Pepperell Selectmen Hold Packed Informational Session on 4-Million-Cubic-Yard Fill Proposal

PEPPERELL — August 20, 2018 — Pepperell residents packed a special Board of Selectmen session to challenge a proposal by Mass Composting Group Inc. to fill a 50-acre former gravel pit at 161 Nashua Road with up to 4 million cubic yards of imported soil. Board Chair Roland Nutter opened the August 20 informational meeting by asking opponents to stand — the majority of the room rose — and told the crowd the town had retained attorneys to guide its response. The company's team, led by attorney Robin Main of Hinckley Allen and Licensed Site Professional Phil Peterson of Terra Environmental LLC, said the project would operate under a MassDEP Administrative Consent Order with deliveries of 8 to 10 truckloads per hour on weekdays, totaling an estimated 64 to 100 trucks daily for seven to ten years. Residents challenged the company on prior topographic records suggesting the proposed grade of roughly 340 to 380 feet far exceeds the pre-mining high of 227 feet, on comparisons to failed ACO projects in Uxbridge and Rutland, and on the proximity of the site to the Nashua River. Nashua River Watershed Association water programs director Martha Morgan and founder Marion Stoddard appeared to oppose the project, citing the river's hard-won swimmable and fishable status. Selectman Bill Greathead said he believes, with legal and citizen help, "we can stop this thing."