By Rod Hansen
Staff Writer

Town-sponsored debris containers and portable toilets in flood-damaged areas can stay a little bit longer, but they won’t be there forever.

That was the consensus Goffstown selectmen reached at their Monday, June 29, meeting. It was a rough agreement, though, with some selectmen asking for the policy to be reviewed while others called for certain withdrawal dates.

“I’m not inclined to go with another month,” board Chairman Barbara Griffin said regarding the debris containers stationed in The Parks, an area of town in which dozens of homes suffered damage during the Mother’s Day floods.

“I’m also concerned that having Dumpsters sitting in the heat could cause a serious health concern,” Griffin said.

Selectman Nick Campasano took an opposing position, saying the debris containers should remain in the area for at least another month.

“I was down in the area this weekend, and the Dumpsters are full of debris,” Campasano said. He went on to say both the debris containers and the portable toilets should remain in the neighborhood.

“There are still people living without plumbing, so I think the toilets are still needed. I believe we should revisit this in a month,” Campasano said.

Griffin said the town currently has placed five portable toilets in the area at the cost of $100 each, which will stay in place until July 8. She said Building Inspector Ed Nevue recommended removing the toilets from the area.

Some residents of the neighborhood attended the meeting to comment on the issue.

Mark Payne, a resident of Lynchville Park Road, advocated leaving the toilets and the trash containers in the area, as residents are still recovering from flood damage.

“I know there are probably only three houses I can think of that are back up. People are still waiting for insurance money, and about 90 percent haven’t seen anything. If you take (the trash containers and the toilets) away from them, it would be like pushing them down when they’ve already been thrown under the bus,” Payne said.

Danis Park resident Deb Gaudette also advocated leaving the trash containers in the area longer.

“There’s still a bunch of us who have lost vehicles and don’t have any way to get to the dump,” Gaudette said.

She also addressed the argument that debris containers should only be used for flood-damaged items and not new building materials.

“I know there’s new construction materials in the Dumpsters, but that’s what we need to do to get our houses up and running,” she said.

Members of the board voted to continue providing the trash containers, portable toilets and other relief for flooding victims, but within a more limited time frame.

The board voted to remove the toilets on Aug. 8 by a margin of 3-1, with Griffin opposed, having stated previously she favored an earlier removal.

Board members voted unanimously to extend the debris containers’ stay in the Parks for another two weeks, at which time the policy would be reviewed.

The board voted by a margin of 3-1 to extend waivers for material disposal fees at the transfer station until review on July 24, with Griffin opposing.

Selectman Bruce Hunter did not attend the meeting.