Council supports purchase of air quality sensors for ward 5

By Barbara Taormina

The City Council did not hesitate to support Ward 5 Councillor John Powers’ proposal that the city spend $23,000 for three air quality sensors to be installed in ward 5.

Ward 5 Councillor-elect Angela Guarino-Sawaya thanked Powers for the motion and urged the council to pass it. Sawaya told councillors that Beachmont, Point of Pines and Riverside are neighborhoods overburdened with multiple sources of pollution. The monitors will provide a better picture of the amount and type of pollution putting the health of residents at risk. Sawaya said pollution from the airport, WIN Waste Innovations and nearby roadways needs to be measured and assessed so the community can explore mitigation strategies.

“The time for delay has come and gone,” said Powers.

Councillor-at-Large Anthony Zambuto said he had no problem with the monitors but he wants to make sure they function correctly. “I don’t care if it’s three times the money, I want accurate results,” he said.

Zambuto recalled a problem with an air monitor at Gibson Park that led to inaccurate results being released to the public. °I want high-quality, accurate readings, not made-up stuff,” said Zambuto.

City Council President Pro Tempore Joanne McKenna said she has had a monitor in her backyard for the past five years. Every week, students from Tufts come and collect the data but that’s as far as it goes. McKenna said Massport has been studying pollution from planes for the past six years but results of the study have been inconclusive. Researchers were unable to determine if pollutants were from Wheelabrator (WIN Waste Innovations), planes or vehicular traffic.

Ward 5 residents are particularly concerned because a change in flight patterns has planes flying lower and closer to homes. “They are so close to my house, I can see which snacks they’re serving,” said McKenna.

Chief of Planning and Development Tom Skwierawski responded to Zambuto’s concerns about the equipment. “The sensors being requested are state-of -the art, best-in-class,” said Skwierawski. “The purpose is to use the data in a research-orientated way with Northeastern University.”