Rockland Advances Revised Fire Station Plan, Addresses Union Point Development Challenges

Select Board votes on $26 million proposal, discusses sewer capacity issues for major development project

ROCKLAND, MA - September 3 - The Rockland Select Board voted Tuesday to put a revised $26 million fire station project on the spring town meeting ballot, scaling back from the $33 million plan rejected by voters last year.

The new proposal for a station on Church Street is smaller and less expensive than the previous version. Town Administrator Doug Lapp explained the impact on taxpayers.

"For that average single family home, the recommended option at Church Street would be a $226 per year tax increase," Lapp said, based on the current average single family home value of $488,000.

The board also received an update on the Union Point development, which encompasses 1,400 acres across three towns on the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station site.

John Twohig of New England Development outlined progress and challenges, particularly regarding sewer capacity in Rockland.

"We have met with the commission. We're supporting them on some testing we've suggested that they do to try to address what arguably we think is 3 to 5 million gallons of inflow that has got to come out of the system," Twohig said.

He explained that due to sewer limitations, development in Rockland may initially be limited to septic systems.

"Rockland, because of where it is placed, where contamination and PFAS was on the site, we're going to be able to do a fair amount of septic systems on the site," Twohig said.

The developers are working with the sewer commission to conduct smoke testing, which will help identify sources of inflow and infiltration in the sewer system.

Courtney Bjorgaard, assistant town administrator, provided details on the upcoming smoke testing.

"It looks like it's going to be starting kind of mid-September through October, weather permitting," Bjorgaard said. "This is really to address inflow and infiltration issues in the sewer system and really focused a lot on inflow because we have a really large problem with inflow, and that really stresses the plant itself."

Bjorgaard emphasized that the smoke used is non-toxic and that residents will be notified before testing occurs in their area.

In other business, Lapp announced the town's approval for over $240,000 in green communities grants for various projects, including heat pump replacements at the wastewater treatment plant and insulation at the library.

The board also voted to keep the electric vehicle charging stations at Town Hall while removing those at the library due to space constraints and maintenance concerns.

Also, the Rockland Select Board voted to hold a special town meeting on November 20 at 7 p.m. at Rockland High School. The meeting will address several issues, including increasing the school budget due to additional state aid received.

Lapp recommended the special meeting to appropriate nearly $200,000 in additional state aid to the school department budget. Other potential items include water department capital articles, sewer department matters, and updating the regional agreement with South Shore Tech.