[0:39] Good evening and welcome to the August
[0:41] 25th, 2026 select board meeting. I'd
[0:46] like to welcome everyone both here in
[0:48] the room and virtually. It's nice to see
[0:50] a crowd.
[0:52] Um, our first order of business on our
[0:56] agenda is our public comment. Um, and I
[0:59] just want to refresh everybody uh with
[1:02] the uh guidelines that we use since it's
[1:05] been a while. Um, we ask that any public
[1:09] comment not be on the agenda that's here
[1:11] tonight. Um, we also ask that you keep
[1:15] it to two minutes. We do ask that you
[1:18] state your name and where you live.
[1:22] Um and um I usually take no more than
[1:26] five so that the meeting doesn't go too
[1:30] late into the evening. Um saying that uh
[1:36] why don't we start in the room? Raise
[1:38] your hands.
[1:40] >> Sure.
[1:41] >> Um my name is Katherine Habberly and I
[1:44] live at Indian Ridge Road in Stoke,
[1:46] Massachusetts.
[1:47] >> Welcome, Catherine.
[1:49] So, um I work with a group of people um
[1:52] who are concerned about the use and
[1:54] regulation of automatic license plate
[1:57] readers such as flock cameras. Um I'm
[1:59] the only one here tonight, but it's a
[2:02] number of us um in Mayard and Instead,
[2:05] uh we thank the police chief for taking
[2:07] down the cameras while a stronger policy
[2:10] can be constructed. We strongly believe
[2:12] that citizen input is needed to ensure
[2:15] that the rights of the citizens of Stowe
[2:17] and all who pass through our town are
[2:18] protected while ensuring the safety of
[2:20] all. We'll be following up with the
[2:23] chief via email on next
[2:25] steps regarding this complex issue. We
[2:28] also request that the select board
[2:30] dedicate a future meeting for more
[2:32] detailed townwide discussion of ALPR use
[2:35] and technology.
[2:37] >> Thank you.
[2:41] Please,
[2:42] >> Linda Hathway, 76 Crescent Street.
[2:45] >> Hi,
[2:46] >> Town Cliff Board of Registers of Voters.
[2:48] And I'm here to report a little bit
[2:50] about early inerson early voting. Um,
[2:53] tonight it ended at 7:00. Tomorrow will
[2:55] be 8:30 to 4:00, Thursday 8:30 to 7:00,
[2:58] and Friday 8:30 to noon. And as of 6:00
[3:02] tonight, we've had 91 people vote in
[3:04] person. Um, we've mailed out, 1122
[3:08] ballots to those who wanted vote by
[3:11] mail. I want to see 572 more come back
[3:16] before
[3:17] primary day. Um, so about half of them
[3:20] been returned. So, um, please get those
[3:23] back in as soon as possible so that we
[3:25] can get them processed. And just to give
[3:27] some other statistics, there's 5,774
[3:31] registered voters total. Of those we
[3:35] have 783 listed as inactive and how
[3:39] became inactive is failure to return the
[3:42] census forms and of um of that number
[3:45] 324 were inactivated for failure to
[3:48] return the census form in May. So you
[3:51] might show up at the on election day or
[3:54] during early voting and you'd be
[3:56] inactive, need to show ID, we need to
[3:58] fill out forms. Um, but if you find that
[4:01] census form between now and election
[4:03] day, mail it in and I can take care of
[4:06] that. So anyway, we're we're pleased
[4:09] with what our turnout and the request
[4:11] for a primary for a midterm. So, um, all
[4:15] the information is online if anybody
[4:17] wants to look online for it and then
[4:20] we're going from there. Any questions?
[4:24] >> No. Good.
[4:25] >> Thank you.
[4:26] >> Sure.
[4:26] >> Very informative.
[4:29] [clears throat] Um, anybody else in the
[4:31] room seeing and hearing none? Anybody
[4:34] online have their hands raised?
[4:41] » Not that I see.
[4:42] >> Okay. Well, then we'll move on. Uh,
[4:46] [clears throat] board member updates.
[4:49] Hector,
[4:50] >> I recently found [clears throat] out
[4:51] that a longtime member of the fire
[4:55] department and DPW, Tim Gray, has
[5:00] retired, even though he wasn't
[5:02] necessarily a full-time fire member.
[5:04] After 44 years of service for the town
[5:07] of Stowen, I wanted to take a moment to
[5:09] thank him and recognize him for his long
[5:12] service to this town. He is a lifetime
[5:15] member and I think we should consider
[5:18] recognizing people that have served the
[5:20] town for a long time and whenever they
[5:23] leave employment,
[5:25] whatever the reason, at least giving
[5:27] them some a thanks at the very least.
[5:32] >> Okay,
[5:33] >> that's all I had.
[5:35] >> All right,
[5:36] >> nothing [snorts] from me.
[5:39] I just wanted to it's back to school
[5:42] season, so I want to welcome all the
[5:44] teachers and families and students um
[5:47] [clears throat]
[5:48] back to school in the promise of a new
[5:49] school year and hope it's uh off to a
[5:51] good start for everyone.
[5:54] >> Nothing for me as of yet.
[5:56] >> Okay. Um and [clears throat] just
[5:59] piggybacking on that, uh remember school
[6:02] zones are active 20 miles per hour. Mhm.
[6:07] >> Um, and we have them right on 117, so
[6:12] be aware.
[6:13] >> Otherwise, Officer Butler is going to
[6:15] pull you over [laughter] cuz
[6:17] >> he gets them all out there. Just saying.
[6:20] >> And when they see his car, they stop for
[6:21] people in the crosswalk.
[6:24] >> I can guarantee that. [laughter]
[6:27] >> It's one of my favorite things about
[6:30] where my house is is every time you pull
[6:31] someone over for going fast through that
[6:33] area, it's right in front of my house. I
[6:34] get to watch the show. [laughter]
[6:36] >> Well, thanks for the due diligence,
[6:39] Officer Bob. [laughter]
[6:41] Um,
[6:43] the only other thing I just wanted to
[6:45] mention, uh, is, um, I had the
[6:48] opportunity to go to the police, uh,
[6:51] night out.
[6:52] >> Um, again, it was a great time. Um,
[6:56] at first we were disappointed that the
[6:58] helicopter wasn't going to be able to
[7:00] make it because they got called out to
[7:02] an emergency. Kind of important
[7:05] » [laughter]
[7:05] >> uh for life flight. Um, but then uh they
[7:09] were actually able to. So, um I want to
[7:12] send out a shout out to them uh for
[7:15] making that effort as well as our um
[7:18] public safety officers and for our chief
[7:22] um and um Miss Dwire for really setting
[7:26] this up and making a successful
[7:30] enjoyable evening. Once again,
[7:34] that's mine.
[7:37] >> Town administrator's report.
[7:40] Uh thank you. Um well to piggyback on
[7:42] public safety, I would like to recognize
[7:44] the work of our public safety
[7:46] departments for two serious incidents
[7:48] that we've had since our last meeting.
[7:50] Uh the first one was a car accident on
[7:51] July 27th uh on Gleon at Treaty Elm. Um
[7:55] and the second one was just a few days
[7:56] later when we had a missing person at
[7:58] the Delaney property. So police and fire
[8:00] did tremendous work that week
[8:02] especially. Uh I just want to thank them
[8:04] and all of their department members for
[8:06] um how they proceeded on both of those
[8:07] incidents. Uh the work on the Crescent
[8:10] Street sidewalks project will be
[8:12] wrapping up. Uh so folks should pay
[8:14] attention to any detours that are still
[8:16] in place while they finalize that. The
[8:19] Hudson Road 117 signalization project
[8:21] has gotten underway. Um so you will see
[8:24] some detours, road shifts there while
[8:26] they're working. Uh we do expect that
[8:27] project to wrap up by November. So
[8:30] hopefully they'll really be plugging
[8:31] along over the next few months.
[8:34] Uh the Mast's Academy is wrapping up. Um
[8:37] they will be finishing up their uh grand
[8:39] opening is three weeks from today. Three
[8:41] weeks. Um Rich Odell from Masters will
[8:45] be at our next meeting to give a final
[8:46] update um on their school. Uh I had
[8:50] another tour today. It is amazing how
[8:52] much work they've gotten done just in
[8:54] since the last time I went there. Um
[8:56] they are actively planning their ribbon
[8:58] cutting ceremony and we expect it to be
[8:59] a great event
[9:02] um this weekend. Not that anyone needs
[9:06] to do work in this building, but the
[9:08] town building parking lot will be paved,
[9:09] but then we'll be able to reopen our
[9:11] front entrance while we redo the front
[9:12] doors. So, the front doors are part of
[9:14] that. Um, but the new ramp looks
[9:16] beautiful out there. Um, and once they
[9:18] get the parking lot paved and striped,
[9:20] we'll get that back open.
[9:21] >> Will the parking lines be less confusing
[9:23] now?
[9:24] >> Yes. [laughter]
[9:26] >> Trying for years to get that to be less
[9:28] confusing. Well, hopefully. um speaking
[9:31] of paving, the current current paving
[9:33] schedule um
[9:36] is scheduled to fluctuate, uh we were
[9:38] expecting Boxboro Road to be paved next
[9:40] week. It looks like it might be paved
[9:41] the end of this week. So, Hudson and
[9:43] Boxboro are next up to be finished. And
[9:46] then within the next few weeks, we have
[9:48] Apple Blossom, Treaty Elm, Evelyn, and
[9:50] Common Road will be the paving. Um and
[9:54] then I think the last thing I have for
[9:55] you tonight is my office hours. My
[9:57] monthly office hours will resume next
[9:59] week. Um on Wednesday and for September,
[10:02] I am holding them at Duncan. Um so
[10:04] [snorts] change of scenery. Uh we've had
[10:06] some concerns about people having to
[10:07] come in and sign into the community
[10:09] center. So um I will be at Duncan for
[10:12] September's um 9:30 to 11. Um and I
[10:16] think that's everything today.
