About two weeks ago, Freeport resident Pat Rowen reached out to me, regarding Freeport Mayor Andrew Hardwick's pursuit to build a waste-to-energy facility in southeastern Freeport.  She stated that Mayor Hardwick went to China back in October to engage a Chinese corporation to build this incinerator in Freeport. 

At first, I was intrigued.  I thought it admirable that a village mayor would seek ways to bring in revenue to Freeport, increase its tax base and reduce the tax burden of Freeport residents. The mayor claims that it would also save the Village of Freeport money in disposing its solid waste.  It would create jobs and lower energy costs for Freeport residents, he says. And since I like to consider myself an environmentalist, the concept of turning garbage to energy sounded like a good idea. 

But once you examine the impact an incinerator would have on Freeport and the neighboring communities, I changed my opinion.  What do incinerators do?  They burn garbage.  Is it really possible, even with the newest state-of-the-art equipment, to burn something without releasing pollutants into the air and our water? 

Hardwick claims that this facility will have the capacity to handle garbage from outside of Freeport.  How would it get here?  Will we have garbage trucks parading through our streets?  Will there be barges sitting in our harbor, emitting unbearable odors, especially in summer?  Do we really need an incinerator in Freeport?  These are all questions that we need answers to. 

Last week, the North Merrick Community Association hosted a meeting where Freeport trustee Robert Kennedy spoke about what he knew about Hardwick's proposed incinerator.  It became apparent that not only does Hardwick keep his plans from the public, but he also keeps the Freeport trustees in the dark. 

Kennedy was the only trustee who came to this meeting and according to Freeport residents, this meeting was the first open conversation that took place between Freeport officials and the citizens of Freeport.  I commend Kennedy for walking into the lion's den and addressing the concerns of, not only our neighbors in Freeport, but also of our Merrick residents who would be affected by an incinerator right across from the Norman J. Levy Preserve.

As a Merrick resident for more than 27 years, this was the first time in my experience that residents from Merrick came together with residents from Freeport to discuss anything. We listened and shared our experiences and concerns.  I believe it was a good first step toward opening dialogue with our neighbors to the west.  The communities are uniting. 

The Merrick Joint Council wrote a letter to Hardwick opposing a Freeport incinerator and requesting inclusion into any conversation that involves building this incinerator.  

So, we are told that there is no proposal to look at, no bid to consider and no specs on any project to date.  Hardwick seems to be pushing this project.  However, trustees Kennedy, White and Martinez have publicly asserted that they won't approve plans for an incinerator in Freeport. Three out of five votes are necessary to approve this project.  For this reason, I believe that the incinerator will never be built. 

Nonetheless, I believe it important that Hardwick knows that we don't want an incinerator and we are willing to fight against it.  We also believe that surrounding communities should be kept abreast of projects that have an impact on them.  

I believe, through conversation with Hardwick and our neighbors in Freeport, this matter will be resolved.  I believe it important that we engage in more conversations with the people of Freeport and hold meetings on issues that concern our communities.  I honestly don't believe that this incinerator will be built.  We just won't let it happen.  Together, as one voice, I believe we can accomplish anything.