SUNDERLAND — Special Town Meeting voters approved the purchase of an ambulance and funding for continued per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) testing on Friday night.
The meeting kicked off with residents approving South County EMS’ request to spend $325,000 of its retained earnings to buy an uncustomized ambulance that is expected to arrive in January, as well as two Stryker Power-LOAD ambulance loading systems, each for $37,000.
South County EMS Chief Joshua Sparks told the approximately 35 Town Meeting attendees that the uncustomized ambulance should last about nine years, a long lifespan for an ambulance, he noted. Sparks added that South County EMS plans to replace its ambulances more regularly in the future.
When an attendee asked why the ambulance request was coming before voters at a Special Town Meeting instead of during an Annual Town Meeting, Selectboard Chair Nathaniel Waring explained that the timing aligned for the purchase request considering that the three towns that South County EMS serves — Sunderland, Whately and Deerfield — were each holding Special Town Meetings in the fall and all three towns must approve the purchase. With Whately and Deerfield having already approved the purchase at their Special Town Meetings, Sunderland was the last town to seal the deal, Waring said.
“Our entire fleet currently is all past end of life,” Waring explained, stressing the importance of acting fast instead of waiting for Annual Town Meeting.
Attendee Peter Gagarin mentioned that the purchases will impact the operating budget for fiscal year 2027, cutting available retained earnings for South County EMS to pull from later.
“It may seem like a pot of gold to some people,” Gagarin said. “This is coming down the road and we’re going to have to deal with it.”
In response, Waring said, “It’s definitely not free money. It’s more of a rebalancing of year-to-year expenses.”
Voters then unanimously passed an amendment to the fiscal year 2026 budget increasing the personnel services line item of the general government budget from $270,251 to $280,251 to pay temporary support staff while town employees take medical leave.
Articles 4 and 5 also passed, approving transfers from free cash to pay off bills for work completed in prior years, including $1,347 to Axon Enterprise Inc. for repairing the exhaust system on a Sunderland Public Safety Complex vehicle, $105 to Massachusetts Fire Technologies and $35 to the Massachusetts Municipal Association for small projects.
After about 10 minutes of discussion, voters approved transferring $12,250 from free cash to pay environmental consulting firm Tighe & Bond for continued PFAS testing. Town Administrator Becky Torres explained that the total testing cost is $25,000, including the $12,250 mentioned in the final article for the next stage.
PFAS refers to “forever chemicals” that can lead to health issues like liver damage, thyroid disease, fertility issues and cancer, according to the European Environment Agency.
Waring informed voters that the chemicals were detected near the old transfer station on Reservoir Road, requiring testing at nearby wells.
“This is all state-mandated testing and remediation, so we really don’t have a lot of choice in it,” Waring explained.
Resident Dana Roscoe asked for clarification on the timeline for testing.
“What can we expect? Is this going to be $25,000 a year forever, are we ever going to come to any kind of completion or … do we just continue to monitor forever?” Roscoe asked.
Torres told attendees that retests of two previously positive spots each came back negative, but the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection requested another round of testing “to see if we can close the problem.” With the negative results, she said she is hopeful the next phase of testing will be the last.
“We’re trying to do all the testing to be proactive and protect,” Torres said. “We’re very pleased that this is showing signs of not being a bigger problem.”
When an attendee asked if the board has been in contact with state agencies interested in helping Sunderland cover the costs of PFAS testing, Waring said towns shoulder the responsibility of monitoring the chemicals. He encouraged concerned residents to ask for PFAS support when in conversation with state legislators.