[10:19] >> Okay. Well, thank you.
[10:22] Um moving right along. Uh, next thing on
[10:25] our agenda, it's always kind of fun, is
[10:27] our appointments. Um, and I'll take a
[10:30] motion.
[10:31] >> I move to appoint Michael Jordan to the
[10:33] Local Access Channel Advisory Committee
[10:36] through June 30th, 2028.
[10:39] >> Second. And motion has been made and
[10:41] seconded. Is Michael here?
[10:43] >> Yes.
[10:44] >> Hi.
[10:44] >> Would you like to say anything, Michael?
[10:46] >> Um, yes. I'm very grateful for the
[10:49] opportunity to serve on the committee.
[10:52] Um, I'm a passionate believer in local
[10:54] media. I have been for for a long time.
[10:57] Um, I think it's great for the community
[10:58] to be involved, uh, to be informed. I
[11:01] think it's great for the sometimes the
[11:03] students, the local bands that we that
[11:05] we promote on the thing. And I think it
[11:06] also serves a very useful purpose for,
[11:09] um, some of the volunteers who go on to,
[11:12] you know, film school and stuff like
[11:13] that. So, it's like a triple win, I
[11:15] think. Um, I've personally been involved
[11:18] with local media since I was, I think,
[11:21] 17. I did an internship for the local
[11:23] radio station of my town back in back in
[11:26] England. Um, and I've also worked with
[11:29] STO TV for almost 20 years at this
[11:31] point. So, I I do feel I have the
[11:33] experience for this.
[11:34] >> Yeah,
[11:34] >> I I would say so.
[11:36] >> Yeah.
[11:38] >> Um, any comments or questions from the
[11:40] board?
[11:41] >> Thank you.
[11:43] >> Yes. Thank you for stepping up. I think
[11:45] it's wonderful. Um, seeing and hearing
[11:47] none, all those in favor?
[11:50] >> I the record show it's unanimous.
[11:52] Congratulations. Thank you.
[11:55] >> Um, we'll take the next motion.
[11:58] >> I move to appoint Robert Norton to the
[12:00] historical commission for a term ending
[12:02] June 30th, 2029.
[12:04] >> Second.
[12:05] >> Motion has been made and seconded. Is
[12:07] Robert here?
[12:08] >> So, this is a reappoint. Um, we just did
[12:11] not have his code of conduct. So, we did
[12:13] get that and now he's been back on for
[12:15] appointment. So, I don't I don't see him
[12:17] on.
[12:17] >> Okay. Uh, then all those in favor of
[12:20] reappointing Robert Norton to the
[12:22] historical commission.
[12:24] >> I the record show it's unanimous and
[12:26] we'll take the next appointment motion.
[12:29] >> I move to appoint Laura Dao to the
[12:31] recreation commission for a term ending
[12:32] June 30th, 2027.
[12:36] >> Second.
[12:37] [laughter]
[12:39] >> Gave you an opportunity.
[12:40] >> Made and seconded. And Laura is on Zoom.
[12:44] >> Sure. Laura, would you like to speak?
[12:49] » No, no comment. Just saying hi and
[12:51] looking forward to working with some of
[12:53] the folks that I got to know a couple of
[12:55] years ago.
[12:57] >> All right, great. Any questions from the
[12:59] board?
[13:00] >> All right, seeing hearing none, all
[13:02] those in favor?
[13:03] >> I I
[13:05] hope show it's unanimous. Thanks, Laura.
[13:08] We appreciate all of your effort
[13:11] and congratulations.
[13:13] [clears throat] I'll take the final.
[13:15] >> I move to appoint Ans Ishvak to the
[13:18] position of constable for the town of
[13:20] Stow for a term ending June 30th, 2029.
[13:23] I hope I pronounced that correctly.
[13:25] >> Yes, that's Thank you.
[13:27] >> Okay. [laughter]
[13:28] >> Hi, An. Would you like to say anything?
[13:32] >> Yes. Uh I just want to say thank you so
[13:34] much for the opportunity and um I look
[13:36] forward to you know um represent the
[13:39] town of Stow in a you know good manners
[13:41] and a respectful way and um um I make
[13:45] sure everything goes how it's supposed
[13:47] to be
[13:49] >> great
[13:50] >> thank you
[13:51] >> any questions comments for anything from
[13:53] anyone right seeing and hearing none all
[13:55] those in favor I
[13:57] >> let the record show it's unanimous
[13:58] congratulation
[14:00] >> thank you
[14:03] Okay.
[14:04] So,
[14:06] the next portion is our public hearing.
[14:10] >> Can't open it yet. It's not 7:30,
[14:12] correct?
[14:14] >> Um, so what we can do is we can bounce.
[14:18] Um, and we'll that's what we'll do.
[14:20] We'll bounce. So,
[14:23] >> Kelly, remember when I said you were
[14:24] going to be after the game?
[14:27] >> Yeah, I Hello. Hi. Hi. Hi. All right.
[14:30] I'm just going to stand if that's okay.
[14:33] All right. So, um, my name is Kelly
[14:34] Lawler. I'm a resident in Stow. I live
[14:36] at 22 Kettle Plane Road. Um, and I'm
[14:40] also an organizer, founder of Rediscover
[14:43] Maple. Thank you so much for having me
[14:45] here today. Um, the mission of
[14:47] Rediscover Maple is to preserve the
[14:49] historical significance of Maple Country
[14:51] Club at Stowacres. Um the organization
[14:54] aims to maintain the site in its
[14:56] historical context using a conservation
[14:58] restriction to keep the land undeveloped
[15:01] for golf use as long as um it remains
[15:03] economically feasible. Um so rediscover
[15:06] Maple, we kind of got started at the
[15:08] library um as most good organizations
[15:11] do. Um and we asked community members to
[15:13] come out and and talk about Robert H.
[15:16] Hawkins and Maple Country Club. And a
[15:18] lot of people came out and said that
[15:19] they wanted to to help tell this story.
[15:22] and Dave Carlson from Stowacres, general
[15:25] manager um at Stowacres is here with a
[15:28] traveling exhibit. So we work every year
[15:31] to um fund raise and to receive grant
[15:33] monies. Um I do need to thank a lot of
[15:35] people. Freedom's Way National Heritage
[15:37] Area, the Mass Cultural Council, Stow
[15:39] Cultural Council, Lancaster Cultural
[15:42] Council, they have funded helped us fund
[15:44] part of this project. Um so we have
[15:47] worked with historical consultants um
[15:49] for the past three to four years. Um,
[15:52] and they were the same historical
[15:54] consultants that put signs on the
[15:55] course. So, you can go to Stowacres
[15:58] today. You can golf. You can walk on the
[16:00] Maple Trail thanks to our conservation
[16:03] department. Um, and you can go check out
[16:05] the signs at hole 1 2 9 and 12 for
[16:09] anybody who's a regular golfer out
[16:11] there. Um, and so this is one of our
[16:14] banners um for our traveling exhibit.
[16:17] They're pretty easy um to put up and
[16:20] mobile. So, we have already secured um
[16:24] multiple locations for these traveling
[16:26] exhibits free of charge um to the town
[16:28] of Stow. So, we have um three buildings
[16:30] in town. Uh the town building, the
[16:33] library, the council on aging um and
[16:36] we'll be at all of those um places
[16:39] locations in the next few weeks and
[16:41] starting September 1st. And then after
[16:43] September, Roberty Hawkins was also a
[16:46] manager of Sandy Burr Country Club. And
[16:49] so the Whan Museum has secured our
[16:51] traveling exhibit for October. If you
[16:53] know Major Taylor and Worcester, it's a
[16:56] small museum. We will be there for
[16:57] November. And the traveling exhibit will
[17:00] come back to Stowe to local schools.
[17:03] Hail Middle School. We're going to do a
[17:05] presentation um to middle school
[17:06] students in December. Um that's all the
[17:09] places that we've booked for this year.
[17:12] Um, and we also can continue to book in
[17:14] 2027. We also do a fundraiser every
[17:17] year, a golf tournament which is
[17:19] happening this Saturday at 1:00.
[17:23] And um, anyone can come out at golf and
[17:26] attend our 100th year anniversary gala.
[17:29] Um, I know many of the people in this
[17:31] room have have heard this spiel before.
[17:34] Um, but it's a really wonderful day, a
[17:36] wonderful night celebrating 100 years of
[17:38] history right here in Stow. What got me
[17:41] interested in the history was that I
[17:44] didn't I hadn't heard about it, but
[17:45] there's so many people on the historical
[17:47] commission on the Stow Historical
[17:49] Society that had known about this
[17:51] history and had been researching it for
[17:53] years. Um, so we're just here kind of
[17:55] pulling it together to tell the story to
[17:58] a broader larger audience. Does anyone
[18:01] have any questions? Because
[18:02] >> I don't know if it's appropriate. Could
[18:03] you just like this first I've heard of
[18:05] it in a sentence. What is Maple Dale?
[18:08] >> Yeah. So, um, back
[18:10] >> inappropriate.
[18:11] >> No, it's completely appropriate. Yeah.
[18:15] Um, in 1926,
[18:17] the Randall Farmstead, which was owned
[18:21] by John, Dr. John Whit Randall, it was
[18:24] able to be purchased by Robert H.
