Gardner panel keeps sewer loan, fleet review open
The Gardner Finance Committee kept six financial items open, including a $1.3 million sewer bond, without taking any substantive votes. Mayor Michael J.
Finance Committee · Meeting of October 9, 2026
GARDNER — The Gardner Finance Committee kept six financial items open, including a $1.3 million sewer bond, without taking any substantive votes. Mayor Michael J. Nicholson told the panel the city cannot access DEP grant funding to remove two decommissioned underground fuel tanks because they never leaked, leaving no identified funding source.
The committee voted unanimously to place a September Waterford Community Center update on file, noting five respondents for the project's owner's-project-manager role. Nicholson said the city's fleet insurer switch to HUB Insurance saved roughly $250,000, and one member pushed to cut take-home vehicles outside winter plowing months, saying "we need to be more fiscally conservative." The $1.3 million sewer enterprise bond, paired with $4.6 million already in grant funding, carries a 20-year term and is expected before the full council within a month.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,967 words
Source: the Finance Committee meeting of October 9, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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