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High School Reporters - April 3, 2018

Ayer Board of Selectmen Meeting Hosts Representative Benson

Ayer Board of Selectmen meeting hosts
Representative Benson. Bryce Valliere
04/03/2018

Mark Wetzel, Superintendent of the DPW, informed the board that the information about the well problems have been posted on the town website and letters had been sent to residents, but businesses did not get any letters. At this point, all businesses should have received a letter. Options for complete fix for the well are still on the table, but for now the contaminated well is offline.

Police chief William A. Murray came to do a few things. First of all, he was looking to appoint Donald J. Trink as a full time dispatcher. Assuming all training and paperwork has been successful, Mr. Trink is now working full time with the force and has been since April 17. This official appointment makes the police force full.

Chief WIlliam A. Murray also wanted to recognize the Telecommunicators for Telecommunicators week. This was April 8-14, but it is never too late to show appreciation for these hard working individuals. We have a state of the art dispatcher system, both talking about the technology and the people themselves. Mr. Robert Pontbriand said “Our dispatchers have been second to none.” Even if the official week has passed, it is still good to recognize them.

The water problems are still happening in Ayer, but the solutions are in progress. The water is still testing high for PFAS, chemicals that are not part of state mandated tests as of now, but it should be fine. Young children and pregnant women are advised to try to find other water options, such as Poland Springs bottled water. Locally bottled water still may have PFAS chemicals in it, but the Poland Springs water has been tested and is safe for the sensitive population.

Finally, Representative Benson joined the meeting to discuss many topics including the MBTA frequently dumping debris in Ayer, Health Care prices, the fact that Ayer gets a smaller cut in lottery ticket revenue than most other surrounding towns, but we sell the most tickets, and the idea of adding a space in Devens for parking and office areas and maybe a shuttle to the train. Representative Benson was on board with all of Ayer’s ideas and agreed to take them back to the Massachusetts government and see what she can do.