Overview:
Sunderland voters will decide on the purchase of a new ambulance, a budget increase for temporary support staff, and payment for PFAS testing at Special Town Meeting. The meeting will also address payment for work completed in past years, including repairs to a Sunderland Safety Complex vehicle.
SUNDERLAND — Special Town Meeting voters on Friday will decide on the purchase of a new ambulance, a budget increase for temporary support staff and payment for per-and-polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) testing.
The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at Sunderland Elementary School at 1 Swampfield Drive.
Article 1 of the warrant asks voters to consider a request from South County Emergency Management Services (SCEMS) to spend $325,000 of its retained earnings to purchase and outfit a new ambulance. During a meeting of the Selectboard on Monday, Chair Nathaniel Waring said SCEMS is dedicated to “[modernizing] its fleet” by replacing its three ambulances, which are all past their lifespans. With one customized ambulance already on order, the ambulance mentioned in Article 1 is not customized and will be available in a few months.
Article 2 asks voters to consider approving SCEMS’s request to spend $37,000 from its retained earnings for a Stryker Power-LOAD loading system for the customized ambulance already on order.
For Article 3, residents will vote on whether to amend the fiscal year 2026 budget passed at the April Annual Town Meeting by raising the personnel services line item of the general government budget from $270,251 to $280,251. According to Waring, the increase will help pay temporary support staff to accommodate for town employees taking medical leave.
Articles 4 and 5 refer to using free cash to pay off bills for work completed in past years, including $1,347.90 to Axon Enterprise Inc. for repairing the exhaust system in a Sunderland Safety Complex vehicle, $105 to the Massachusetts Fire Technologies and $35 to the Massachusetts Municipal Association for small projects. Both Articles 4 and 5 require a nine-tenths vote.
Article 6 asks town voters to consider paying environmental consulting firm Tighe & Bond for the next phase of PFAS remediation work. PFAS refers to “forever chemicals” that last indefinitely and can lead to health issues like liver damage, thyroid disease, obesity, fertility issues and cancer, according to the European Environment Agency. Town Administrator Becky Torres said PFAS was detected on Reservoir Road near the old landfill, leading to testing at nearby houses.
“PFAS is minimal and decreasing,” Torres said. She added that the town will continue to monitor the chemical levels.
