Boxborough Board Accepts FEMA Grant, Adopts Hazard Plan, and Expands Conservation Land

BOXBOROUGH -- September 9, 2024, Boxborough Select Board accepts $61,254 FEMA grant and adopts hazard mitigation plan at September 9 meeting. The board unanimously approved the Federal Emergency Management Agency Assistance to Firefighters Grant, covering 95 percent of the cost of a power stretcher and lift module for the town's ambulance, presented by Fire Captain Jason Malinowski, who noted orthopedic back injuries are the leading injury category for firefighter EMTs. The board also unanimously adopted the town's updated Hazard Mitigation Plan, a 300-plus page document developed with consultant Jamie Kaplan of Kaplan Consulting, restoring the town's eligibility for pre- and post-disaster federal funding after a period of non-compliance. In other action, the board authorized the Conservation Commission to accept three donated parcels on Hill Road from Margaret Delano and Dave Erickson, expanding Boxborough's conservation holdings to approximately 1,202 acres, and appointed Santosh Verma to the Council on Aging Board and Katie Coyne to the Steel Farm Committee, both with terms ending June 30, 2027.