The company also agreed to pay up to $75,000 for independent environmental testing in its largely residential South Easton neighborhood.

The limits on production will mean a loss of jobs, the company president said.

"There will be a reduction in workforce soon," said Belcher Corp. President Richard Porter.

The agreement, in the form of an administrative consent order from the state Department of Environmental Protection, followed five months of complaints by neighbors to the state about odor, noise and dust pollution from the foundry, which is a prime supplier of automotive parts to General Motors and Ford.

"This will provide tremendous immediate relief for all the neighbors," said state Rep. Geraldine Creedon, D-Brockton. "It means (the foundry) will be closed Saturday and Sunday and in the nighttime and will not be running an operation then that creates dust and odor."

Creedon credited the state DEP with "really stepping up to the plate and taking steps to protect people," especially after a public forum in April that was attended by more than 100 residents upset with the foundry's 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week operation.

Selectman John Haederle, who served as a liaison between Belcher and neighborhood residents, called the consent order "a responsible outcome of a process that has been a long time in the making.

"I'm encouraged and pleased that the DEP is finally exercising its authority and responsibility in solving the needs of neighbors," Haederle said.

Porter, Belcher's president, said the DEP order essentially limits the number of hours the company can run its two dust collectors, which in turn limits its ability to run its molding and casting operations, the heart of foundry work.

"It's reduced our molding (operation) by 30 percent," Porter said. "By limiting our molding by 30 percent, we limit our revenue by 30 percent, and then we lose jobs."

Porter said he could not yet say how many jobs will be lost, but added that workers' wages already have been cut because of the cutback in hours.

The number of full-time employees at Belcher has grown to almost 150, Porter said. Workers earn an average hourly wage of more than $14 and receive health insurance paid 100 percent by the company, he said.

Porter said Belcher has prided itself on being "the best in the world at what we do."

"Now (our) customers can't get everything they want," Porter said. "The possibility is there for them to outsource the work to other operations or overseas.

"I hear everyone talking about not outsourcing work, but here the state of Massachusetts is forcing our customers to outsource by limiting our hours," Porter said.

Creedon said the state's intention would never be to cause a loss of manufacturing jobs.

"That wasn't the goal, to unemploy people," Creedon said. "The goal was for the people who live there to be able to breathe, and to sleep at night."

Residents have complained that the foundry, at 558 Foundry St., Route 106, has generated noise that awakens them in the night, stained their houses, pools and cars with black soot, and emitted odors so unpleasant they are unable to open their windows.

The DEP consent order documented several instances in March, May, June and September in which state inspectors documented air pollution conditions in the neighborhood that were caused by the foundry.

The state also reviewed the foundry's hourly records and found that Belcher had been exceeding its regulated hours of operation for two bag houses since Oct. 1, when it switched to round-the-clock production.

As a result, the state said Belcher cannot operate its Disa Line, main vibrating conveyor, Hunter Auto Pour Station, Electric Induction Furnaces or melt deck and associated bag houses for more than 16 hours a day.

It limited those hours to between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. In the event of a mechanical failure, the foundry can continue operation until 2 a.m., as long as the 16-hour daily limit is not exceeded.

Porter said that doesn't mean the foundry can't be open for other work in the nighttime.

"It limits the number of hours we can produce castings," Porter said. "We can finish castings anytime ... There will be cars in the parking lot 24/7. That has nothing to do with our molding operation."

Vicki-Ann Downing can be reached at vdowning@enterprisenews.com

Copyright: The Enterprise, 60 Main St., P.O. Box 1450, Brockton, MA 02303-1450

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