Erving Board Backs $18 Million Sludge Dryer Loan Application Before Deadline

ERVING -- August 10, 2020, Erving Select Board and Finance Committee unanimously back $18 million sludge dryer loan application ahead of an August 21 state deadline. The joint boards, meeting via GoToWebinar under the governor's emergency open-meeting order, voted to file with the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust Fund for financing at roughly 2 percent interest over 20 to 30 years, with possible partial loan forgiveness, after hearing from Irving Paper Mills representatives Morris Howse and Mike McAuliffe that hauler Casella Organics has drawn a line at July 2021 for accepting the facility's current Type 2 biosolids product. The boards also directed staff to pursue a parallel federal EDA Economic Adjustment Assistance grant that could cover up to 80 percent of the project cost, more than $14 million, with a 20 percent non-federal match required. The board voted separately to issue a $5,000 forgivable COVID-19 micro-enterprise relief loan to Jeffrey and Rita DuBay of Freight House Antiques Incorporated at zero percent interest for five months, and approved submitting a subdivision survey for Lot 1 on Arch Street to the Planning Board.