Historic Commission Issues Certificate of Hardship for Talbot Mills Dam Project

HDC · Meeting of July 20, 2026

Billerica Historic District Commission votes 5-0 to approve a dam removal project under threat of court sanctions. Meeting Monday, the commission's chair told members a Middlesex Superior Court order tied to Civil Action No. 2681CV00689 required an affirmative vote on a Certificate of Hardship for the Talbot Mills Dam Removal Ecological Restoration Project, warning that any member who voted no "could face fines or some other sort of sanction that the judge may decide." Member Mary Jones said she was "being forced by my government and my judicial system to vote yes," and member Mary McBride called it "not a good feeling," while member Dan Valentine voted "regrettably, yes." The chair told members beforehand the project would proceed "whether we vote yes or not." The commission then adjourned unanimously.

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Source: the HDC meeting of July 20, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.