Freetown Select Board Renews Excel Recycling License Over Neighbor Objections

FREETOWN — April 16, 2024 — Freetown Select Board renews Excel Recycling's junk dealer's license despite eight years of neighbor complaints about noise, odors, and explosions. The board voted 2-0-1 Tuesday to renew the license for the Route 18 scrapyard, with Chair Trevor Lopes and member Carlos Zerola citing a prior court agreement and warning that withholding the license would allow the facility to operate under DEP rules permitting hours as late as 9 p.m. seven days a week. Building Commissioner Kevin and a Board of Health inspector both reported wind-blown debris and industrial odors at their most recent inspections, but noted the absence of codified local enforcement standards against which to cite the facility. Residents testified to explosion-like percussions, trucks blocking village sidewalks, and smells described as "atrocious" at a quarter mile. The board also unanimously authorized $40,000 in ARPA funds for Halfway Park improvements and $65,000 for fire department equipment, and previewed warrant articles totaling more than $2 million in proposed spending — including $1.5 million for Fire Station 3 — slated for the upcoming annual and special town meetings.