Carver Earth Removal Committee Raises Permit Fees, Approves Trial Truck-Count Increase

CARVER -- October 7, 2025, Carver Earth Removal Committee raises permit application fees and grants a trial truck-count increase for a Tremont Street project. The committee voted unanimously October 7 to adopt a new tiered fee schedule ranging from $100 for small-volume permits up to $2,000 for projects exceeding 100,000 cubic yards, effective immediately, after a public hearing that drew two representatives from Community Land and Water Coalition warning of cumulative environmental damage the organization says has stripped more than 30 million cubic yards of earth from Carver over two decades. The board also voted unanimously to allow contractor Mike Diamond, representing permit holder E.J. Pontiff at 104 Tremont Street, to increase daily truck loads from 50 to 70, Monday through Friday only, through January 9, 2026, after which Diamond must return with truck-tally records for review. In a separate 4-0 action, the board adopted its first formal written permit denial, prepared by Town Counsel Amy Quessel, on a previously rejected application; Quessel advised the board that an appeal is expected and that a same-night town meeting article could change the underlying zoning that drove the denial.