March 23, 2026
Like Your Worst Nightmare, They're Back
Acuity's Appeal will be Heard March 25. 2026

ACUITY UPDATE AND CALL TO ACTION FROM A BETTER CLAREMONT

MARCH 14, 2026

Dear Friend,

A Better Claremont has issued the enclosed Press Alert regarding Acuity Management, Inc.  You will remember the company’s attempt to site a massive construction and demolition (C&D) operation in Claremont.  That proposal prompted approximately 400 people to pack a public hearing at the Claremont Opera House last March.  The public said NO to Acuity.  The Department of Environmental Services (DES) subsequently denied Acuity's permit request, and Acuity appealed.  The Department of Justice accepted the appeal and will hold an appeal hearing.  If Acuity prevails, the DES decision to deny the permit could be overturned.

Please take whatever action you can to help ensure Acuity does not receive a permit for the C&D facility in Claremont.  Suggestions include writing a letter to the editor, contacting your elected officials, and spreading the word.  The Press Alert provides supporting documentation.

YOUR VOICE COUNTS!

Sincerely, A BETTER CLAREMONT

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PRESS ALERT FROM A BETTER CLAREMONT

MARCH 4, 2026

ABC ASKS THE NH DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES TO 

STAND FIRM ON ITS DENIAL OF ACUITY'S WASTE PERMIT

(CLAREMONT)  A Better Claremont (ABC) is issuing an alert following two rulings from the NH Department of Justice (DOJ) on February 25, 2026.  Both decisions concern Acuity Management, Inc. (Acuity) and the request for a permit modification to allow up to 500 tons of toxic construction and demolition (C&D) debris to be imported into Claremont each day.  The NH Department of Environmental Services (DES) denied the modification request on May 22, 2025.  Acuity and the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) appealed, although for different reasons.

The DOJ has accepted Acuity's appeal and set a March 25th date for a prehearing conference to establish parameters for appeal hearings.  The DOJ did not accept the CLF appeal that sought to broaden the scope of the DES denial.

BACKGROUND:

Acuity wants to truck hundreds of thousands of tons of C&D debris into Claremont and use a small lot by Meadow Brook for a massive dump and ship operation.  The property is just off Industrial Boulevard at Claremont Junction near the AMTRAK station and the intersection of River Road, Plains Road, and Maple Avenue, close to residential neighborhoods, a public park, and schools.

The plan is to import approximately 3000 tons of C&D waste into Claremont each week.  Residents of Claremont and neighboring towns are rightfully concerned about a major change-of-use from an existing local recycling business to one of the largest C&D waste depots in New England.  Acuity's proposal would increase noise, truck traffic, and pollution across the City.  Hundreds packed the Claremont Opera House on March 6, 2025 for a public hearing and said NO to Acuity.  DES subsequently ruled against the company.

 DES made the right decision in denying the permit modification that Acuity requested.  ABC urges public officials and area residents to stand firm in opposing Acuity and in supporting Claremont's right to local control.

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION:

DENIAL OF PERMIT MODIFICATION AND WAIVER

ACCEPTANCE OF APPEAL AND NOTICE OF PREHEARING CONFERENCE ON MARCH 25, 2026

NOTICE OF NON-ACCEPTANCE OF APPEAL PETITION FROM CLF

In Claremont, a plan to accept demolition waste at recycling plant is met with fierce resistance - NH Bulletin

Claremont residents pan plan to bring in construction debris - Valley News

CONTACT:

Jim Contois

603-504-8379

jcontois48@gmail.com 

Judith Koester

603-542-0265

judithkoester12@gmail.com

John Tuthill

603-477-6242

johng.tuthill@gmail.com  

May 22, 2025, Claremont, NH.  

Acuity's Application is Denied

New Hampshire regulators deny operating permit for massive transfer station in Claremont

Claremont, NH–The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) has denied a permit for Acuity Management, Inc. to import 500 tons of construction and demolition (C&D) waste into Claremont each day.  The decision culminates a multi-year effort by Acuity to operate a massive dump and ship operation in the city, despite significant opposition from the public. A Better Claremont (ABC) says DES did the right thing.

“DES listened to reason and did the right thing,” states John Tuthill of Acworth and a member of ABC. “Acuity’s proposal did not add up.”

Acuity Management, Inc. of Methuen, MA wanted to bring hundreds of thousands of tons of C&D debris into Claremont and use a small lot by Meadow Brook for a massive dump and ship operation. Acuity proposed importing approximately 3000 tons of C&D waste into the city each week. Area residents were rightfully concerned about a major change-of-use from an existing local recycling business to one of the largest C&D waste depots in New Hampshire.

Acuity’s proposal was contentious from the start, with public officials and area residents alarmed at the scale of Acuity’s plan. A public hearing in March drew hundreds who urged DES to deny the permit. Concerns about pollution, Acuity’s ability to effectively handle C&D, and the obvious bad location for such an operation eventually led to the DES decision.

“New Hampshire and the region must move toward better management of C&D waste with source segregation of materials at both construction and demolition sites. That will help determine what we can reuse and recycle and what we need to carefully manage as a hazardous material,” states Haley Jones of Slingshot, and an advisor to ABC.

Rebecca MacKenzie of ABC agrees: “ABC does not want any other community to go through the threat of takeover by the private waste industry. Dumping thousands of tons of mixed C&D waste onto a downstream community is poor management that endangers our health and environment.”

About A Better Claremont:  ABC is a local group working to help Claremont be a healthy and vibrant community. See www.abetterclaremont.org for more information.