[18:25] Hawkins, a black entrepreneur who had
[18:27] been a general golf manager at Sandy
[18:30] Burke Country Club. And so, he really
[18:32] started black golf. So during the Jim
[18:35] Crow era in the 1920s, Robert Hawkins
[18:38] emerged as a leading figure of black
[18:40] golf locally right here in Stow and
[18:42] nationally. And so what kind of got me
[18:44] interested in this history is it's not
[18:46] really in our history books in Stowe.
[18:49] It's in some national
[18:51] um newspapers. Um it's in black
[18:53] African-American newspapers. Um it it is
[18:56] in some golf history books, right? But
[18:58] it doesn't all get tied together because
[19:00] of Jim Crow era and because of
[19:02] restrictions against black Americans. So
[19:05] this is connecting um this first panel
[19:08] is all about Robert H. Hawkins um and his connections here. He was born in
[19:13] Adams, Massachusetts in 1888. Um he
[19:16] passed away in the 70s in Tukesbury,
[19:19] Massachusetts. Um and so this is all
[19:21] connecting local golf. If you guys know
[19:23] George Franklin Grant, he created the
[19:25] first golf tea in Arlington,
[19:28] Massachusetts. Their select board um
[19:30] they gave a citation for him um just a
[19:33] few years ago. Um and then John Shippen
[19:36] was the pro at Shady Rest Country Club
[19:39] in New Jersey. So what connects Robert
[19:42] H. Hawkins local to national is he was
[19:45] also the co-founder of the United
[19:47] Golfers Association. Um, and so that was
[19:49] the national organization that had um a
[19:52] Negro National Tournament. You can see
[19:54] that um bought that Pittsburgh Courier
[19:57] article. Um, Hawkins was called the
[19:59] father of Negro Golf. Um, in the UG they
[20:02] had the first national tournaments and
[20:04] they happened here at Stow Acres, which
[20:07] was called Maple a 100red years ago. So,
[20:10] [snorts] we are just trying to connect
[20:11] the dots for everybody, tell a um local
[20:15] story, and then connect to more of the
[20:17] national story, and that's what we're
[20:20] here to sell. Dave, do you want to talk
[20:22] about anything?
[20:22] >> Just knocked it out of the park. That's
[20:24] what [laughter]
[20:25] >> So, you asked about Maple Bell. It is
[20:27] the what uh on the front nine of the
[20:29] south course is currently. So, not the
[20:31] entirety of it. It was uh maybe
[20:34] twothirds of the property of the of the
[20:36] front nine of the south. So that nine
[20:38] holes that he built, like they opened in
[20:40] 1926,
[20:42] he bought it in 1926, built the
[20:45] nine-hole golf course and had the
[20:46] National Black Championship on this
[20:48] 9-hole golf course that year.
[20:50] >> And and and no, he's not renting
[20:52] Caterpillar trucks and
[20:54] >> and bulldozing land. So you can imagine
[20:55] kind of like what they were playing on
[20:57] was was farmland. Uh
[20:59] >> no, it certainly seems like history that
[21:00] should be uh celebrated and
[21:03] communicating. like there's people in
[21:04] Stow that don't been here for 30 years
[21:07] been playing golf my whole life and I've
[21:08] never never heard of them certainly been
[21:10] over to Stowers
[21:12] thank you Yep. So we've worked with
[21:14] historical conser consultants we have um
[21:16] a multicultural multi-racial board
[21:19] committee board um we've made a lot of
[21:21] partnerships um and we do give part of
[21:24] our proceeds of our golf tournament to
[21:26] the urban golf club in Boston and the UG
[21:28] which still is around today.
[21:31] >> Great. Well, Kelly, [clears throat] um
[21:35] the select board um actually has a
[21:37] proclamation for you. Um but I'm not
[21:40] going to give it to you tonight.
[21:42] [laughter] You're going to get it at the
[21:43] gala. Okay,
[21:44] >> sounds good. Sounds good.
[21:45] >> But I would like to read it.
[21:48] And the proclamation is in the
[21:50] recognition of the 100th anniversary of
[21:53] the Maple Country Club. Whereas in 1926,
[21:57] Robert Hawkins founded Maple Country
[21:59] Club in the town of Stow, establishing
[22:02] what is recognized as one of the first
[22:04] golf courses created specifically to
[22:07] welcome black golfers during an era when
[22:10] racial segregation and discrimination
[22:12] denied them access to many courses
[22:15] throughout the United States. And
[22:18] whereas Robert Hawkins vision,
[22:21] determination, and commitment to
[22:23] equality created not only a golf course,
[22:25] but a place of opportunity, dignity, and
[22:28] community, making Maple a landmark in
[22:31] both STO's history and the broader story
[22:33] of African-American recreation and civil
[22:36] rights. And whereas the town of Stow
[22:39] proudly recognizes the outstanding
[22:42] efforts of Rediscover Maple, whose
[22:44] volunteers have worked tirelessly to
[22:47] preserve, research, and share the
[22:50] remarkable history of the Maple Country
[22:52] Club through educational programs,
[22:54] community events, partnerships, and
[22:57] historic preservation initiatives,
[22:59] ensuring that this extraordinary legacy
[23:01] will be remembered by future
[23:03] generations. And whereas through its
[23:07] dedication to preserving this history,
[23:09] rediscover Maple has strengthened
[23:12] community pride, promoted historical
[23:14] understanding, and brought well-deserved
[23:16] recognition to one of Stow's most
[23:18] significant cultural and historic
[23:21] landmarks. Now therefore, the Stow
[23:24] Select Board hereby recognizes the 100th
[23:27] anniversary of Maple Country Club,
[23:30] honoring the vision and legacy of Robert
[23:32] Hawkins and celebrating a century of
[23:35] history, perseverance, inclusion,
[23:38] recreation, and community. The select
[23:41] board extends its sincere appreciation
[23:43] to rediscover Maple for its unwavering
[23:46] commitment to preserving and sharing the
[23:48] story of Maple Country Club, ensuring
[23:51] that Robert Hawkins pioneering legacy
[23:54] and the course's enduring impact on the
[23:57] town of Stowe and the Commonwealth of
[23:59] Massachusetts will continue to inspire
[24:02] generations to come. signed this day,
[24:04] the 25th of August, 2026, by all members
[24:09] of the Select Board of Stow,
[24:11] Massachusetts.
[24:12] >> Would you like a motion on that?
[24:14] [snorts and laughter]
[24:18] » Sure. Is that one sentence? [laughter]
[24:21] >> I move to approve and sign a
[24:23] proclamation honoring the 100th
[24:24] anniversary of Maple Country Club and
[24:27] Rediscover Maple.
[24:28] >> Second.
[24:30] >> Motion's been made and seconded after
[24:32] the reading. Any other comments?
[24:37] >> Thank you.
[24:37] >> All those in favor?
[24:38] >> Yeah, there you [laughter] go.
[24:40] >> Hi.
[24:42] >> CONGRATULATIONS.
[24:43] [applause]
[24:48] » Very interesting.
[24:50] Okay. Um
[25:00] » [snorts]
[25:06] [clears throat]
[25:10] » Um, can we just find out what the script
[25:14] is with the raised hand if I didn't
[25:17] realize someone was there for me?
[25:20] >> I don't know who they are. There's no
[25:21] name associated. I can ask them to
[25:23] unmute. I don't know if they're
[25:24] associated with the project.
[25:28] » [snorts]
[25:29] >> Zumba.
[25:41] » It's f It's not a public hearing for
[25:43] that section, so it's up to you.
[25:55] » Okay. Uh we still have the third time.
[25:57] So um why don't we move down to um the
[26:02] right to defeat ALS Saturday. Um
[26:06] Mike uh
[26:09] is Mike.
[26:11] >> Uh yes. Uh no I don't think so. Let me
[26:14] see.
[26:16] >> No I don't think so. Um he has not come
[26:18] the last few years. We've been doing
[26:19] this for a long time. It's fairly
[26:21] standard. So
[26:22] >> Okay.
[26:24] Um, sure. Take a motion on that, please.
[26:28] >> I move to approve the use of STO public
[26:30] ways for the 2026 ride to defeat ALS
[26:33] bike ride on Saturday, September 19th,
[26:35] 2026 from 7:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
[26:39] event manager Mike Farer, pending
[26:41] receipt of the certificate of liability
[26:43] insurance, which I think we now have.
[26:47] >> Second.
[26:48] >> Any questions, comments? Seeing [snorts]
[26:50] hearing none, those in favor? Hi.
[26:53] >> Okay.
[26:55] Um,
[27:02] » I've got five minutes. Chief, do you
[27:05] think you could do the gun range in
[27:06] five?
[27:09] » Try again.
[27:10] >> Maybe the policy.
[27:12] >> Yeah, the policy. Maybe. Yeah,
[27:14] >> let's do the policy.
[27:15] >> Okay.
[27:17] I'll take Is there a motion?
[27:21] >> Yes.
[27:25] presentation first or what are we doing?
[27:27] >> Um, no, let's open it up and then uh
[27:30] we'll have the chief speak. So, do your
[27:32] motion first.
[27:33] >> Okay.
[27:35] >> I move to approve the new policy 7.10
[27:38] crowd control and training as presented
[27:40] by the police chief.
[27:44] » Ryan second.
[27:46] >> Uh, it's been moved and seconded. Uh,
[27:48] chief.
