Plans to stop riverbank erosion at Lancaster Elementary School have suffered a setback

LANCASTER — Plans to stop riverbank erosion at Lancaster Elementary School have suffered a setback. The Select Board on Sept. 16 signaled it would rescind an application for a state Aquatic Resource Mitigation (ARM) grant. The grant would have provided $130,000 towards floodplain, forest, and wetland restoration. However, it would have obligated the town to spend $130,000 on unexpected grant requirements. Conservation Commission member Sam Mayne, who initiated the grant application, said spending $130,000 to get $130,000 made no sense. As proposed, the project would help stop the Connecticut River from slowly eating into the Lancaster Elementary School property.