West Newbury Select Board Waives River Road Land Purchase, Reallocates ARPA Funds

Select Board · Meeting of February 26, 2026

West Newbury Select Board waives Chapter 61 right of first refusal and redirects nearly $20,000 in federal relief funds. The board voted unanimously Thursday to decline purchase of 4.28 acres at 125 River Road after every town body that reviewed the property — including the Conservation Commission, Open Space Committee, and Planning Board — recommended against it. The board also unanimously reallocated $19,918.54 in unspent ARPA funds, combining a $547.75 Page School shoring surplus with $19,370.79 in firefighting gear funds that went unspent due to supply chain issues, directing both sums to the Middle Street Bridge project.

Two fire department warrant articles totaling approximately $382,000 for self-contained breathing apparatus were pulled from the town meeting warrant after Chair Wendy Reed said Fire Chief Dwyer agreed to pursue FEMA and state grant funding first. A lengthy presentation from actuary Linda Borneval showed that raising the town's retiree health insurance contribution from 50 percent to 55 percent would require boosting annual OPEB trust deposits from $25,500 to roughly $100,000 to maintain the town's current 17-year path to full funding — a decision the board tabled pending further review, with a ballot question deadline of March 20.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 1,040 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of February 26, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.