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Gardner Board of Health flags landfill cap repairs as MassDEP compliance issue; funding referred to council
Summary
The Gardner Board of Health reported corrective actions after a CEC inspection and said erosion on the landfill cap will require city funding; the department said MassDEP will classify the work as maintenance and the finance committee has referred the funding request back to the full City Council.
The Gardner City Board of Health on Nov. 24 was told erosion on the capped landfill requires repair work that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection will treat as maintenance, and the health department is seeking city funding and outside grant support.
Health department staff said a CEC inspection on Oct. 22 produced a corrective action plan identifying erosion and let‑down channel repairs on the south side of the landfill cap. The department does not currently have budgeted funds for that work and will bring options to the finance committee and the City Council. “I will update as soon as I hear something,” the department representative said about the pending finance committee discussion.
Why it matters: the board was briefed that the failing cap and related groundwater‑pumping problems have regulatory implications. The department described past budget allocations for pump repairs, but said earlier contract requests expired, new bids returned higher prices than expected and only one responsive bid was received this year, which contributed to confusion at the finance committee level.
The department said the contractor who submitted the single bid is prepared to start but is waiting on funding approval. The health staff explained that part of the money had been set aside in a prior cycle but the RFP expired and the city must either re‑bid or secure additional funds. The finance committee returned the item to full council for clarification about whether previous funds remained available.
The board also was told the department plans to ask Keller & Partners, the city’s grant‑writing firm, to search for external funding sources. The health representative said they will present clearer cost and scope information at the next finance‑committee meeting.
Next steps: the department will seek clarity from finance committee and City Council on available funds and proposals for contracting. The board did not take a formal vote on funding at the Nov. 24 meeting.
