Address to the Mayor and Council
August 3, 2027
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for giving me the opportunity to share with you my concerns over the emerging amendments to the 2016 agreement between the town and Shore Health regarding the well contamination issue
- Basically, this agreement dilutes the town’s protections in the 2016 agreement and shifts significant costs and liability from Shore Health to the town and thus its residents and taxpayers. Under some circumstances it requires the town to foot the legal bills of Shore Health should litigation become necessary, while the town has no such recourse.
- The wells will be closed in three years if certain criteria are met. The town will bear the attendant costs.
- After this time the town agrees to indemnify Shore health and essentially, they are out.
During the last 20 years or so I have seen the council deal with a variety of issues, great and small. The council’s decisions and actions have often been wise and served the interest of the town, and sometimes not so much. But, important as some of those past issues were, I believe none of them were as important as the one that is the subject of this proposed agreement. And I believe that no matter what the consequences of missteps have been made in the past, none are as grave as those that will be made by entering into this agreement.
Therefore, I recommend that the council have this amendment tabled until a full public hearing can be held and the various legal and professional persons that negotiated this amendment present the reasons why this should be entered into. The public should be able to bring their own experts to enter the debate and to offer their opinions and concerns.
Thank you for your attention.
David Bowering
Chestertown
See agreement here:
