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(ATMoB:Discuss) Victory in Lynnfield over car dealer

Hi all,

        Just want to report on a victory over the "bright" forces. Herb 
Chambers owner of Flagship Motors on Rt. one in Lynnfield (Mercedes 
dealer) as some of you know, put up 150,000 watts of metal halide 
lighting with many glare bombs a few years ago. I got the town to pass a 
light pollution law shortly after that (1998) because it is so obtrusive 
to the area.
        Well..... He now wants to expand his business, and asked to 
rezone 5.4 acres behind his business to expand his parking lot. In 
return, he would give a few acres to the town for conservation. At the 
last town meeting I spoke against this, and pointed out his bad 
lighting. Tonight there was a special meeting of the planning board, and 
the place was packed, standing room only.
        Mr. Chambers lawyers and engineers presented the plan, and 
stated how they would "fix" the current lights and only use full cutoffs 
for the new lot. But here is the best part: He then brought out Ken 
James from BU, presented him as a "professional" astronomer from BU to 
describe the lights and how they would be astro and environmentally OK. 
Ken James is in fact an astronomer I know (He has spoken at the ATMoB in 
the past), and they brought him out to specifically counter what I would 
have to say later. I am amazed, do you think I am getting under his skin 
a bit to go to that much trouble? People sitting around me were 
chuckling as they knew exactly what he was brought in to counter. The 
astronomer then demonstrated the new lights.
        Herb Chambers also has been taking out full page adds in the 
local paper, and one of his points is to make the lighting better. When 
I got up to speak, however, I pointed out this is really too little and 
too late. He put up some shielding recently on some of the light poles, 
but not all, and this was only after a legal challenge and he paid a 
fine. He has done nothing about other existing light poles still "grand 
fathered in", and he still has glare bombs on the building and around 
the property that negate any minor shielding they put up. Plus the light 
intensity is massively overdone anyway, far exceeding the 20 foot-candle 
standard now in force. The Chair of the planning board actually publicly 
thanked me for getting the light pollution law in place (Does this show 
Bias?).
        There were many townspeople who then got up and described the 
horror of living next to this car dealer, and brought out many other 
environmental laws the dealer has broken (spray painting autos in the 
woods behind the dealer with no pollution controls, breaking of many 
restrictions the town had originally placed on the dealer, etc., etc.). 
In Fact for the outdoor auto body work, the Board of health Chairman who 
was there states that he will file a fine against the car dealer!!
         So.... the vote was unanimous to recommend no change in zoning 
for Herb Chambers, killing his chance to expand. It is not yet over, he 
can appeal to the town meeting for a vote, but.....fat chance.
        After the meeting one of his hired guns (Lawyers) came up to me 
and sneered..."you know, this is not Arizona"  (A reference to an 
example of good lighting in dealers I had made.).  My response 
was..."does that mean that the citizens of  Massachusetts should have 
any less of a quality of life"   He just walked away.
        I am still blown away that they would hire and bring a BU 
astronomer to a town planning board meeting just to counter me, I think 
I got his attention!!  For all those fighting local issues out there, 
this shows what can be done with persistence and determination! Life 
does not get much better when you win against a light polluter and also 
get a fine against him as well!

Mario Motta, MD
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