UPDATE Monday at 12:12pm EST:

I heard back from Rich Goodick, President of Indus.

Here is his reply to our questions:

“Good morning John, I will be in attendance for the meeting and available to answer all questions posed by the board as related to the permit process.” Respectfully, Rich Goodick, President”

By John Barrella

MIDDLEBOROUGH – Four fuel-storage license hearings go before Middleborough’s Select Board Monday night, all for the same address: 400 Canopy Drive. Ahead of that meeting, we went to the companies behind two of the four applications and asked them directly about the storage plans now before the board.

We wrote to Rich Goodick, president of Indus, which is seeking two of the four licenses: up to 2,100 gallons of motor oil and used-oil-burner storage, and a separate license for Performance Grade asphalt. We asked him when these storage plans were actually designed — before Indus bought the property in 2025, or after — and whether the Select Board, the Planning Board, or a single Town Meeting voter was told, at any point before this month, that the site would include stored fuel and combustible material. We also asked whether a company representative would be at Monday’s hearings, currently on the agenda for 7:50 and 8:00 p.m., to answer in person.

We asked Hank LaMountain much the same about LaMountain Bros.’ application to store gasoline and diesel above ground at that address, on the agenda for 7:40 p.m.: whether his company is a contractor for Indus or an independent tenant there, when the storage plan was drawn up, and whether anyone in town government knew about it before this month’s filings.

Both requests went out by email, and to Indus a second time through the company’s own website contact form, with enough notice to answer before Monday night’s meeting. As of this writing, neither man has responded. We’ll update this story with anything either of them sends before the meeting starts.

If you want to hear the answers, Monday night’s meeting is where to be: the Select Board convenes at 7 p.m. at 10 Nickerson Avenue, with the four fuel-storage hearings opening at 7:30.

INDUS QUESTIONS

1. Taken together, the four applications before the board Monday cover roughly 8,000 gallons of LP gas, plus gasoline, diesel, motor oil and PG asphalt storage at 400 Canopy Drive. Is that the full build-out of on-site storage, or should the public expect additional applications later?
2. Why weren’t any of these storage plans referenced in the TIF agreement or the economic-development summary presented to voters, both of which describe the project only as a headquarters and operations center?
3. When were the storage components of the project designed — were they part of the site plan when Indus acquired the property in 2025, or added afterward?
4. Was the Select Board, the Planning Board, or Town Meeting voters informed at any point before this month’s applications that the site would include on-site storage of flammable and combustible materials?
5. How does this storage relate to Indus’s pavement-preservation operations at the site — is it for company vehicle fleet fueling, material staging for paving jobs, or something else?
6. What quantity of PG asphalt is Indus seeking to store, and how will it be stored and handled on site?
7. What safety and environmental safeguards — spill containment, fire suppression, setbacks from residential areas, fire department or DEP sign-off — are included in the applications?
8. Are Devaney Energy and LaMountain Bros., the other two applicants at this address, contractors working on Indus’s behalf, or independent tenants at the site?
9. Will a company representative attend the 7:50 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. hearings Monday to answer the board’s questions directly?

LaMOUNTAIN QUESTIONS

1. What is LaMountain Bros.’ role at 400 Canopy Drive — are you the fuel supplier/installer for Indus, a contractor, or a separate tenant at the site?
2. How much gasoline and diesel are you seeking to store, and what’s the intended use — fleet fueling, equipment, resale, something else?
3. When was this storage component designed, and was it part of the site plan when Indus acquired the property in 2025?
4. Was the town or the public informed of plans for on-site fuel storage at any point before this month’s license applications — during permitting, site-plan review, or the TIF approval process?
5. What safety and environmental safeguards — spill containment, fire suppression, setbacks, fire department or DEP sign-off — are built into the application?
6. Will you or a representative be at the 7:40 p.m. hearing Monday to answer the board’s questions directly?