West Newbury Select Board Seats Right to Farm Panel, Accepts PFAS Settlement Advance

WEST NEWBURY -- July 10, 2025, West Newbury Select Board seats Right to Farm Committee and authorizes PFAS settlement lump sum. The board voted unanimously July 10 to appoint five members to the newly created Right to Farm Committee, Ross and Chris Grant to three-year terms, Lydia and Mackenzie to two-year terms, and Rich Baker to one-year, while cautioning that the enabling bylaw remains under Attorney General review and the committee cannot take binding action until that approval arrives, expected by mid-August. The board also voted to accept a lump-sum advanced disbursement of approximately $80,000 from a PFAS class-action settlement, paying a roughly $840 administrative fee rather than receiving payments spread over nine years. In staffing news, Town Manager introduced new Town Clerk Amanda Hagstrom, formerly City Clerk in Amesbury and Town Clerk in Lynnfield, completing her second week; construction of the Main Street crosswalk improvement project is set to begin as early as the week of July 21, with Commonwealth Construction targeting a two-to-three-week build. The board directed staff to press MassDOT on a physical crash bar for the Rocks Village Bridge at a follow-up meeting scheduled for July 11, declining to vote on a MassDOT proposal for two additional warning signs alone.