Erving Select Board Sets March 3 Police Chief Interviews, Debates Bridge Closure

ERVING -- February 22, 2021, Erving Select Board advances police chief finalists and weighs Church Street bridge closure. The two-member board, Chair Jacob Smith and Member William Bembury, meeting without Member James Loynd, accepted a screening committee's recommendation to move forward with two finalists, identified as Robert and David Wright, for the open chief position, scheduling remote interviews for March 3 beginning at 6:15 p.m. On the Church Street bridge, engineers from Weston & Sampson told a joint session of the Select Board, Finance Committee, and Capital Planning Committee that construction replacement costs would run roughly $1 million, with a $195,000 engineering contract already unanimously backed by the Capital Planning Committee for inclusion in a late-March special town meeting warrant. Bembury argued for immediate full closure, "bite the bullet, close the bridge", while Smith said he was open to compromise but wanted to see the formal MassDOT de-rating letter before committing. The board also voted unanimously to forgive a $4,795 COVID-19 micro-enterprise relief loan to Artscape Landscape and Design owner Arthur A. Kaczynski II, the last of three pandemic loans issued by the town.