Pepperell Selectmen Replace Town Counsel, Order Zoning Probe of Soil Site

PEPPERELL — September 24, 2018 — Pepperell selectmen voted to replace their town counsel and formally challenged a proposed soil reclamation site at a September 24 meeting. The board voted 2-1 to appoint KP Law — formerly Copelman and Page — as combined town counsel and labor counsel, dropping Merrick O'Connell over concerns about past labor matters; Selectman Roland Nutter dissented, warning of lost institutional knowledge on active projects. The board also voted unanimously to ask the town's building inspector for a written zoning determination on whether the proposed MCGI soil reclamation facility at 161 Nashua Road is prohibited as a commercial dumping ground under Section 10,000 of the zoning bylaw, a move Interim Town Administrator John Moak framed as part of a deliberate sequence of formal actions while the town awaits outstanding engineering drawings from MCGI to MassDEP. The board appointed Brynn Montesanti to a new combined administrative assistant role covering both the Board of Health and Planning Board, scheduled a dangerous dog hearing for October 15, and set town administrator candidate interviews for October 3 and 4 at 6 p.m.