Pepperell Selectmen Signal Opposition to 4-Million-Cubic-Yard Soil Reclamation Plan

PEPPERELL — June 25, 2018 — Pepperell selectmen moved to oppose a proposed soil reclamation project at 161 Nashville Road that could bring an estimated 4 million cubic yards of construction fill through town streets. Acting Town Administrator John Moge was directed to send a formal opposition letter to MassDEP and state legislators and to begin identifying specialized environmental legal counsel, after a public records request confirmed no permit application had yet been filed as of June 20. Resident Tony Beatty told the board that property owner Dave Burton plans to receive roughly $4 per cubic yard of material from Green Line construction — a potential $16 million windfall — and had offered the town $1 million as part of the arrangement. Board members cited road infrastructure damage, proximity to water resources, and the truck routes through the town rotary as grounds for opposition, while residents warned that state-level reclamation proceedings can bypass local approval entirely. The board also unanimously ratified a slate of one-year and three-year municipal appointments before fiscal year end, and discussed a contractual obligation to provide outgoing Town Administrator Mark Andrews with independent legal counsel for an active police investigation.