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Town of Pepperell and COVID-19
Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program (3/20/2020)
The Baker-Polito Administration announced on March 18, 2020, that the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will offer low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to Massachusetts small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). The disaster declaration makes SBA assistance available following a request from Governor Charlie Baker on March 17, 2020.
Police Department Update (3/17/2020)
Please see the Pepperell Police page for a notice concerning COVID-19 and any changes related to their department.
Remote Open Meeting Participation (3/17/2020)
IT Department has implemented a remote conferencing solution from GoToMeeting. This tool will be used during this emergency to hold public meetings, maintain compliance with Open Meeting Law and allow residents to remotely participate in any held meetings. Instructions for this service may be found at this page.
Update / CodeRed message sent to residents (3/16/2020)
This is a message from the Town of Pepperell Code Red alert system. The following is information regarding the COVID-19 or Coronavirus.
The Governor has expanded the Commonwealth’s state of emergency limiting gatherings to no more than 25 people closing all schools for three weeks, and making all restaurants provide take out or delivery only, no sit-down service. Our local Supermarkets and Pharmacies will remain open regular business hours. These measures are to last three weeks, through April 7th. Additional measures and details from the Governor will follow.
Effective Tuesday March 17th all Pepperell public buildings will be closed to the public, and will last at least as long as the current state of emergency through April 7th. Business can continue to be conducted by phone or by visiting the town website.
The State has setup an information hotline which you can reach by dialing 211 on your phone, or the Town of Pepperell information line can be reached at 978-650-1666.
Thank you.
Senior Center Notice (3/16/2020)
Effective Immediately - all programs at the Pepperell Senior Center are canceled through April 7th.
This action is being taken to comply with the Governor’s State of Emergency Declaration, advice of the Board of Health, and the Town’s Emergency Management Director.
The following services will continue:
- Meals on Wheels Deliveries (lunch will NOT be served at the Center). If you would like to receive a home - delivered meal please call the center (978) 433-0326 or call Heart to Home Meals (978) 658-3000
- Transportation to Medical and grocery appointments ONLY
- Wellness calls and outreach services by phone.
- Loaning Medical Equipment (no equipment returns or donations accepted at this time)
If you have questions or concerns, please call us at 978-433-0326.
Zoning Board of Appeals - Notice (3/16/20)
Assessor - Notice (3/16/2020)
Until further notice, the Assessor’s office will be handling requests by either email at assessors@town.pepperell.ma.us , phone at 978-433-0322, fax at 978-433-0338. Additional Information.
Water/Wastewater and COVID-19 (3/16/2020) - F.A.Qs
Pepperell Water and Wastewater departments provided answers to frequently asked questions on their page. Please click here to read the notice.
Building Department and COVID-19 Update (3/16/2020)
Pepperell Building Department has posted a notice concerning changes in their department.
Notice from Town Administrator (3/13/20)
There is a tremendous amount of information swirling around us about the novel corona virus and the many plans to combat its impact. We have a shared concern for our friends and neighbors here and we are also learning from what is and has happened around the world.
Some folks are wondering what all the fuss is about as we haven’t seen the dramatic impacts but keep hearing that it is about to happen. It may be more like the sunny day before the hurricane, which means we have time prepare.
Major events have closed down like March Madness and Disney World. Some local schools are making that decision, too. The Town of Pepperell has different responsibilities though, so mimicking the very responsible decisions some of those types of organizations have made may not always be appropriate. We can’t send our first responders home in the interest of public health and safety.
At the same time, we do regularly hold meetings with large numbers of people, and have congregate events at locations throughout the town. Many of these will be cancelled or postponed if we continue on the trajectory we are on today.
Our Local Emergency Planning Council (LEPC) which consists of the leaders of all our public safety, public works, and public health departments as well as other town officials, will be meeting on Monday, March 16, 2020 to evaluate the situation with current data and with guidance from local, state, and federal experts.
The following decisions involving large group gatherings have already been made:
- The annual book sale, scheduled for March 20-23rd at the Peter Fitzpatrick School has been postponed.
- The Lawrence Library and the Senior Center will remain open for traditional service offerings but meetings and programs have been cancelled for the remainder of March 2020.
- Public Meetings may be held. Within a week they will be conference call ‘enabled’ allowing remote participation. Details for committee chairpersons will be announced early next week.
As this situation evolves, we will respond to federal and state directives and make local decisions with the guidance and expertise of our Board of Selectmen and our public health and public safety staff.
I wish to assure the community that the employees and volunteers of the Town of Pepperell are taking this issue very seriously and are making fact based decisions in the best interest of the community.
Thank you,
Andrew MacLean
Town Administrator
Useful Links
- Masks – “CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a facemask to protect themselves from respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19. You should only wear a mask if a healthcare professional recommends it. A facemask should be used by people who have COVID-19 and are showing symptoms. This is to protect others from the risk of getting infected.” https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html
- Transmission – https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/transmission.html
- Prevention - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention-treatment.html
- CDC webpage has information on this evolving situation and can be a great source of information, please click here.
- Massachusetts Department of Public Health
- Travel information - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html