During the June 11 Hudson Board of Selectmen meeting, one of the agenda items was related to a request to allow limited use of the West Road Landfill for the Southern NH Radio Control Club.
Earlier this year, Town Engineer, Elvis Dhima, raised the issue of the town being in violation of its landfill cap permit.
The issue was discovered following a March vote, which voters approved allowing a lease to be executed for the space, which was being used by the RC Club at the landfill for a potential solar farm.
“This project, if executed, will require state permit approval and will be subject to the current landfill closure permit restrictions in place,” Dhima wrote in a previous memo.
He explained previously that the solar farm project would be on the capped landfill area and will “include the top of the landfill, currently being used by an RC club.”
“Based on the testimony by the club members and available GIS imagery, it appears that construction activity related to the airfield took place without State or Board of Selectmen approval,” Dhima wrote previously. “Town staff at that time and present have no authority to approve any construction activity that contradicts the current landfill restrictions and conditions in place.”
Dhima said there were a number of things done at the landfill since 1992, which were in violation of the conditions from the state.
“Significant topographic change to the landfill crown area of approximately 3 acres, where the airfield is currently located, which was achieved by bringing in fill and using heavy equipment to grade the site,” he noted as one of the changes in a previous memo.
He also noted the location of the access road “to the top of the landfill was changed.”
“Approximately 350 feet of access road was constructed in violation of the final design closure permit in place from the state,” Dhima wrote in a memo.
The Board of Selectmen, following the presentation from Dhima, agreed to restrict activities to only maintenance and compliance at the capped landfill and restrict unauthorized driving until further action comes from the Board.
Ahead of the June 11 Selectmen meeting, Selectmen received an email from the Southern NH Radio Control Club President, Cody Wojcik, making a request to allow them to use part of the landfill again.
“I am writing regarding the use of the West Road landfill by the Southern NH Radio Control Club,” he wrote in an email to the town. “We have been monitoring communications between the town and the Department of Environmental Services and we have not seen any enforcement actions, recommendations, or communications of any type regarding this facility since the original notification of topographic change was sent on April 10, 2024. We have also been permitted to drive up the original section of the road for the purposes of retrieving any of our possessions from the facility.”
Wojcik went on to state in his email “for these reasons, we are requesting permission to use and maintain this facility while limiting vehicle traffic to ONLY the original section of the road.”
“SNRCC club members would not drive past the vent pipe on the road to allow for roughly 20 feet of margin,” the email stated. “Members can carry their equipment to the club’s original area of operations on foot or otherwise without driving on the new section of road. This would be a temporary arrangement until engineering services can be completed and the original use of the facility can be evaluated.”
Selectman, David Morin, said he thinks it should be tabled until they speak to their attorney, and/or when the report is completed, which will look at what damage has been done there.
In his view, it made sense to keep it tabled until the report is completed, noting that the club could still be in contact with them.
For example, some members of the club spoke during public comment, including Wojcik, who argued for allowing them to use the space for now.
Board of Selectmen Chair, Bob Guessferd, agreed, saying if there is new information, they can hear from them, but until the study is done, no one is allowed to use it.
The Board of Selectmen voted 3-1-1 to table the proposal for now, with Kara Roy voting against it and Heidi Jakoby abstaining.