Palmer Council Approves DPW Contract, Accepts River Trail Donation at August Meeting

PALMER — August 11, 2025 — Palmer Town Council hears opioid abatement results, advances river trail and Thorndike financing discussions. Director of Public Health Nicole Gothier led a Palmer for Tomorrow delegation Monday to present results of a community-wide opioid survey, reporting that the town has received $187,242.19 of a total $611,375.99 pharmaceutical settlement allocation running through 2039, with 206 households responding and 63 percent of respondents prioritizing outreach to people not yet in treatment; the group plans to open a mini-grant application portal as early as September. Sean O'Donnell and Dan Knapik of West Mass Development Corporation presented District Improvement Financing as a tool to leverage new tax growth along Thorndike Street to fund sewer and water infrastructure, citing their Ludlow Mills case study where DIF financed nearly $3 million in downtown improvements; the council reached consensus to continue the process with no formal vote. The council also unanimously accepted a $3,000 donation from Chicopee Four Rivers to improve river access at Lavalette Field, approved a one-year DPW administrative unit contract for UPSCU Local 424M including a meal allowance increase from $9 to $12 for snow-plowing callbacks, and transferred $6,000 from the Capital Stabilization Account to purchase a wide-format printer outright. Town Manager Brad received an overall average score of 3.83 out of 5 in his annual council evaluation.