Bankruptcy filing won't keep owner from operating waste plant in Pittsfield

PITTSFIELD — The owner of Pittsfield’s aging waste-to-energy plant on Hubbard Avenue recently filed for bankruptcy, but Community Eco Power still is planning to operate the facility for the foreseeable future.

Mayor Linda Tyer and a lawyer who represents Community Eco Power in its Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing said the company plans to continue operating the 40-year-old facility through the current legal proceedings and beyond.

“That is absolutely the plan,” said attorney Sam Anderson of the law firm Bernstein Shur of Portland, Maine, which represents Community Eco Power. The company filed for Chapter 11 on June 25 in Massachusetts Bankruptcy Court.

“What they’ve told us is, this is a restructuring of their debt,” Tyer said.

In addition to keeping the plant open, Community Eco Power also plans to keep the workforce at its current level, Tyer said. As of June 18, Pittsfield’s plant had 21 employees. Six of them are salaried employees, while the remaining 15 receive hourly salary compensation, according to the bankruptcy filing.

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