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COMMUNITY NEWS Hudson firefighters help battle pair of fires in Stow
By Dakota Antelman Managing Editor HUDSON - A large fire drew Hudson firefighters to Stow last Thursday night as part of a three-alarm response involving personnel from over a dozen area fire departments.
Firefighters were then back in Stow just a matter of days later when a second fire leveled a barn. Hudson, once again, joined a multi-agency response to that incident.
Though no-one was injured in the Thursday house fire, a family of four was displaced after flames burned their 2.5 story home on a wooded hill off Wheeler Road in town, according to a press release.
A firefighter from one of several responding departments then did sustain minor injuries in the barn fire. They were reportedly treated on the scene and were not identified in official statements from the Stow Fire Department.
PHOTO/VIA HUDSON FIREFIGHTERS LOCAL 1713
A large house fire in Stow drew Hudson firefighters to the scene last week as part of a broad, multi-agency response.
Firefighters contend with challenging conditions at house fire
Flames were first reported on Thursday around 8:30 p.m.
First responding crews reportedly arrived to see smoke visible in the affected home.
With no nearby fire hydrants, those crews quickly called for backup to help fight the fire.
Ultimately, the Stow Fire Department said on Thursday night that water had to be pumped close to 2,000 feet uphill from a stream to support
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the emergency response.
Hudson contributed to the response, in part, by utilizing its tower truck to support exterior firefighting efforts.
The fire remained under investigation as of Thursday.
The American Red Cross of Massachusetts had been called to assist the displaced family.
“It was difficult to access water at this fire, but crews pushed through,” Stow Fire Chief John Benoit said in that aforementioned press release.
He further thanked mutual aid partners, including fire departments in Hudson, Clinton, Acton, Berlin, Maynard, Lancaster, Harvard, Bolton, Boxborough, Shirley, Concord and Sudbury for their support.
Barn fire poses additional challenges
The affected barn in the barn fire, which took place on Saturday, was empty at the time of the incident, according to the Stow Fire Department.
While there was lightning reported in the area, the fire also remained under investigation as of publication.
Firefighters from Maynard, Bolton, Lancaster, Clinton, Boxborough, Sudbury and Berlin responded alongside Stow and Hudson personnel, again facing difficult conditions.
The barn was located down a 2,000 foot driveway, far from available water supplies.
Firefighters said humidity further necessitated ample time for firefighters to rest during their response.
MassDEP fines Waste Management for Marlborough transfer station violations
By Dakota Antelman Managing Editor
MARLBOROUGH - Waste Management is facing a fine after the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) said it violated a series of waste regulations at its transfer station on Route 20 in Marlborough.
MassDEP announced this action last Wednesday, leveling a $7,373 penalty.
In a statement, MassDEP said Waste Management “allowed the operator of its solid waste transfer station in Marlborough to transport drums of waste oil and waste coolant to Waste Management’s landfill in the Town of Westminster for disposal.”
The Westminster site is not an approved destination for such wastes, according to MassDEP.
Regulators said the hauler that transported this waste oil was also reportedly not licensed to do so.
PHOTO/STUART FOSTER Waste Management is facing a fine for violations at its location on Route 20 in Marlborough.
MassDEP continued, adding that Waste Management had not submitted a five-year solid waste transfer station certification for its Marlborough site.
MassDEP Central Regional Office Director Mary Jude Pigsley explained last week that Waste Management had contacted officials after identifying and intercepting oil and coolant improperly shipped to its landfill.
In addition to its monetary penalty, a settlement now calls on Waste Management to “submit a plan to manage waste oil and other materials incidentally received at the Marlborough transfer station other than by transporting such materials to its Westminster landfill.”
“Companies in the solid waste handling business must be diligent about identifying and properly managing waste liquids, particularly waste oil, in order to minimize exposure to the public health and the environment,” Pigsley said.
This took place at Waste Management’s transfer station at 791 Boston Post Road. That site sits across Route 20 from Marlborough’s public drop-off facility.
Waste Management representatives were unavailable for comment as of publication.
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By Stuart Foster Reporter MARLBOROUGH – The Marlborough City Council voted 10-0 last week to approve a $180,503,099 municipal operating budget for the 2023 fiscal year.
Meeting on Monday, the vote came after Mayor Arthur Vigeant had previously submitted a budget proposal for $181,260,899. The Finance Committee made cuts to that plan during budget hearings on May 2 and May 4, as documented in a Finance Committee report sent to the Community Advocate.
The cuts included $101,300 in the Assessor’s Office budget, $5,500 in the Human Resources budget, $100,000 to property and building maintenance to implement energy conservation measures, $200,000 in salary underruns because of vacant and retiring positions, $100,000 to school maintenance sections to implement energy conservation measures and $300,000 in cuts to to capital projects that were instead funded by American Rescue Plan funding to reduce a burden on taxpayers.
“Congratulations everyone,” said City Council President Michael Ossing after the budget was approved.
