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.

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