Hanson Select Board approves $237,000 brownfields cleanup at former Light Control site

HANSON — August 19, 2025 — Hanson Select Board clears $237,000 brownfields cleanup and signs 17-year-delayed conservation restriction. The board unanimously accepted a MassDevelopment cleanup grant to excavate roughly 300 cubic yards of metal-contaminated soil from Area of Concern 1 at 100 Hawks Avenue, the former Light Control industrial site, with active remediation targeted for September or October 2025. Verdantis senior project manager Joshua Clement, the licensed site professional of record, said groundwater at the parcel is clean but two additional areas of concern — including PCB-impacted soil beneath a building slab — remain unresolved and will factor into eventual site closure. The board also unanimously approved a conservation restriction on the Thomas Mill property, first purchased under the Community Preservation Act in 2008, conveying the restriction to the Wildlands Trust after years of legal review. In a brief Wage and Personnel session, members voted to set the library director's salary at $80,114 effective July 1, 2025. Town Administrator Lisa Green said a 27-article Special Town Meeting warrant for October 6 is in "very good shape," with the board expected to close it at the August 26 meeting ahead of a September 18 posting deadline.