Pepperell Board Approves COA Appointment, Hears of Mold Crisis at Police Station

PEPPERELL — December 16, 2013 — Pepperell selectmen heard warnings of a $400,000 fiscal 2015 deficit and a mold problem at the public safety complex at their December 16 meeting. Finance Committee Chair Melissa Zanadakis told the Board of Selectmen that without corrective action the town faces a cumulative deficit approaching $2.3 million by fiscal year 2018, and outlined three override options — $600,000, $800,000, or $1 million — each carrying different timelines for relief and capital planning capacity. Town Administrator John reported that a mold inspection firm had found significant contamination on the first floor and basement of the police and fire building, with a state second-opinion inspection pending; he warned that relocating the 911 communications center during any remediation would be "very difficult" and costly. The board unanimously appointed Joan Laddick to the Council on Aging for a term expiring June 30, 2015, and named four new auxiliary police officers — Michael Petraforti, Alex Cotier, Scott Woodward, and Sean Johnson — bringing auxiliary ranks to 18, a force from which more than half of the full-time patrol department's 16 officers have been drawn.