The conclusion has finally arrived. What began as negotiations in 2007 between the city and Eastern Minerals has now reached a successful resolution. Monday evening’s city council votes at city hall will ratify both a memorandum between the city and Eastern Minerals and an accompanying loan provision. Together, these agreements establish a major public park along the Chelsea River; mandate the removal of aging and leaking asphalt storage tanks; authorize road and sidewalk improvements of exceptional scope (all funded by Eastern Minerals); and call for an artificial playing field at Highland Park matching the one constructed at Chelsea High School approximately seven years ago. In exchange, Eastern Minerals will reduce the height of its salt stockpiles while gaining the ability to expand its storage footprint, and the city will cease efforts to remove the company from its 30 year home on the waterfront. Measured as a contest, this memorandum would read Chelsea 60 – Eastern Minerals 25. Eastern Minerals’ financial commitment exceeds $1 million in total, with $500,000 of that designated for the city to construct the artificial surface at Highland Park. The benefits to thousands of the city’s young people from that field alone are substantial. The city’s available space for soccer, football and track will effectively double. Salt storage will naturally grow under the memorandum’s terms, as will accessible public open space along the waterfront, expanding by approximately 31,000 square feet. The Chelsea waterfront east of the Meridian Street Bridge will become publicly accessible for the first time since the early 1930’s, when a swimming beach operated in what was then a contaminated waterway. This memorandum and loan agreement represents a victory for both Eastern Minerals and the city. We commend the city council for achieving this outcome. We recognize City Manager Jay Ash for developing the memorandum. We also recognize Eastern Minerals and the Mahoney Family for their vision and generosity toward the city’s youth.
City council ruling a fait accompli