[27:49] >> All right. So going really quickly, this
[27:52] um policy brings us up to the standards
[27:54] put out by police reform and post uh
[27:56] requiring how we train also how we
[27:59] respond to large um you know lawful or
[28:03] unlawful gatherings. Um we typically
[28:06] don't have them here in Stow but in case
[28:07] we do there are certain guidelines that
[28:09] we have to follow. Um mainly some of the
[28:12] new responses are we don't use K9s, we
[28:15] don't use um some other tactics um that
[28:20] prior police departments have used in
[28:22] the past and basically uh we have to
[28:26] train on this every single year. So it
[28:28] just brings us those standards and I
[28:30] presented them to you to read for a
[28:32] couple months ago and that's essentially
[28:34] what it is.
[28:37] [clears throat]
[28:37] >> Okay. Does anybody have any questions at
[28:41] all on policy?
[28:45] >> No.
[28:48] » It's fine with you have the chance to
[28:50] review it and everything. So,
[28:51] >> okay.
[28:52] >> I appreciate your continued work on this
[28:54] list.
[28:55] >> Yes.
[28:57] >> Kelly, thank you very much, Lieutenant.
[28:58] >> Or is [clears throat] that you,
[29:00] [laughter]
[29:00] >> Kelly? Thank you.
[29:03] >> Slugging through it this time. I was
[29:05] like saying it just like, "Oh, poor
[29:07] Kelly is going through." So, thank you
[29:09] very much. Um, and it was quite thorough
[29:13] and I thought clear as well. So, which I
[29:16] appreciate.
[29:18] Um, especially for others that have to
[29:20] read it
[29:21] >> on the forest. So, great job.
[29:25] >> Okay. Seeing in hearing, no other
[29:26] comments. All those in favor? I
[29:29] >> Let the record show it's unanimous.
[29:31] Thank you, Chief.
[29:38] There's several seats.
[29:40] >> Yeah.
[29:41] >> Please
[29:55] back
[29:58] two back there.
[30:02] You
[30:02] >> okay? You okay? Yeah.
[30:13] » There is one more if you'd like it, sir.
[30:16] >> I'm happy to stand.
[30:17] >> I see better.
[30:28] Really short.
[30:29] >> You can start reading the public hearing
[30:31] notice if you'd like. That might take.
[30:32] >> Yeah.
[30:34] >> Okay. Notice [clears throat] is hereby
[30:36] given under chapter 138 of the general
[30:39] laws that Wedgwood Country Club of Stow
[30:41] Inc. 215 Harvard Road Stow Stow Stow Stow Stow Stow Stow Stow
[30:45] has applied for alteration of licensed
[30:47] premises of their liquor license. The
[30:50] alteration includes the addition of
[30:53] outdoor areas including the patio, snack
[30:56] shack, tiki bar, pool area, and all 154
[31:01] acres of the 18hole golf course to the
[31:05] existing licensed premises. A public
[31:08] hearing will be held on the license
[31:11] change of premises on Tuesday, August
[31:13] 25th, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. in the Stow Town
[31:18] building, 380 Great Road, Stow, Mass,
[31:22] which was posted in the action unlimited
[31:25] August 7th, 2026.
[31:29] I will ask for a motion, and this does
[31:32] take a roll call.
[31:33] I move to enter the public hearing for
[31:36] Wedgwood Country Club.
[31:39] >> Second.
[31:40] >> Hector.
[31:41] >> I
[31:43] >> Dan
[31:44] >> I.
[31:44] >> Brian
[31:45] >> I.
[31:45] >> And the chair votes I. It is unanimous.
[31:48] The [snorts] hearing is open. I do just
[31:50] want to uh make a couple of comments
[31:55] um for everybody that is here. Um,
[32:02] we're going to ask that you keep your
[32:04] comments to two minutes.
[32:07] And this hearing pertains strictly to
[32:13] the license.
[32:15] It is not dealing with the permitting
[32:18] for events or anything else. That's in
[32:21] the planning board's purview. So we will
[32:24] keep focused narrowly into the lensure
[32:29] um and the expansion that's being
[32:32] requested. Okay. Um, I'm going to ask
[32:38] that anybody that does speak, um, that
[32:42] once you have spoken,
[32:44] if there's others that wish to speak,
[32:46] I'm going to recognize them first, um,
[32:50] before going back. And if I deem that
[32:53] the information that's being stated is a
[32:57] repeat of others, I may say we've
[32:59] actually already heard that. [snorts]
[33:01] Okay, everybody understands the ground
[33:04] rules?
[33:05] And all comments are to be made to the
[33:09] chair and to this board, not to anybody
[33:12] else that is in the room.
[33:15] Okay.
[33:17] All right. With that, I'm going to ask
[33:21] uh the applicant to to introduce
[33:23] themselves and to offer any comments.
[33:26] Whether it's yourselves or an attorney
[33:28] or both, that's fine.
[33:30] >> Thank you. I'll start. Um, are you okay
[33:32] if I sit here or should I stand
[33:34] somewhere for Okay, thank you. Um, good
[33:37] evening. Kristen Scanland for the Lency
[33:40] Wedgewood Country Club. Um, I'm a
[33:42] licensing and permitting attorney doing
[33:43] work all throughout Massachusetts. With
[33:45] me this evening is uh Stacy Pirino Paige
[33:49] and her brother Joe uh Pirino who are
[33:52] the owners of the country club. I know
[33:54] the board is familiar um with the owners
[33:57] in the country club alike. As you know,
[33:59] we're here before you this evening for
[34:01] an application to alter the premises of
[34:04] the existing country club um to
[34:08] encompass the whole of the said club and
[34:10] the golf course, which includes all the
[34:12] outdoor areas of the 154 acre golf club,
[34:16] including a patio outside the existing
[34:18] clubhouse, a snack shack, pool area, and
[34:21] again the um hole of the 18hole golf
[34:24] course. First and foremost, um while I
[34:26] was not the um attorney of record at the
[34:30] hearing in July, uh I am familiar with
[34:32] the discussion that um did occur did
[34:35] occur at that time and the lency does
[34:38] appreciate um the thorough discussion
[34:41] and ultimately the provisional amendment
[34:42] that was granted at that time as they
[34:44] did receive this particular application
[34:46] that's formally here before you tonight
[34:48] to alter the premises. Um as the board
[34:51] I'm sure is aware, this particular golf
[34:55] to alter the license, not the premises.
[34:58] Correct.
[34:59] >> Alter the description of the premises of
[35:01] on the the face of the license.
[35:03] >> Just so it's clear.
[35:04] >> Yes. Thank you.
[35:05] >> Um
[35:06] >> you're not bringing bulldozers in and
[35:08] >> No. No. So, and and and that's a good
[35:11] point which I was going to get to as
[35:13] well is that um
[35:18] the I I've been doing this somewhat for
[35:20] 15 years and just for discussion
[35:23] purposes
[35:24] what I've even seen in my practice and
[35:27] longer um which the golf course has been
[35:29] in existence as a lency longer than that
[35:32] the better part of 25 years the golf
[35:34] course has been there for the better
[35:35] part of 30 years um is that the um level
[35:40] of detail that is um accepted and or now
[35:45] required on the face of a liquor license
[35:49] to describe the premises has definitely
[35:52] evolved to air on the side of caution so
[35:54] that it is explicitly described and I do
[35:57] think part of um you know it it wasn't
[36:01] intentional but this license is so old
[36:04] the generation old that it's always been
[36:07] issued and reissued issued year after
[36:09] year with the original description of
[36:11] the premises that was described in the
[36:13] early 2000s and unfortunately has never
[36:17] um evolved with I think what both
[36:19] municipalities including the town of
[36:21] Stowe and the ABCC now requires for
[36:24] newer clubs and newer licenses of any
[36:26] kind whether it's under section 12 or
[36:28] section 15. So, with that being said, I
[36:32] know there's been frank um uh and
[36:34] plentiful discussion on the um
[36:37] requirement to amend the license so that
[36:40] it does come into compliance with what
[36:43] is required of not only the town and the
[36:44] ABCC, but to truly describe um all areas
[36:49] under the license premises where
[36:51] [snorts] the lency would serve or sell
[36:54] alcohol, which is what we're here to do
[36:56] today. So, it's a little bit of a a
[36:59] distinction from, I think, what you
[37:01] might regularly see under an application
[37:03] to alter a premises. They're not
[37:05] actually adding a building or adding
[37:07] acreage or adding square footage to the
[37:09] license. We're merely asking to um uh
[37:13] comply obviously with what's required of
[37:15] them and fully and sufficiently describe
[37:18] um the areas that they've um been in
[37:20] operation that the board is aware of so
[37:23] that um they can move forward in full
[37:25] compliance with that um being said. So
[37:28] unlike you know adding again adding
[37:31] additional square footage adding acreage
[37:33] anything like that we don't think there
[37:36] is any impact whatsoever as far as um
[37:40] you know public safety traffic parking
[37:42] noise is concerned um which you might
[37:44] otherwise um take further into
[37:47] consideration if they truly were adding
[37:49] um square footage to their to their
[37:52] overall operations. That being said,
[37:54] certainly happy to answer any questions
[37:57] or address any concerns the board might
[37:58] have specific to this application.
[38:03] » Are there any questions or comments from
[38:04] the select board to the applicant?
[38:10] » I a question.
[38:12] >> Sure. Would you just for the purposes of
[38:15] the public describe how what the
[38:19] regulations say about the use of alcohol
[38:22] on golf courses? What the baseline is
[38:27] >> in respect
[38:29] >> generally just not specific to the any
[38:32] golf course but just what the law says
[38:34] about the use of alcohol on golf
[38:37] courses. So it because it falls under a
[38:39] section 12 even though it's specific to
[38:42] golf courses. I know there's um
[38:44] >> well people don't necessarily know it's
[38:45] section 12.
