Erving Select Board honors bridge rescue heroes, approves generator procurement

ERVING -- November 23, 2020, Erving Select Board recognizes three Good Samaritans who helped pull a man from the French King Bridge on November 1. Acting Police Chief Sergeant Robert Holst described how Laura Duffy of Erving, Kyle Forest of Westminster, and Jeremy Gonzalez of Greenfield stayed with a man on the outside of the bridge railing until Officer James Loynd arrived and, together with the bystanders, brought the subject to safety; the board will send each a formal commendation. The board also celebrated a $500,000 MassWorks Grant awarded November 19 for a pump station and sewer retrofit at the former IP mill property, a prerequisite for any future redevelopment of the site. In a separate action, members unanimously authorized Town Administrator Brian Sanders to hire a procurement officer at a fee not to exceed $600 to begin bidding on an emergency generator replacement at Wastewater Pump Station Number One, after the existing 45-year-old unit suffered a catastrophic failure during a November 15 power outage; total replacement cost is estimated at $80,000 to $100,000, requiring a future special town meeting.