Concord advisory panel reviews EPA groundwater comments, readies for community updates and Feb. public hearing on 2229 Main Street report

Members of a Town of Concord oversight committee discussed EPA responses to their comments on a groundwater monitoring report, concerns raised by the Green Action Committee about plume extent and sampling, plans to attend upcoming EPA community update meetings, and outreach ahead of a select board public hearing on the 2229 Main Street advisory task force report.

The group approved the committee minutes from Dec. 20 with a single change to strike one name from the attendance list; the minutes were recorded as approved with three affirmative votes and one abstention (Fred). The committee also discussed two emails previously sent to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — comments on the Brown Water Monitoring Report and on a 60% design submittal for a holding basin — and noted that the EPA had replied with a nonpublic letter that included a multi‑page submission from the Green Action Committee.

The Green Action Committee, the members said, formed decades ago to press for cleanup of contamination threatening wells in nearby Acton and has since followed the Starmet site closely. Committee members summarized the Green Action Committee’s written concerns as focused on: requests for clearer graphs and time‑series presentations of contaminant levels; uncertainty about the spatial delineation of the contaminant plume to the north and west; and the potential for interannual groundwater level variability (drought versus wet years) to affect modeling results and apparent concentration variance. "We need modeling that shows that our water supply is safe too," one member said when describing Green Action Committee concerns.

Committee members said they had not yet digested the full Green Action Committee submission; they requested additional time to review the multi‑page comments before drafting follow‑up. The oversight group asked to be included in upcoming EPA community update sessions. A committee member said the EPA is holding a Teams community update call that the group plans to join; the meeting was described in the discussion as scheduled "next Wednesday" from 10 a.m. to noon (a January Teams update), and a March meeting was also mentioned but not yet scheduled.

Members raised procedural questions under Massachusetts open meeting rules about attending a meeting run by another body. Terry (staff member) advised that, if a quorum of the committee will attend an outside meeting, the committee must post notice of that attendance; the group agreed to check with the town clerk and to post if required. Committee members also noted some EPA documents associated with the community updates had been provided as invitation‑only; they discussed whether such materials should be treated like other nonpublic briefings and how to reconcile that with public‑meeting requirements.

The committee also discussed the 2229 Main Street advisory task force report, which the group said is posted on the town web site. The select board will hold a public hearing on the report; participants in the meeting said the hearing is expected in early February (members cited Feb. 10 and Feb. 11 in different remarks) and that the select board had not yet posted the hearing agenda or link. Committee members agreed to encourage attendance at the select board hearing and to prepare a draft meeting notice to help the public find the item once the select board posts it.

Several speakers raised resident and employee concerns tied to a possible future town acquisition or reuse of the Starmet property and related sites. Members said some town employees had expressed worry about working at a town facility located on or near the former industrial site. Committee members urged careful risk communication if town operations were ever proposed for the property, noting that cleanup standards and audience‑specific messaging should be part of outreach. David, speaking as the committee’s risk‑communication contact, suggested using the task force’s written risk‑communication section, which already includes suggested messages and target audiences.

No new formal policy decisions were made beyond the approval of minutes and a motion to adjourn. Committee directions included: (1) Terry will check with the town clerk on posting requirements if a quorum plans to attend the EPA update; (2) the committee will seek invitations and access to the EPA Teams call and any follow‑up March meeting; and (3) the group will prepare a draft notice to make the Feb. select board hearing on the 2229 Main Street task force report easier for the public to find.

The meeting closed after members confirmed next steps on outreach and review of EPA and Green Action Committee comments.