Pepperell Selectmen Authorize 911 Regionalization Study That Could Save $321,000 Annually

PEPPERELL — September 28, 2015 — Pepperell selectmen voted unanimously to authorize a plan to regionalize 911 dispatch services, a move that could save the town up to $321,000 annually. Beverly Woods, executive director of the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments, presented two options: joining the Nashoba Valley Regional Emergency Communication Center in Devens at $159,000 per year — a savings of roughly $227,000 over the current budget — or joining the Groton Regional Emergency Communications Center at $65,000 per year, saving approximately $321,000. The board voted to direct Town Administrator Mark Andrews to work with Police Chief David Scott, Fire Chief Toby Tyler, and Communications Director David Stairs to develop a plan for final board approval. In a separate action, the board unanimously imposed a 10-day liquor license suspension on Tea Cafe at 2 Tarbell Street, along with a license modification requiring surveillance cameras, a new manager of record, and annual on-site alcohol server training — the latest action in a violation history stretching back to 2013. The board also rejected two proposed zoning bylaw amendments, including a revision to the accessory apartment bylaw that Town Counsel Ned Richardson said would effectively convert every single-family district in town into a general residence district "without any control."