Fire station | from page 1
“The Council is on board to support a fire station,” Ossing said, citing recent votes by the Council.
Project ‘insurmountable to achieve,’ mayor says
Vigeant wrote in his letter that he saw no path forward for the fire station’s construction. He listed a number of variables in the project including negotiations with the state, negotiations with local communities and finding agreements with a reluctant seller.
This comes after a series of disputes between the City Council and the mayor in City Council meetings, written communications and other public comments.
“I was more than willing to take on the challenge and had begun the process,” Vigeant wrote. “But a non-committed City Council for this project at this location at this time makes it insurmountable to achieve.”
PHOTO/DAKOTA ANTELMAN A car passes the site of Marlborough’s proposed West Side Fire Station.
Mayor, City Council debate funding question
Vigeant and the City Council initially clashed earlier this year over how to allocate $1.4 million in regard to this project.
The City Council specified that the money, which originated as a mitigation payment from a special permit for a housing development, should be transferred to the West Side Fire Station Stabilization Account for use in the fire station’s construction.
Vigeant had previously not transferred the amount, instead saying that he wanted to transfer it directly to an account to purchase the land at 100 Locke Drive for the proposed station.
This led to multiple chapters in the ongoing dispute, with the City Council at one point making the authorization of money to purchase the fire station land contingent on transferring the $1.4 million.
Vigeant issued multiple vetoes in response to that order.
The council continued discussion, voting earlier this month to ask the mayor to submit a new request to the City Council seeking approval to buy the property while sending the $1.4 million to the West Side Fire Station Stabilization Account.
“This do-over will demonstrate the collaborative working relationship between the mayor and the city council with the goal of both parties, which is to move the West Side fire station forward,” Ossing said at the time.
As the City Council voted on what Councilor Samantha Perlman called an “olive branch,” Councilor Laura Wagner questioned whether the stabilization account transfer was necessary.
“If that thing’s going to kill the whole deal again, why are we still talking about it?” Wagner asked.
Vigeant did eventually submit a transfer request to move the money as the City Council had requested last week. He discussed the larger project’s status in the same message to the council though.
“I have been consistent since the beginning of discussions on this project,” he wrote in his letter. “If it appeared there was no path forward for the building of the fire station, I would request the transfer. The time is here.”
Fire station project dates back multiple years
A fire station on Marlborough’s West Side has been a major priority for Vigeant and various city officials since the construction of the Apex Center in the area and a larger expansion of residential development in that part of the city.
Fire Chief Kevin Breen has specifically noted concerns about the Marlborough Fire Department’s response time for calls in the West Side.
Prompted by some of these concerns, the city formed a fire station study committee, which identified a site by the intersection of Elm and Bigelow Street as the best location for a new fire station.
Backed by city officials and a number of city councilors, the station site has prompted debate.
Fire station | 7
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Marlborough City Council considers $1 million library cost overrun
By Stuart Foster Reporter MARLBOROUGH – Marlborough’s library project may be on track to run $1 million over budget after unanticipated cost overruns.
Mayor Arthur Vigeant sent a letter to the Marlborough City Council last month requesting its review and approval for a $1 million transfer to cover these costs.
Vigeant wrote that the historic library’s terra cotta main entrance is made of large masonry units that are steel reinforced. During the renovation process, crews discovered that parts of the steel reinforcement had been severely rusted or rotted.
“The recommended repair is to remove the blocks in their entirety, repair the steel reinforcing in the blocks and brick wall and reinstall them
Marlborough fire station project on hold
Fire station | from page 6
At a listening session held last year, some residents said they were worried about increased noise, traffic and light pollution as a result of a new fire station in their neighborhood.
A City Council vote to allow Vigeant to negotiate and acquire necessary real estate last year was then decided on a narrow 6-5 margin.
At Vigeant’s inauguration earlier this year he urged the Council to approve a separate request for funds to purchase the land for the fire station, saying that there was no perfect location but that the station should be a priority.
On that same day, Ossing said that community members were supportive of a West Side fire station, saying that he expected the station to be funded in the legislative session.
PHOTO/DAKOTA ANTELMAN
Construction equipment sits around the historic portion of the Marlborough Public Library, which has remained standing through renovation work.
including repair or replacement of blocks that are nonrepairable,” Vigeant wrote.
He also wrote that the anticipated cost of this repair is $1 million, adding that “a decision needs to be made” about whether Marlborough should have them repaired, or replaced with something cheaper.
Renovations on the historic library have been underway since last year.
The project involves an extensive overhaul, with crews demolishing much of the previous library structure while preserving the most historic, original portion of the building.
Speaking with the Community Advocate earlier this year, crews reported that they were roughly on schedule in the project, save for a one week delay.
Library staff and construction personnel were then scheduled to hold a topping off ceremony this week to mark recent progress with the library project as of publication..
The City Council referred this matter to its finance committee during its meeting on Monday of last week.
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