[38:46] >> Sorry, excuse me. Yes. So section 12 is
[38:49] considered um any alcohol that is served
[38:52] on premises. So, an applicant that comes
[38:55] before you to uh have a restaurant or
[38:58] specifically pour and serve alcohol to
[39:00] somebody while they're on their
[39:01] premises, which is distinct from a
[39:03] package store or a wine shop, which is a
[39:06] section 15 license where you can go and
[39:08] purchase a license and it's specifically
[39:10] for off- premises consumption by the
[39:12] purchaser or the customer. They cannot
[39:14] pour on premise as long as it is
[39:18] specifically described on the license
[39:20] which is part of the discussion we're
[39:22] here uh today or this evening for to put
[39:25] on the face of the license. They are
[39:27] able to serve anywhere including within
[39:32] um
[39:33] the 18 holes of the course. So,
[39:37] uh, drink carts, for instance, that's
[39:39] allowed and accepted through the ABCC
[39:42] and golf courses across Massachusetts.
[39:44] It's obviously distinct and and special
[39:48] to golf courses. You're not seeing that
[39:50] even at, you know, a large format. Um,
[39:53] >> actually, the exception is given in
[39:55] section 12, chapter 138. It's an actual
[39:58] statute that gives it specifically to
[40:00] golf courses.
[40:01] >> Right. Right. um because of the unique
[40:05] >> nature nature and environment of the
[40:07] business itself.
[40:08] >> Right?
[40:09] >> So that exception was actually brought
[40:11] out within Mass General Law.
[40:13] >> Right. [snorts]
[40:16] >> That was what my question was all about.
[40:19] You finally got it. Okay.
[40:22] >> Okay. Any other questions from the
[40:24] board? Okay. Seeing and hearing none uh
[40:28] at this point in time. Um, if there are,
[40:31] let me know. Um, are there questioners,
[40:35] comments from the public in attendance,
[40:38] either in person or via Zoom?
[40:43] » Yes.
[40:46] Here, come up.
[40:47] >> No. From there, I just ask that you
[40:49] state your name and where you are and
[40:51] >> Sure. Thank you. My name is Anthony
[40:53] Paramea. I reside at 52 Whispering Way
[40:56] with my wife, two daughters, and two
[40:58] dogs. We lived in Stow to be 20 years
[41:00] this coming January. Um,
[41:05] in addition to being a resident, I am a
[41:06] member at Wedgwood Pines for the past
[41:08] five years. I know Joe and Stacy well.
[41:11] So, I just wanted to say a few words
[41:13] about my opinion in terms of how they
[41:15] run the operation and so forth. But
[41:17] before I do that, um, in addition to
[41:19] living in a resident, um, I've got a we
[41:22] rent an office down 118 Great Road in my
[41:25] company that I own and operate. It's our
[41:27] headquarters down there. So we have a
[41:28] small suite at that the chiropractor
[41:31] over there. So and I'm also a trustee on
[41:34] the HOA in Wildlife Woods. So I'm sort
[41:36] of a vested member in the community
[41:38] here. Um and you know just wanted to say
[41:42] a few words about about this. Oh and by
[41:44] the way when I first moved here in 07 I
[41:46] was on the fincom committee associate
[41:47] member for a year. Um these guys are
[41:51] solid people. They run a really good
[41:53] operation. Um high character. Joe's at
[41:56] the course every morning at 5:00 working
[41:59] the machinery and making you know things
[42:02] happen for the course and um that sort
[42:04] of work ethic is scarce I feel these
[42:07] days generally speaking um and in a town
[42:11] like Stow right my business I've been
[42:13] there for six years and you know like
[42:16] 117 isn't isn't great it's sort of like
[42:19] when you look at Hudson it's like it's just not a great thriving area so
[42:24] the few businesses you know we're
[42:25] fortunate to have the school coming
[42:26] online at the old Bose campus, but
[42:28] there's not a lot of businesses in town
[42:30] that are like sort of thriving and
[42:32] providing tax revenue. And that's
[42:34] important. Agnostic of what personal
[42:36] opinions may be, we have economic
[42:39] obligations to fund pensions and police
[42:41] departments and so forth. And in a
[42:44] growing environment of few, I think it's
[42:47] important, especially when you have
[42:48] someone like um
[42:50] >> sir,
[42:52] how is this? It would be great if this
[42:55] could just be awarded and done for
[42:58] because they're they're hardworking
[42:59] people. They operate a business here for
[43:02] over 25 years and um and they've really
[43:04] done it without any issue. So, I just
[43:06] wanted to provide that character
[43:08] reference. Thank you.
[43:09] >> Thank you for the comments. Is there
[43:11] anybody else in the room?
[43:15] Um
[43:17] doesn't matter. I'd like my my lawyer
[43:20] speak John speak from my behalf.
[43:23] Good evening, Mr. Chair. Uh my name is
[43:25] John McDermott. I'm an attorney. I
[43:26] represent Warren and Sarah Drewitz, 92
[43:28] Dunster Drive. Um I I'll keep my remarks
[43:31] brief as the board does have several
[43:33] letters from our office uh speaking to
[43:35] this application and this applicant. Um
[43:37] but briefly I would just summarize to
[43:39] say that uh those letters we've
[43:41] submitted uh to the board and uh which
[43:44] some of which were included in the
[43:45] board's agenda packet for its July 15th
[43:47] meeting um really speak to a pattern of
[43:49] behavior by the applicant directly
[43:51] relevant uh to this application uh
[43:53] particularly with regard to noise uh
[43:56] noise and outdoor events uh that
[43:59] >> sir that is not our perview. It is our
[44:02] purview to the extent that the the
[44:05] liquor license has an impact on noise is
[44:08] within our purview.
[44:11] » So it has to do with the alcohol use
[44:14] [clears throat] contributing to noise.
[44:15] So I do think we have to not music
[44:19] necessarily, but it does affect noise.
[44:22] That's the way I read it.
[44:25] If I'm wrong, [snorts] we've got two
[44:27] attorneys here in town council and I
[44:29] will eat crow if necessary.
[44:32] >> [sighs]
[44:33] >> Um okay let's continue
[44:38] >> uh and noise as it relates to among
[44:40] other factors that the licensing
[44:42] authority considers the sort of
[44:44] operation that carries the license and
[44:46] the reputation of the applicant. And so
[44:48] I believe that uh particularly those
[44:51] events that have been detailed in our uh
[44:53] July 15th uh and August 20th letters uh
[44:57] as well as a June 29th letter that we
[44:59] submitted uh which was included in the
[45:01] board's agenda packet really describe uh
[45:03] the adverse impact that noise has on
[45:07] members of the community. Uh and so
[45:09] certainly it's uh my client's position
[45:10] that the expansion of this license uh
[45:13] particularly given the conversation and
[45:14] I was present at the board's July 15th
[45:17] hearing uh really I think speaks
[45:19] adversely uh to the reputation of the
[45:22] applicant to hold a license. Certainly
[45:24] it's nothing personal. It's nothing
[45:25] about their business operations. Uh and
[45:26] I wouldn't want to suggest that. I would
[45:28] suggest to the board that uh those
[45:31] events with their frequency particularly
[45:34] recently uh do speak to whether or not
[45:36] this application should be granted. And
[45:38] my my closing comment would just be for
[45:40] the record uh that I believe the board
[45:42] may well be remiss in limiting its
[45:44] discussion concerning permits granted by
[45:46] other boards. Thank you.
[45:50] Okay.
[45:55] Tomato tomato. Um, you say,
[45:58] >> "Excuse me, sir."
[45:59] >> Sorry. I'm sorry. Sorry. Martin Golden
[46:00] Blat been in town since 2009.
[46:04] We um we live on Cider Mill off of
[46:07] Harvard, right across from the Country
[46:09] Club.
[46:10] >> Is that sufficient?
[46:12] >> I'm sorry.
[46:12] >> Is that sufficient? Is that okay? Okay.
[46:15] >> But you need to direct your comments to
[46:17] >> Oh, sorry. Sorry. Sorry. You're right.
[46:20] Um, it's it's admirable that you get up
[46:23] at 5:00 in the morning and start your
[46:25] machinery. It's also obnoxious and wakes
[46:28] me up and I hear it.
[46:29] >> Excuse me.
[46:31] >> So,
[46:31] >> again, [laughter]
[46:32] you need to focus your comments here,
[46:35] >> okay?
[46:35] >> Not there.
[46:36] >> Okay. The noise that comes from the golf course starts very early in the
[46:43] morning and I can hear on the weekends
[46:45] and it's admirable that people are
[46:47] getting out trying to do the lawn before
[46:48] people go and play golf, but it is
[46:51] extremely annoying. Second is people
[46:54] when they're going to the golf course,
[46:56] it's almost a joke, they [clears throat]
[46:58] accelerate because they're late for
[46:59] their tea time. And I'm concerned that
[47:01] when you grant this license,
[47:06] » I'm just voicing my concerns. Thank you.
[47:10] >> Well, I'd just like to respond that
[47:14] traffic noise associated with
[47:16] maintenance is not what we can talk
[47:18] about. Our are we're limited to the
[47:20] outcome. my first time at this. I'm
[47:22] >> No, that's okay. I just wanted people to
[47:24] understand [cough and clears throat] why
[47:25] we may not be responding to those.
[47:27] >> Okay. Just responding to something that
[47:28] came before.
