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Select Board pauses fire-station hearing after presentation alleges residual contamination and $1M in soil-removal costs
Summary
A board member's 26-slide presentation said technical reports show residual petroleum contamination at the planned 61—65 West Main Street fire station and that the town has spent about $1,054,030 on soil removal, prompting the fire chief and deputy to request more time to respond; the Select Board voted 4—1 to continue the matter to a future meeting.
Mr. Jones, identified in the transcript as the complainant, presented a 26-slide PowerPoint to the Town of Northborough Select Board asserting that site reports and follow-up testing show residual petroleum-contaminated soils remain at the 6165 West Main Street site where the town plans to build a new fire station. "There were 39 post-excavation soil samples; three of those samples contained petroleum hydrocarbons above the applicable M1RC standards," Mr. Jones said, reading from the seller's August 2022 report.
He cited a geotechnical email dated April 1, 2024 that noted an "apparent by-odor petroleum product" encountered during exploratory borings, and a May 28, 2024 letter from the town's licensed site professional (LSP) warning that "residual contaminated soils remain" and that excavated soils could be "unsuitable" and require off-site disposal. Mr. Jones also said removal to date totaled "6,034.29 ton, 174 truckloads" and that the town had paid "$1,054,030" related to contaminated-soil work, with additional approvals of about $130,000 and an original budget of $300,000.
Town counsel and several board members said they had reviewed the notice and found no legal barrier to proceeding with the presentation. The chief and deputy, who had been invited to the meeting, declined to answer questions and asked for a postponement so they could review the material and consult counsel. Speaking on behalf of the chief and deputy, an attorney said proceeding without sufficient notice "would violate our rights to due process," and requested that Mr. Jones's PowerPoint not be placed on public record or shared beyond board members until the parties could prepare.
Board members disagreed on the best immediate course. Some argued the public should see the documentation now; others said giving the chief and deputy time to prepare was the fair option. The LSP's prior public statements were raised repeatedly: one board member noted that certain test pits had come back "none detected" in the areas tested, while the LSP's written summary and the seller's report showed some samples above M1RC levels in other locations. The transcript records both lines of argument: that the site meets DEP standards for health risk and that residual contamination nonetheless exists in some locations and can materially increase excavation and disposal costs.
After extended debate, the board voted to continue the discussion to a later meeting to allow the town's fire chief and deputy the opportunity to review the materials and appear with counsel. The motion to continue passed 4-1. The chair said Mr. Jones would present tonight and the board would take questions, and that the chief and deputy could return with counsel to respond in the next meeting.
What happens next: The board recorded the continuation vote and asked staff to schedule a follow-up meeting. The board did not take any disciplinary or policy action at the session; it limited its vote to continuing the agenda item to provide time for responses and counsel review.
