WENDELL — The representative-elect for the state House of Representatives’ 7th Hampden District visited the Selectboard this week to hear concerns officials have as the town enters 2023.
Discussion focused on ridding Swift River School’s water supply of synthetic substances known as “forever chemicals,” local clearcutting of trees and PILOT programs (payments in lieu of taxes).
Ahead of his swearing-in on Jan. 4, Aaron Saunders stopped by the Wendell Town Offices on Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. appointment to discuss the newly designed 7th Hampden District, as well as legislative priorities. Saunders, a Belchertown Democrat, defeated Republican nominee James “Chip” Harrington in the Nov. 8 election.
Selectboard member Dan Keller, who chaired Wednesday’s meeting in Laurie DiDonato’s absence, told Saunders he is very concerned about PILOTs, which are payments a municipality requests from a nonprofit that owns tax-exempt property. According to CommonWealth Magazine, much of Wendell consists of a 7,500-acre state forest, and while the state pays the town roughly $110,000 per year for the land, that figure is less than what Wendell would receive if the land generated property tax dollars.
Keller, a former Wendell Finance Committee member, said this issue has bothered him for years. He told Saunders he is also worried about the clearcutting on the right-of-way that begins in Ludlow, and Saunders agreed.
“This touches just about every town in the district,” Saunders said about the issue. “Now is not the time to be cavalier about clearcutting hundreds of acres of anything.”
Keller said this is of particular concern for him because this right-of-way goes across a corner of the farmland he owns in town. He said this land includes a forest with native hardwood cherry trees he has managed for 50 years.
“And those trees are magnificent,” he said. “So this is a deeply emotional concern of me, personally.”
Selectboard member Gillian Budine mentioned a desire for Wendell to get more access to state grants for projects. She talked about the decision of the Wendell and New Salem selectboards to support the installation of a filtration system to rid the water at Swift River School in New Salem of PFAS6, a set of six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances used in common consumer products like food packaging and outdoor clothing.
Budine said a state grant would have been helpful to fund this project, but most money tends to go to “gateway cities” like Springfield, Holyoke and Chicopee.
Tests of the school’s tap water in the fall of 2020 revealed elevated PFAS6 levels, though no state drinking water regulations had been violated. The contaminants — also found in carpets, soaps, detergents and anything containing a fire retardant — are the result of groundwater seeping into the well under the school.
Some people who drink water containing PFAS6 in excess of the maximum contaminant level may experience certain adverse effects on the liver, blood, immune system, thyroid and fetal development. These PFAS6 may also elevate the risk of certain cancers, according to a previous notification from Swift River School.
“I’m excited to get to work,” Saunders told the board.
Saunders mentioned that Wednesday’s meeting was the first one he had attended as a representative-elect, though he is familiar with the procedure, having spent seven years on the Ludlow Selectboard. So, he said, tree hearings and dog hearings are nothing new to him.
“That was our Monday-night ritual there,” he said.
In addition to Wendell, the 7th Hampden District includes Ludlow, Petersham, Belchertown, New Salem, Pelham and Shutesbury.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.