Pepperell Selectmen Approve Veterans Benefits Transfer, Bridge Naming, Bond Refunding

PEPPERELL — March 5, 2012 — Pepperell selectmen approved a $26,000 veterans benefits reserve fund transfer, a bridge naming, and a bond refunding authorization at their March 5 meeting. The board unanimously recommended transferring $26,000 from the reserve fund to the veterans benefits account, which held only $4,069 against a monthly payout of $9,203 for 11 veterans currently receiving benefits — pushing estimated fiscal year spending toward $99,000 in an account that once ran to $10,000 with money left over. The board also voted to support a Pepperell Historic Commission petition to the state General Court to name the newly reconstructed Mill Street Bridge the Veterans Bridge. Separately, the board authorized the town treasurer to examine refunding $2,535,000 in general obligation bonds maturing through 2022, a move the town administrator said could save the general budget roughly $70,000. The evening's longest discussion centered on a proposed debt exclusion for a regional high school feasibility study estimated to cost Pepperell $400,000 to $500,000 before a potential 57 percent state reimbursement — with the board deferring action to its March 19 meeting pending legal clarification on whether the School Committee or the Board of Selectmen must place the question on the April 23 ballot.