Board approves three-year waste contract with Casella, authorizes manager to sign pending final review

Bow Town selectmen voted on June 23 to award a three-year solid-waste and recycling contract to Casella Waste Management of Massachusetts Inc., authorizing the town manager to sign the agreement pending final review by the town attorney.

The motion to award the contract was made by Speaker 5 and seconded by Speaker 3; the board approved the motion by voice. The transcript records the board’s approval but does not provide a roll-call vote or a numerical tally.

Speaker 1 (town staff) told the board negotiations had been ongoing and that town attorney Eric Mayer was close to finalizing the proposal. Staff presented proposed first-year rates and described the annual adjustment formula; the contract includes an automatic annual adjustment equal to the greater of 5% or a CPI-based figure, according to Speaker 1. The transcript contains partially unclear price figures for the first-year rates; staff characterized the overall contract cost as modestly higher than the current budget and said the first-year cost is roughly $140–$170 short of the approved budget.

Board members asked how the change would affect resident services. Speaker 5 asked whether residents would need to replace carts or pay for swaps; Speaker 1 replied that cart replacement and repair would continue to be handled through the town’s regular DPW support and that residents should still be able to swap damaged carts at DPW without paying the contractor directly. Staff committed to confirm whether subscription fees for optional extra totes would be honored or changed under the new contract.

Several board members raised concerns that Casella’s purchase of longtime regional hauler Pinard Waste could reduce competition in the local market. Speaker 1 said the town received two formal proposals (Waste Management and Casella) and that a third prospective vendor attended the pre-bid meeting but declined to submit, citing capital costs required to operate routes for communities this size.

Selectmen recommended the solid-waste committee examine alternatives — including potential centralized drop-off locations and separating recyclables rather than commingling — to identify long-term cost-saving options ahead of future procurement cycles.

The contract was described in the meeting as contingent on final legal review; staff will return a final contract for signature and implementation steps once that review is complete.