Town, Broadrock Reach Settlement

Officials from the town of Johnston and Broadrock Renewables are scheduled to hold a press conference at 3:30 p.m Tuesday afternoon.

Mayor Joseph Polisena said in a statement that he plans to announce a settlement to the lawsuit between the town and the company, which operates gas-extraction systems at the Central Landfill.

This summer, the town has responded to both of Broadrock's operating sites, first finding duct tape and mop handles holding together the methane-carrying pipes from the newer of the two systems.

Then, in mid-July, a gas pipe apparently exploded at Broadrock's older site, leading Gov. Lincoln Chafee to visit the blast zone.

Also earlier this summer, Polisena and officials from Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation announced a $3-million settlement to the lawsuit brought by the town in December, 2011, after a summer of noxious odors from the landfill.

Polisena formed a committee to decide how best to spend the money for renovations to the Johnston High School athletic fields.