Planning Board accepts EDC charter
Selectman Tim Clark, BOS liaison to the Planning Board, reported this week that the Planning Board has accepted the version of the charter for the Economic Development Committee that the BOS approved in late September. Now that both bodies have agreed on a charter, the four-member EDC can begin its work.
At the urging of Selectwoman Marie Sobalvarro, the BOS voted 3-2 at its last meeting to amend the EDC charter to make clear that its recommendations had to mesh with the town’s Master Plan. The language was part of the warrant article approved in May by Town Meeting but dropped from the original draft. The committee will report to both the BOS and Planning Board and will include two members from each board.
Selectmen drop objection to Devens Recycling Center
The BOS has decided to drop its objections to a request by the Devens Recycling Center (DRC) at Devens that it be allowed to operate on Saturdays. The BOS had previously sent a letter to the Devens Enterprise Commission (DEC), which regulates industrial activity there, urging it to deny the request.
Earlier this year, after hearing from neighboring towns and Devens residents, DEC rejected the DRC request. Now President Kurt McNamara wants the DEC to reconsider its vote and grant DRC Saturday hours for a six-month trial period, during which time the company will try to prove it can operate without disrupting nearby residential neighborhoods.
At Tuesday’s meeting selectmen voted unanimously to ask DEC to reconsider its earlier decision, but declined to say whether it supported expanded hours or not. DEC is the regulatory authority, said BOS Chairman Peter Warren. “It’s beyond our purview.”