[47:31] >> Um I think you had your hand up first,
[47:34] so please.
[47:35] >> Well, Janet Moffett, I live on Harvard
[47:37] Road. Um our backyard is a couple acres
[47:41] away from one of the TE's and we live
[47:44] right after a a very steep curb by West
[47:47] School. And my question well concern is
[47:52] the golf course is in the middle of a
[47:54] residential area and as a result I feel
[47:58] like that needs to be taken into cons
[48:00] consideration about uh unlimited alcohol
[48:04] use available on the golf course. If uh
[48:08] if you know Harvard road at all, you
[48:11] know it's pretty windy. Um
[48:14] and and I do worry about the
[48:17] consequences. I'm also really curious
[48:19] what is the tiki bar
[48:22] >> that's listed on our
[48:24] uh special
[48:27] public notice
[48:27] >> not notice
[48:30] >> um I believe and I the they can correct
[48:34] me but I believe that is um set up where
[48:38] their pool is.
[48:42] » Is that correct?
[48:45] >> Yes. It also says
[48:48] pool area
[48:49] >> separate from tiki bar. So I wasn't sure
[48:51] if they were two separate things or
[48:53] >> nope. It's kind of all encompassing in
[48:56] an open air area. That's typically what
[48:57] a tiki bar is. Um
[49:01] good evening. Uh Tom McGillicuy live at
[49:05] corner of October Lane and uh Harvard
[49:07] Road. I'm that neighbor of uh Wedgewood
[49:10] Pines. Been in town not that long, 30
[49:14] years.
[49:15] Uh I have not seen or heard any of the
[49:18] uh instances people have raised. No
[49:21] issues with noise, no issues with
[49:23] traffic. I know that's not the purview
[49:25] of today's discussion. Um I would like
[49:28] to make a general comment that um
[49:31] understanding all of the revenue that we
[49:33] get in town that goes to schools and the
[49:35] m municipal services ultimately come
[49:38] from private companies either directly
[49:40] or through the citizens in town. It's
[49:43] incumbent on us to do everything we can
[49:46] to help small business, which is the
[49:48] lifeblood of of our economy, to be
[49:51] successful. And um I would just like to express my view that this is our
[49:57] opportunity as a board to do that within
[49:59] the purview of the legal requirements um
[50:03] set out so eloquently by the by the
[50:05] attorney. So, thank you.
[50:06] >> Thank you.
[50:08] >> Yes. [clears throat]
[50:09] >> Douglas Moffett, 185 Harvard Road. Um,
[50:15] having a liquor license for the
[50:16] clubhouse seems perfectly
[50:18] straightforward, even for the patio
[50:20] outside, even for the pool or tiki bar.
[50:24] But I'm I'm a little concerned about
[50:27] having carts driving around the 18 holes
[50:31] of the golf course selling liquor to
[50:34] golfers. My experience of golfing has
[50:38] been you play your 18 holes and then you
[50:40] go to the 19th hole bar at the clubhouse
[50:43] and have your drinks.
[50:46] Anyway, I I I've heard rumors that
[50:49] that's already been going on. Um
[50:53] [snorts] not wild about that idea. I
[50:56] would I would appreciate it if it were
[50:59] defined when they re redefined the
[51:03] premises for the liquor license that it
[51:05] doesn't permit them to drive all over
[51:07] the course selling liquor to golfers.
[51:12] Okay.
[51:16] Um
[51:18] you have not spoken yet in the pink
[51:20] shirt.
[51:21] >> Uh Chris Boucher. I lived at 44 Silvin
[51:23] Drive for 14 years. recently moved uh
[51:26] over to Heritage. At the end of the day,
[51:28] I never had any issue with noise
[51:30] whatsoever. And frankly, the club, one
[51:32] of the reasons I stayed in Stow and
[51:34] continue to pay the taxes to be close to
[51:35] the So,
[51:38] >> okay, thank you.
[51:40] >> Um,
[51:43] >> uh, Sean Gity, uh, 17 Wedgwood Road. Um,
[51:46] really I got two questions, I guess. So,
[51:49] it looked like there was supposed to be
[51:50] a site plan that showed where the liquor
[51:52] license was to expand for and I didn't
[51:54] see it. And so, I guess my first
[51:56] question is I'm not a member. Is there a
[51:58] lifeguard at the pool or people going to
[51:59] be drinking while swimming? How is that
[52:02] risk mitigated? And then
[52:04] >> that's not up to us.
[52:07] >> Okay. So, it's a I guess a concern then
[52:10] of emergency services having to respond
[52:12] to
[52:13] >> potential injuries. we have the
[52:15] emergency services in town if there's an
[52:17] issue.
[52:18] >> I I agree. But okay, so we don't care
[52:21] that people drink in and pool. Um and
[52:23] then the second question, I guess, is uh
[52:27] as a golfer, right? We've all seen
[52:28] people who are over served on a golf
[52:30] course and I guess my question is what
[52:32] mechanism is in place when a cart comes
[52:34] by and interacts with someone for uh a
[52:38] minute and a half to determine that
[52:39] person has been over served? so that
[52:42] when my wife is jogging on the road, uh,
[52:44] this person doesn't come who's over
[52:46] served and get my wife.
[52:51] » Okay.
[52:54] Um, you've spoken at this gentleman. I
[52:57] think it's incumbent on the board to
[52:59] keep the direction of these comments.
[53:01] There's no golf carts that's driving
[53:02] down the road. So, if we're dealing with
[53:05] the license, that statement was just a
[53:08] statement just to to try to get a
[53:09] reaction. really not part of this
[53:12] evening.
[53:13] >> Okay.
[53:14] >> Can I Can I address that? That
[53:15] >> I did.
[53:16] >> No.
[53:17] Okay. [snorts]
[53:20] » I know I spoke, but I don't think I used
[53:21] my two minutes. I got I played at I
[53:24] played at Still Acres not too long ago,
[53:27] and we could sort of do what we want.
[53:29] Drink on the course. So, it's sort of
[53:31] same same. There's no I don't think
[53:33] they're seeking anything that's not
[53:35] already been granted in the same sort of
[53:36] use and context.
[53:39] >> Mhm. Okay.
[53:41] You trying to make extra time, so I'd
[53:43] like to take my extra for the two
[53:45] minutes. I'm immediately abuing the
[53:47] clubhouse, so I understand others have
[53:49] not had noise. We have the noise issue
[53:51] off the patio and and the noise
[53:52] violations are directly pertinent to
[53:54] this lensure. The carts, that's
[53:57] different. Other people have different
[53:58] problems with that. That's not what I'm
[53:59] speaking about. We all have different
[54:00] issues. But the tone of the town has
[54:02] besides members, there's a concern about
[54:05] this and there's a considerable noise
[54:06] concern from allowing the extension of
[54:09] the license to violators of fireworks
[54:12] regulations, noise permits already and
[54:17] their license already on their liquor
[54:20] from what the meeting in July was
[54:25] speaks to their character.
[54:30] Thank you. [clears throat]
[54:34] » In the back.
[54:35] >> Uh my name is Jean Null. I'm a conquered
[54:38] resident, but I've been a member of
[54:39] Wedgewood Pines for seven years. Uh on the issue of license, I'd just like
[54:45] the board to consider. It's a diffic
[54:48] it's a service industry. It's like the
[54:50] restaurant industry, the golf industry.
[54:52] It's a difficult industry to stay alive.
[54:55] I I think some members of the board are
[54:58] probably aware a number of golf courses
[54:59] in this area have been sold to
[55:02] outofstate corporations or gone bank in
[55:05] the past couple years. One last thing I
[55:07] wanted to point out.
[55:09] Golf courses evolve. Shaker Hills, which
[55:12] is a competitor, which is in the town of
[55:14] Harbor, recently built a driveth through
[55:18] snack bar. So the golfers at Shaker
[55:21] Hills now can drive through this snack
[55:24] bar and purchase snacks, drinks,
[55:27] sandwiches, alcohol, beverages.
[55:31] Uh very recently, Golf D just did an
[55:35] article pointing out this is something
[55:37] Shaker Hills. This is the direction the
[55:39] industry is going in. Limiting the
[55:41] Wedgwood Pines's license arguably limits
[55:44] their ability to financially survive.
[55:48] >> Thank you. Thank you.
[55:51] Um,
[55:53] we did receive a a letter um
[56:00] from Lou Casavaro.
[56:03] Sorry if I butchered
[56:05] >> Kakavo.
[56:06] >> Kacavo. Thank you. I don't like
[56:08] butchering names, but um who uh asked to
[56:12] have it entered into the record. Um and
[56:17] it is a letter of support. Um he is an
[56:20] attorney and has dealt with I guess a
[56:23] number of um courses.
[56:27] Um so I would like to enter that in to
[56:30] the record um as uh support
[56:35] um for Wedgewood.
[56:41] Okay. Um,
[56:46] is there any other comments that have
[56:50] not been mentioned?
[56:51] >> Are you going to ask online, folks?
[56:52] >> Yes.
[56:56] And are there any hands raised online?
[56:59] >> And I would ask that folks use your
[57:01] virtual hand because I can't see all the
[57:03] windows.
[57:09] » Janine Heert. Janine Heert. She has not
[57:12] using her virtual hand, but I can
[57:14] actually see a hand raised.
[57:17] >> I need to scroll through all the people.
[57:18] Um,
[57:22] [clears throat]
[57:25] » okay.
[57:33] » I've asked her to unmute. It was Janine,
[57:35] you said?
[57:36] >> Yeah.
