Rockland Moves Forward with $5 Million Landfill Capping Project at No Cost to Taxpayers

Select Board approves RFP for Pleasant Street Landfill project that includes public amenities and eliminates liaison positions to improve committee communication.

ROCKLAND - August 12 - The Rockland Select Board approved moving forward with a Request for Proposals for the Pleasant Street Landfill capping project that will save taxpayers over $5 million while adding public amenities to the site.

Town Administrator Doug Lapp presented the final draft of the RFP at Tuesday's meeting, explaining that the project allows construction companies to bring fill material to the closed landfill site at no charge to the town. In exchange, the companies will pay 100% of the costs to properly cap the landfill according to Department of Environmental Protection requirements and construct public amenities on top.

"The cost for us to do this work on our own would be over $5 million," Lapp said. "If we engage a company to do this, the cost is zero, but it's actually better than that. It's zero plus we're going to get all kinds of other amenities that would have cost us hundreds of hundreds of thousands of dollars that we won't have to pay for."

The project stems from an idea by town planner Allyson Quinn to address the mandatory capping of the Pleasant Street Landfill, which is closed but not formally capped according to DEP standards.

Potential amenities could include a dog park, pickleball courts, or fitness equipment constructed on top of the capped landfill. The town is also open to monetary contributions from the successful company that could be allocated to other recreational sites like Hartsuff Park or Reed's Pond.

The RFP requires the selected company to develop and implement a community engagement plan that includes at least one community meeting and one Select Board meeting to address public questions about the project.

"Understanding that this is going to involve adding material into a landfill, people are going to have questions, as they should," Lapp said.

The town's engineering consulting firm CDM Smith, which conducts quarterly landfill monitoring, reviewed the RFP along with land use attorney Bob Galvin. Green Environmental, a local environmental engineering firm, will supervise the contractor on site to ensure all work follows DEP regulations.

The RFP will be issued Aug. 20 with responses due Sept. 19. The town anticipates selecting the successful company by Oct. 21.

Select Board member Lori Childs expressed enthusiasm for the long-awaited project. "This is a project that has needed to be done for literally years, like decades," she said. "So I'm excited that it's happening, and I'm excited for the possibilities of what we can put on the land or around the land once it's capped."

In other business, the Select Board eliminated individual liaison positions to town committees and boards, with the exception of John Ellard continuing as Plymouth County Advisory Board liaison and Steven O'Donnell remaining on the Open Space and Recreation Committee.

Chair Michael O'Loughlin explained the decision aims to improve communication by allowing all board members to engage with any committee or department rather than limiting access to designated liaisons.

"I think it actually opens up the communication because it doesn't limit it to one person being territorial about something," O'Loughlin said. "I think that this opens up for a better conversation for each one of us to have with each department and bring back a different unique perspective."

The change comes after Zoning Board of Appeals member Rob Rosa, who was reappointed to the board Tuesday night, expressed concerns about feeling unable to approach the Select Board with issues.

"It was my misconception that your board was unapproachable," Rosa said during his reappointment hearing. "Several of your members have reached out and just told me I was wrong."

O'Donnell emphasized the importance of accessibility following Rosa's comments. "Select board members may feel intimidated or that their thoughts may not be heard," he said. "For us all to be accessible and open, I think especially this group on the select board, is probably one of the most open boards to bring your concerns."

The board also received a final American Rescue Plan Act check from Plymouth County Commissioner Jared Valanzola, completing the county's four-year ARPA distribution program. Rockland was one of only 10 communities able to utilize funds above their original allocation.

"Of the $100 million ARPA funds that Plymouth County managed for our member communities, approximately $25 million of that across the county went to water and sewer infrastructure," Valanzola said.

Other business included:

• Space Bistro received unanimous approval for an entertainment license to host acoustic live music at 323 Union Street

• The board approved signature authority for the chair and vice chair positions to sign expenditure warrants when a full quorum is unavailable

• Lapp announced the town reached a collective bargaining agreement with AFSCME Council 93 clerical union featuring annual 2.5% salary increases

• Hazmat removal at the former Lincoln School at 99 Church Street will begin with bids due Aug. 27

• A vacancy exists on the Rockland Board of Water Commissioners

The meeting concluded with O'Donnell delivering a lengthy statement recognizing International Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31. He shared the personal story of losing friends and loved ones, including his brother Timothy to a fentanyl overdose in 2019, noting that Rockland has seen 32 opioid-related deaths from July 2019 through June 2024.

"Addiction is not a weakness. It is a disease with genetic ties to predisposition," O'Donnell said. "There needs to be a better way to treat this disease than what we have. Its success rate is abysmal."

He encouraged community members to attend the 2025 Annual Overdose Vigil by Candlelight at Massasoit Community College on Aug. 26 at 6 p.m., hosted by the Rockland Area Prevention Collaborative.

Full meeting available via WRPS.