Board hears report of long-standing illegal dump at Rum Cove; state cleanup program may help in June

Charlotte, a Select Board member, reported that a small pile of trash — described as wood, debris and some mattresses that appears to have been there for years — was found at Rum Cove and inspected by state forest rangers.

"...there is a small pile of trash that was dumped illegally there, which we came aware of this summer," Charlotte said. She told fellow board members the state runs a program that can remove sites like that during June, supplying a truck and asking for local volunteers to help load material.

Board members clarified that the state program is intended for illegal-dump sites (rather than debris placed by landowners) and noted the Rum Cove pile lacked identifying materials such as mail or receipts, so the responsible party is unknown. The board asked members to watch for similar sites as the town moves closer to June.

No formal vote or funding decision was made; the board discussed joining the state program and flagged the item for follow-up before the state's June cleanup season.