West Bridgewater Sets October Special Town Meeting to Address MBTA Zoning Compliance

WEST BRIDGEWATER — September 10, 2025 — West Bridgewater Select Board calls Special Town Meeting for October 20 to force a vote on MBTA Communities Act zoning. Chair Jeffrey P. Ryan told the board Wednesday that state legislative relief the town had been counting on after declining to act on the MBTA mandate in May never materialized, and that expanded financial penalties now threaten "hundreds of thousands of dollars" annually in lost grants and state funds, making further delay untenable. The board voted unanimously to set the Special Town Meeting for October 20 at 6 p.m. at the Middle-Senior High School, close the warrant September 19 at noon, and place articles and take recommendations at the September 24 Select Board meeting. The warrant will also include state-required accessory dwelling unit bylaw changes and any unpaid bills discovered after fiscal year close. Separately, the board approved a MassDOT memorandum of understanding accepting four free LED blinking stop signs for the Crescent-West Street and North Elm-Crescent intersections, which Ryan called the most dangerous in town, and voted to add new stop signs and a DPW-built traffic island at Crescent and West. Town Administrator David also reported receipt of $370,000 — the first installment of an approximately $810,000 PFAS class action settlement with 3M — flowing to the Water Department surplus.