Pepperell Selectmen Unanimously Approve Special Permit for Holmes Automotive Operators

PEPPERELL — April 27, 2020 — Pepperell selectmen unanimously approved a new special permit for Holmes Automotive on Nashua Road and heard a pitch for a municipal LED streetlight conversion projected to save roughly $38,000 a year. The board voted to reissue the special permit to operators Kevin Scott and Nicholas Poconis — who are buying the 36-year-old business from owner Roger Holmes — adding three conditions to the 1984 original: permitted hours matching the original 7-to-7 weekday and 7-to-1 Saturday schedule, a five-year review, and a requirement that any future sale of the business come back before the board for approval. Town Administrator Andrew Dowd presented Real Term Energy Corp.'s desktop analysis showing Pepperell's current annual streetlight cost of approximately $58,000 dropping to roughly $20,000 after purchasing the National Grid-owned infrastructure and converting to LED, with an estimated payback period of 3.3 years and an up-front audit cost of approximately $12,000. Dowd said he will complete due-diligence work — including confirming the audit funds are available and checking references with other municipalities — before returning to the board with a formal recommendation. The Finance Committee separately reported a nearly balanced fiscal year operating budget after 10 meetings, with two police officer positions and a fire department per diem expansion on hold pending marijuana business revenue.