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Resident urges outside investigation into Brick Neck Hill dump cleanup and $3.6M cost
Summary
A resident, identified as Carl Geyer, delivered a citizen petition asking for an independent review into the history and cleanup costs of the Brick Neck Hill site, saying the town should explain how decades of contamination and cleanup obligations arose and who was responsible.
At the Select Board meeting on March 4, resident Carl Geyer presented a citizen’s petition asking for an outside investigation into Brick Neck Hill, a parcel the town acquired decades ago and later remediated at what Geyer described as a roughly $3.5–$4.0 million cost to the town.
Geyer recounted that the site appeared to have been used as a dump and said repeated meetings over decades had not produced a satisfactory explanation for how the town acquired ongoing cleanup liability. He said he collected signatures at the transfer station and presented the petition to the Select Board to secure an independent review of the acquisition history and decision-making that led to the cleanup cost.
Nut graf: Geyer asked the Select Board to put the petition on the warrant so town meeting could decide whether to fund an external review. He said the review should determine how the town came to own and be responsible for the site, whether relevant records and executive‑session notes remain sealed, and whether any actions by officials merited further consequence.
Select Board members pushed back on the proposal for several reasons. Some members noted legal limits: statutes of limitation and the Massachusetts Tort Claims Act could preclude successful recovery or civil claims; others said the town is likely to defend volunteers or officials acting in a discretionary public‑service role and that pursuing an investigation could expose the town to legal or reputational risks. Several Select Board members said the town had prioritized cleanup to protect water resources and that reopening historical questions might not produce practical remedies.
Ending: The Select Board did not support placing the petition on the warrant at that time. Members told Geyer he would be able to present the petition to town meeting and that Select Board and advisory would include their recommendations on any article they are asked to support. Advisory and the Select Board planned to weigh the petition at their upcoming meetings.
