ROWE — Special town meeting voters will be asked to spend $70,000 in “free cash” reserves to permanently repair an eroded, slope of the old landfill at the town transfer station. But for now, the town will hold off on voting to join the Mohawk Trail Regional School District.
The special town meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. in the Rowe Elementary School.
Last Wednesday, the Finance Committee, Board of Selectmen and School Committee met to discuss the special town meeting warrant. They ultimately decided they want more financial discussions with Mohawk before they could make any recommendation to voters about rejoining the district as a Grade 7 to 12 member town.
Rowe School Committee Chairwoman Susan Zavotka said the boards want clarity about the correct calculation formula to be used in determining the tuition for Rowe middle- and high-school students.
Some Rowe officials believe the town has overpaid Mohawk for student tuitions since 2007, when Rowe started paying separately for its middle- and high-school transportation costs.
“This clarification is necessary in order to present accurate information to Rowe residents regarding the financial differences between joining the Mohawk District or remaining in a tuition arrangement,” she said. “Plans are in place for these three Rowe committees to meet with representatives of the Mohawk District to determine the appropriate tuition calculation formula. There simply was not enough time to gather appropriate information and schedule a meeting prior to Nov. 16.”
Zavotka said the town has until May to vote on rejoining Mohawk, without requiring a second vote from the eight Mohawk member towns.
The town landfill stopped operating in 1977, and most of its surface was covered by the asphalt pavement of the transfer station. But heavy rains this summer caused a significant washout in a 25-foot by 60-foot long area of the slope going down toward Phelps Brook.
The town took emergency measures to prevent further erosion and has gotten state Deparment of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) permit approval to do remedial work.
The long-term measures proposed to stabilize and repair the washout area include installing a rock wall at the bottom of the washed out slope, with soil fill to be placed over the washout area, to the top of the rock wall, with 6 to 18 inches of sand and crushed gravel, topped with six inches of topsoil. The topsoil will be seeded with a wetlands erosion seed mix, along with shrub plantings for future erosion control.
Also, a 2-foot wide, stone-lined drainage swale will be installed along 200 linear feet of the top of the landfill. Also, a minimum of two-feet of soil must cover all solid waste in the repaired washout area. Trinity Engineering & Technical Services based in Stamford, Vt., is to do the work.