Freetown Conservation Commission Clears Library Septic Fix, Tables Land Fund Vote

FREETOWN — March 11, 2024 — Freetown Conservation Commission approves library septic replacement and grants lakefront project extension. The commission voted unanimously Monday to allow installation of a tight holding tank at the James White Memorial Library on Worburton Road, replacing a compromised 1946 steel septic tank that has left the library relying on a portable toilet. Health Agent Kevin Dearis told the commission the tank was sitting in the groundwater, near a tributary of a secondary drinking water source, and that traditional system alternatives would require blasting and tree removal on the park-like site. The board also granted a fourth one-year extension to Thomas Louise for a retaining wall and septic project at 13 Estelle Avenue, conditioning the approval on retaining wall completion within 12 months and erosion control reinstalled within two weeks. A proposal to seek $30,000 from Town Meeting for the conservation land fund — which holds just over $100,000 — was deferred pending input from a Finance Committee member, with one commissioner indicating intent to abstain from the vote.