[57:36] Janine Heert. She had her hand
[57:38] raised. Jenny, do you have a H? She's
[57:40] >> Yeah.
[57:42] >> Good evening.
[57:42] >> Hello.
[57:43] >> Good evening. Hi. I just wanted to say
[57:45] that we are in director.
[57:48] >> Janine,
[57:49] >> can you just state your name and where
[57:52] you reside, please?
[57:54] >> Yes. Janine Heert, 220 Taylor Road, and
[57:58] we are um directs to Wedgwood Pines.
[58:03] And I just wanted to say that I'm here
[58:06] to support them. Um, we've been here for
[58:08] 25 years and we go over to Wedgwood
[58:12] quite often for dinners and have some
[58:15] date nights and drinks and um, we want
[58:18] to support them in seeing what they can
[58:21] get for their liquor license for the
[58:22] other locations on the country club.
[58:26] >> Okay, thank you very much
[58:29] your comment.
[58:30] >> Thank you.
[58:32] >> Are there any other virtual hands? Yes.
[58:35] >> I see one.
[58:43] » Hi. Can you hear me?
[58:45] >> Yes, we can. Can you state your name and
[58:47] your where you reside, please?
[58:48] >> Sure. This is Janita Pitterino and I'm
[58:51] at 493 Taylor Road in Stow.
[58:54] >> Hi, Janita.
[58:55] >> Hi. How are you? Um, I'm just wanted to
[58:59] say that obviously I support Wedgewood
[59:01] Pines. Um, I keep hear I'm hearing a lot
[59:05] about the liquor license and Wedgewood's
[59:09] not asking for anything beyond what
[59:11] other golf courses are asking for. It's
[59:13] the same standard that everyone else
[59:15] has. Um, I do want to speak to the
[59:20] concern about the drinking and driving.
[59:23] Wedgewood is held to the utmost
[59:25] standards for serving and drinking and
[59:28] everything is um there is compliance
[59:32] that they that you know that they have
[59:35] to adhere to especially the servers and
[59:38] the bartenders and they're all trained
[59:39] professionally. So I um I just wanted to
[59:44] speak to that and and
[59:47] say that. And also um in terms of the
[59:51] membership at Wedgewood, they are some
[59:53] of the most respectful people that you
[59:56] can find. Um and it's I just Yeah,
[1:00:00] that's all I can say. I that's all I
[1:00:03] really wanted to say.
[1:00:04] >> Thank you very much.
[1:00:06] >> Yeah.
[1:00:10] » Is there anybody else? [snorts]
[1:00:17] Dan Clark, [clears throat] do you have a
[1:00:19] virtual hand you can raise?
[1:00:21] >> I can just scroll through. If you tell
[1:00:24] me [snorts] names, I can
[1:00:25] >> I think he's in the top right corner
[1:00:26] there.
[1:00:27] >> Yeah. No, it should.
[1:00:28] >> Yeah, but I don't control it through
[1:00:29] there. I control it here. So, it's
[1:00:30] >> Oh, we got you. Go ahead. Can you, for
[1:00:32] the record, can you state your name and
[1:00:34] where you reside, please?
[1:00:36] >> Yeah. My name is Dan Clark. Um, live at
[1:00:38] 28 Treffrey Lane, Stow. Um just wanted
[1:00:42] to listen um Stow is a beautiful town.
[1:00:45] It's full of golf courses and apple
[1:00:47] orchards. These are the businesses that
[1:00:48] we want to embrace. We want we want
[1:00:50] these businesses here. I mean what's the
[1:00:52] alternative to data center? So these are
[1:00:55] companies that we should embrace like
[1:00:57] Janita just outlined. These folks are
[1:00:59] doing nothing other than what every
[1:01:00] other golf course does. And the reality
[1:01:02] is if a golf course doesn't have a
[1:01:05] liquor license, a golf course won't be
[1:01:08] around for long. It's pretty simple. So,
[1:01:11] um, they do a great job. They're great
[1:01:14] for the community. Um, it's a big reason
[1:01:16] why a lot of people come to Stow is
[1:01:18] because of the golf courses and the
[1:01:19] upper orchard. So, keep that in mind. I
[1:01:21] understand that sometimes the noise
[1:01:24] around where you live, but the golf
[1:01:25] course has been here for 28, 30 years.
[1:01:28] And if you moved in next to a golf
[1:01:30] course after that, well, when you move
[1:01:32] next to a golf course, there is going to
[1:01:34] be some lively action. That's I mean,
[1:01:36] people live on golf courses. That's a
[1:01:38] treat. So just um you know there's
[1:01:40] choices we have. So if the noise is too
[1:01:42] much and you moved in after the course
[1:01:44] was there, you got choices. Um it's a
[1:01:47] great place for people to go. It's a
[1:01:49] great part of this community. It'd be a
[1:01:51] shame if anything happened to Wedgewood.
[1:01:53] >> Thank you.
[1:01:53] for comments.
[1:01:57] >> Um is there anybody else?
[1:02:01] >> No hands and no one else has a camera on
[1:02:02] so no one else is waving around.
[1:02:04] >> Okay. Um [laughter] any final comments?
[1:02:08] uh from board members at this point
[1:02:12] in the public hearing.
[1:02:15] Okay.
[1:02:16] >> I do.
[1:02:18] >> All of us do.
[1:02:19] >> Go ahead.
[1:02:19] >> Why'd you [snorts] say okay? I didn't
[1:02:21] know what you meant by that.
[1:02:23] >> Okay. You go.
[1:02:24] >> I go.
[1:02:25] >> Well, I'm glad that one of the questions
[1:02:27] that I had with respect to um management
[1:02:31] of drinking. I was glad to hear that you
[1:02:33] have certified ma and you manage your
[1:02:38] serving staff and [clears throat] have
[1:02:40] you ever
[1:02:42] in your experience
[1:02:44] is there an example you can give the
[1:02:46] board and the public with respect to
[1:02:48] your ability to manage someone who is
[1:02:51] drunk and shouldn't be driving. Have you
[1:02:52] had that experience?
[1:02:54] >> We have.
[1:02:56] >> And how did you manage that? Well,
[1:02:59] >> first thing we do is take their keys.
[1:03:02] And it's it it happens less often than
[1:03:04] you would think, but it happens
[1:03:06] occasionally. We take their keys, we
[1:03:08] make sure they're okay,
[1:03:11] uh, [clears throat] and then we get them
[1:03:12] an Uber home.
[1:03:15] That's been our practice since way back
[1:03:17] when. Prior to Uber, we used to drive
[1:03:20] them. So
[1:03:21] >> So is that, this is picky, but is that
[1:03:23] written somewhere? I mean, if if there's
[1:03:25] different managers on staff at that
[1:03:28] time, is that a written policy or is
[1:03:30] that Oh, yeah. Okay, it's written
[1:03:31] somewhere. Okay, that would be great.
[1:03:33] Thank you.
[1:03:35] >> Um, I don't believe there been any DUIs
[1:03:38] on Harvard Road is my understanding. I
[1:03:41] don't know.
[1:03:43] >> I don't believe so. Uh,
[1:03:45] >> I mean, none that someone's attributed
[1:03:46] to Wedgwood that we're aware of.
[1:03:48] >> Oh, okay. There's always, yes,
[1:03:51] there's always like single car
[1:03:53] accidents. Well, what happened there, a
[1:03:54] dear? But anyway, um, okay. I think
[1:03:59] this is the noise issue. I do hear and I
[1:04:02] understand and to the extent that we can
[1:04:05] address noise, I also recommend that
[1:04:07] people that are concerned about noise
[1:04:09] and drinking should bring that up with
[1:04:10] the planning board, which is also going
[1:04:12] to be hearing this. to the extent that
[1:04:15] noise becomes an a result of pro
[1:04:19] improperly managed alcohol use that's
[1:04:23] something that we should be discussing.
[1:04:26] I don't know I don't have I mean I also
[1:04:30] have heard the parties um so but I don't
[1:04:35] believe that the noise is just because
[1:04:40] alcohol is being served inappropriately.
[1:04:42] I think it's because people are having a
[1:04:44] good time and talking and playing music.
[1:04:46] So, from an alcohol point of view, I
[1:04:51] don't see an issue with um amending
[1:04:55] this. And I do know that Stowacres, for
[1:04:58] example, everyone's running around with
[1:05:00] their carts and having a good time and
[1:05:02] the cart girls go around and they
[1:05:04] usually are girls, I'm sorry to say, but
[1:05:06] um so that other golf courses do in fact
[1:05:09] have that same practice. Mhm.
[1:05:11] [clears throat]
[1:05:11] [snorts] Okay.
[1:05:14] >> So,
[1:05:16] I think back to when we last met in
[1:05:19] July, the owners had come before us.
[1:05:24] There were violations of the noise.
[1:05:25] There were violations of fireworks.
[1:05:28] There were violations of the liquor
[1:05:30] license because of changes that had
[1:05:32] happened within the laws about liquor
[1:05:34] licenses and the premises. And he paid
[1:05:38] the fines. You went through a dry spell
[1:05:41] as was is shown in the letter. You went
[1:05:44] through those three days of no alcohol
[1:05:46] served and you've faced your
[1:05:50] punishment for your violations. You've
[1:05:53] also gone through all the paperwork that
[1:05:56] we asked of you to update and I don't
[1:05:59] see any reason why we should deny them
[1:06:03] their renewed liquor license anymore.
[1:06:06] >> Okay.
[1:06:08] you had your hand. I just told
[1:06:11] >> I [snorts] just a couple specific
[1:06:13] things. Um, with the
[1:06:17] liquor license as signed um, per se, it
[1:06:19] includes the steam and sauna rooms. Do
[1:06:24] people consume alcohol in the steam and
[1:06:25] sauna rooms?
