

_________________________________________

Taunton Daily Gazette
Letters to the Editor
Taunton Daily Gazette
P.O. Box 111
Taunton, MA 02780
508-880-9119 (fax)
[email protected]

NOTE: Be sure to include your name, address and phone number for verification purposes.
_________________________________________


Below, you will find a news story on this important issue. Also, you will find a Sample Letter to the Editor that you can use as a guide in writing your own letter. Please submit your letter today!

For the greyhounds,

Carey Theil & Christine Dorchak
GREY2K USA
PO Box 442117
Somerville, MA 02144
(866) 247-3925
www.grey2kusa.org
[email protected]

Reminder: On Tuesday, March 22 at 10 am, a lobbying day for animals will take place at the Massachusetts State House. Please come to support legislation introduced by GREY2K USA, Farm Sanctuary, the Humane Society of the United States and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

For more information, contact [email protected].

Raynham residents fighting trash plant

By SUSAN WEINSTEIN
Gazette Staff Writer

03/04/2005

RAYNHAM - Opponents are using scare tactics to stop a trash processing plant from going up at the dog track, proponent Christopher Carney said yesterday.

"Trash trucks will rumble through the streets of Raynham every 90 seconds for 10 hours each day," a "Talking Trash" flier distributed by North Raynham residents states.

The pamphlet also says the 1,000-ton-a-day facility will result in noise, windblown trash, odors, air pollution and dangers to children and pedestrians.

"They're just trying to scare the people in the town," Carney responds.

Carney received some support this week from the state's top environmental official.

On Feb. 25, Environmental Secretary Ellen Roy Herzfelder issued a certificate that allows Carney to proceed to Department of Environmental Protection and Massachusetts Highway Department hearings without preparing a full impact report.

Carney said he is pleased, but not surprised.

The 30,000-square-foot facility will not process anything at the site and will be located as far away as possible from environmentally sensitive areas, he said.

In addition, the open door of the plant will face the greyhound kennels rather than the road. And the operation will not create odors.

"If they don't smell the dog kennels, they're not going to smell the odor of the trucks," he said.

He said he will contribute his "fair share" to improving Broadway at the entrance to the site and at the dangerous Interstate 495 and Broadway interchange, enough to offset problems.

Opponents disagree.

"I don't know how anybody in their right mind can say there's no impact," said Rev. Michael Scarlett, who lives nearby on Robinson Street and is helping to spearhead the community fight.

Scarlett said residents are concerned about nuisance odors and flying trash.

But mostly, they worry about pedestrian safety on Broadway and protecting children waiting for their school buses. They also fear the accumulated impact of traffic from other businesses such as Wal-Mart.

Once you put truck traffic on the road, you're going to have backups, Scarlett said. Congestion is so bad along Broadway during peak hours, he said, he avoids going out to shop between 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.

"The majority of residents in North Raynham don't want to see it at all. It will affect property values," he said.

Scarlett understands the residents "can't just say 'we don't want it.' We have to prove hardships," he said.

Carney said he expects to complete all state and local permitting in about four months and will have the plant up and running by September.

He says his family has been in business in Raynham for 86 years and ranks among the largest single taxpayers in town.

He anticipates the daily tonnage intake to start at 250 tons.

As area landfills shut down over the next three to six year, however, that tonnage should reach the 1,000-ton-a-day maximum in his requested permit.

He has potential customers from Fall River to Taunton to Norwell.

The plant has a capacity of handling 2,500 tons a day.

"I'm looking to the future," Carney said.


©The Taunton Gazette 2005

Sample Letter to the Editor

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT THIS SAMPLE LETTER TO THE EDITOR NOT BE COPIED WORD FOR WORD; PLEASE SUBMIT A LETTER WITH YOUR OWN THOUGHTS.

Taunton Daily Gazette
Letters to the Editor
Taunton Daily Gazette
P.O. Box 111
Taunton, MA 02780
508-880-9119 (fax)
[email protected]

Dear Editor:

After reading about plans to build a massive trash plant next to the Raynham-Taunton dog track, I am outraged. (Raynham residents fighting trash plant, March 4)

Under the plan, the plant will face greyhound kennels, not the open road. This is a recipe for disaster, and will expose hundreds of greyhounds to dirty air and noise.

Everyone who cares about animals should be opposed to this harmful proposal.

Respectfully,

Christine A. Dorchak
PO Box 442117
Somerville, MA 02144
(866) 247-3925

Know someone who cares about greyhounds as much as you do and wants to make a difference? Please forward this update to them. You can also encourage friends to join our e-mail list by sending their e-mail address to [email protected].

Thank you for your continuing commitment to protect greyhounds.

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GREY2K USA is a national non-profit organization dedicated to protecting greyhounds and ending the killing and cruelty of dog racing. For more information, or to make an immediate financial contribution to our efforts, go to www.grey2kusa.org.

GREY2K USA is a national, non-profit 501(c)4 organization. Personal and corporate contributions are acceptable, and there are no limits on how much one individual can contribute. Personal and corporate contributions are acceptable. Because GREY2K USA actively lobbies for greyhound protection, contributions are not tax deductible.
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