Committee reviews Atwood remediation and $25 million roads borrowing plan ahead of town meeting

Members of the Capital Improvement and Planning Committee discussed the Atwood site and a proposed roads and sidewalks borrowing authorization during their March 9 meeting, previewing funding and oversight ahead of town meeting.

Chair Jason asked who is leading the Atwood article; Mark said Bill and he are jointly managing the item. Mark and others noted the town previously appropriated funds for engineering and site stabilization and that the next remediation funding is expected to be roughly $900,000. Mark said engineering and design work were completed and that the committee should involve the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection if the committee considers changing the town’s planned course of action.

Select-board representatives described a separate roads and sidewalks borrowing authorization of about $25,000,000. They said the authorization is intended as a multi-year drawdown — roughly a five-year plan that could be extended depending on needs and contractor and seasonal constraints — and that the select board will approve each drawdown when funds are needed.

Committee members said they want a clearer side-by-side reconciliation of the capital lists (what was presented to the select board and advisory committee versus the current draft) so department heads and committee members can trace what has changed, including smaller items that shifted in or out of the plan. Members also noted that deferring capital can push projects out multiple years because of long lead times for municipal equipment.

Next steps: staff and the committee will organize a presentation with the right stakeholders for the Atwood site and prepare a reconciliation of capital lists before finalizing warrant language for town meeting.