Freetown Select Board Approves $975,000 Sewer Extension Engineering Contract

FREETOWN — July 24, 2023 — Freetown Select Board approves $975,000 grant-backed sewer extension engineering deal and rescinds Empire's Way road vote. The board unanimously approved an agreement with Environmental Partners to design and permit a new sewer line along Main Street from Stop & Shop to the four corners, funded by a $775,000 MassWorks grant and $200,000 in OFFER grant money — a project the town administrator said could extend into 2026 and is intended to be constructed entirely through future grants rather than tax dollars. The board also rescinded its earlier approval for the owners of Map 240, Parcels 86 and 87, to improve Empire's Way, after Town Counsel advised that documentation submitted by abutters and the applicant established the road as a private way, not subject to Select Board jurisdiction, sending the matter to the Planning Board instead. Former Police Chief Carlton E. Abbott Jr. was approved to return part-time to assist current Chief Scott Rose, and six staff and board appointments were confirmed including Stephen Tripp to the Conservation Commission.