[1:06:26] >> I've never seen it.
[1:06:27] >> That's why Okay,
[1:06:28] >> that was on their original license.
[1:06:30] >> Was on the historic
[1:06:31] >> Yes.
[1:06:32] >> license. So big.
[1:06:34] >> Okay. That's what I was like. [laughter]
[1:06:36] >> Okay.
[1:06:37] >> Because [clears throat] it's something
[1:06:38] in in the clubhouse, it just on the side
[1:06:41] of it. [clears throat] So no, not really
[1:06:44] practice to
[1:06:45] >> serve or consume in either one of those.
[1:06:48] >> Fair enough. Um
[1:06:53] I my other comment was I
[1:06:56] understand the valid concerns about um
[1:06:59] overconumption.
[1:07:01] um operation of a vehicle when people
[1:07:04] should not be or even you know are on
[1:07:08] the cusp of you know buzzed and and
[1:07:10] whatever the case might be. Um
[1:07:13] the the un unpermitted violations of the
[1:07:17] fireworks I think is especially with
[1:07:19] regards to noise is a valid concern. Um,
[1:07:23] so I guess I'm I'm just looking for some
[1:07:25] specificity about changes being made
[1:07:29] with how fireworks are or are not being
[1:07:33] used at the country club.
[1:07:35] >> Yeah, I I spoke with the chief and he
[1:07:38] said if I [clears throat] wanted to do
[1:07:40] them, I'd have to update an apartment,
[1:07:42] which we may or may not do.
[1:07:45] But as of now, would the you would you
[1:07:48] would not want to you would you would
[1:07:50] not want you wouldn't be setting off
[1:07:53] fireworks?
[1:07:54] >> No.
[1:07:54] >> Okay, understood.
[1:07:56] >> Just just clarifying. Thank you.
[1:08:01] » Is that everything?
[1:08:02] >> That was it. Brian,
[1:08:04] >> um
[1:08:06] I am uh sort of echoing Hector's
[1:08:09] comments like
[1:08:11] you have done it is unfortunate that we
[1:08:15] got to the point where we had to pull
[1:08:16] you before before us and and really
[1:08:19] [snorts] drive home the fact that like
[1:08:20] we don't want to stand in the way of
[1:08:24] business running its business. But we do
[1:08:26] expect compliance and particularly in
[1:08:28] the case where we control the light
[1:08:30] alcohol lenture. Um it is our avenue of
[1:08:36] recourse. Um but it's not like an avenue
[1:08:39] that we want to use. So, I'm very happy
[1:08:41] to see that you've sort of like you,
[1:08:43] like Hector pointed out, you took your
[1:08:45] medicine and you came back prepared to
[1:08:48] sort of bring yourself and bring your
[1:08:50] operation into compliance even if you
[1:08:52] know most golf courses have the
[1:08:54] assumption that they can just serve on
[1:08:56] the course. Um, that is not the case.
[1:09:00] Um, and we're happy to see that you guys
[1:09:01] are making the point to make that
[1:09:03] explicit. Um, I will admit your golf
[1:09:05] course is one that I haven't been you to
[1:09:06] yet in Stow. Um because you're three ten
[1:09:09] of a mile further from my house than
[1:09:10] Stoacres.
[1:09:12] Um [clears throat]
[1:09:16] » um but as someone who I spent enough
[1:09:19] time on a golf course in his life um
[1:09:23] I have never had an instance where
[1:09:28] anyone in myself or my group have been
[1:09:31] rambunctious enough to be dangerous on a
[1:09:33] golf course. Um, and I'm really happy to
[1:09:35] hear that you have like an actual policy
[1:09:37] on the books of taking care of your
[1:09:39] golfers. Um, it is always incumbent upon
[1:09:44] us who have lived longer and learned
[1:09:46] harder relatives to protect those of us
[1:09:48] who are young and stupid. So, thank you
[1:09:50] for that.
[1:09:53] >> Okay.
[1:09:55] Um,
[1:09:58] I guess my comments are um
[1:10:03] [clears throat]
[1:10:06] I do feel like you really took seriously
[1:10:11] um
[1:10:13] what was set forth and
[1:10:16] really made um exceptional efforts
[1:10:20] actually.
[1:10:21] um even advising your
[1:10:25] um
[1:10:27] guests to not bring their own alcohol
[1:10:32] onto the course. Uh and explaining that
[1:10:35] really
[1:10:37] um could jeopardize your license. Um so
[1:10:41] I do think that you really did do
[1:10:44] everything that was asked. Um I do
[1:10:47] appreciate the effort that went into it
[1:10:51] um at this point in time to take the
[1:10:53] steps
[1:10:55] um to alter um the license for the
[1:11:00] premises. Um
[1:11:05] I've been on many golf courses.
[1:11:08] What you're asking I don't find to be
[1:11:10] unreasonable
[1:11:12] either.
[1:11:14] And those are my thoughts at this point.
[1:11:17] Um, I
[1:11:19] would like to take a motion to
[1:11:22] close the hearing.
[1:11:24] >> I move that the public hearing for the
[1:11:26] alteration of premises for Wedgwood
[1:11:28] Country Club of Stow be closed.
[1:11:30] >> Second.
[1:11:31] >> Uh, this does need to be a roll call
[1:11:33] vote. Hector
[1:11:35] >> I,
[1:11:37] >> Dan,
[1:11:38] >> I.
[1:11:38] >> Brian,
[1:11:39] >> I. And the chair votes I. The public
[1:11:43] hearing is now closed. We will not take
[1:11:45] any further information or comments um
[1:11:49] from the public. Uh so the discussion at
[1:11:52] this point if there need uh to be is
[1:11:57] between uh the board members themselves
[1:12:00] at this point in time. Um can I have
[1:12:04] [clears throat] the next motion?
[1:12:08] » One
[1:12:09] or two.
[1:12:12] >> Um
[1:12:14] I move to approve the alteration of
[1:12:16] premises for Wedgwood Country Club of
[1:12:18] Stow, Inc. as described in the
[1:12:20] application received July 13th, 2026.
[1:12:23] >> Second.
[1:12:27] » Okay. Um
[1:12:30] so, uh
[1:12:33] >> discuss
[1:12:34] >> Yes, discuss um
[1:12:36] >> any recommendations.
[1:12:37] >> Exactly. [clears throat] Um the
[1:12:39] applicant has applied for um the areas
[1:12:43] on within the bounds of the country club
[1:12:46] itself. Um
[1:12:50] comments
[1:12:54] [snorts]
[1:12:55] >> my questions were answered earlier.
[1:12:57] >> Okay. [laughter]
[1:12:58] Um so then [clears throat] uh everyone
[1:13:02] feels comfortable with what Wedwood is
[1:13:05] asking at this point in time.
[1:13:09] that uh we allow them.
[1:13:13] I don't have it in front of me. Uh
[1:13:16] >> do you want me to read the premises,
[1:13:19] Mr.?
[1:13:19] >> Yeah, the premises. Ah,
[1:13:23] here it is. Thank you. Um, so, uh, the
[1:13:28] alteration of the premises of the LEA
[1:13:30] license to include the addition of
[1:13:33] outdoor areas, including the patio,
[1:13:35] snack shack, tiki bar, pool area, and
[1:13:38] all 154 acres of the 18hole golf course
[1:13:42] to the existing licensed premises.
[1:13:48] All those in favor, just a quick
[1:13:50] question of procedural thing. The motion
[1:13:52] says approve the alteration of premises
[1:13:54] but doesn't specify for the liquor
[1:13:56] license. Should the motion say specify
[1:13:59] that?
[1:14:00] >> It doesn't need to, but you can you can
[1:14:02] add that if you like.
[1:14:03] >> I withdraw my comment. Okay. [laughter]
[1:14:09] » Um I want I'll [clears throat] take this
[1:14:11] as a roll call vote.
[1:14:12] >> Can I just ask one more thing?
[1:14:15] >> You just did.
[1:14:18] I would like to ask the applicant if
[1:14:20] they could provide for our records your
[1:14:23] policy with respect to um management of
[1:14:28] I don't know how to say it people that
[1:14:29] are drunk but that's all right that can
[1:14:32] be enough who have oh who are inebriated
[1:14:34] okay yes
[1:14:35] >> that would just be helpful for us
[1:14:37] >> and Mr. Chair, if I may make a movement
[1:14:39] to the to the applicant. This is just a
[1:14:42] gender reminder. This expires on the
[1:14:44] 31st of this year.
[1:14:46] >> They all do.
[1:14:47] Okay. [laughter]
[1:14:49] >> Just making sure that they're aware of
[1:14:50] >> No, we will send there's a formal
[1:14:51] renewal process. They'll get notified.
[1:14:54] [clears throat]
[1:14:55] >> Okay. So, you can
[1:14:57] >> May I add one thing for the board? So,
[1:14:59] we talked about this at the July 15th
[1:15:01] meeting uh with the changes uh that the
[1:15:04] governor uh implemented for outdoor
[1:15:06] dining. The ABCC considers this outdoor
[1:15:09] dining even though there's no tables on
[1:15:10] the golf course. So, your vote tonight
[1:15:12] actually approves this. In the past, it
[1:15:14] used to have to go to the ABCC for them
[1:15:16] to review and approve. This actually
[1:15:18] puts it in place and it is effective
[1:15:20] when you approve it. So, just so you're
[1:15:22] aware, there is no second. We still send
[1:15:24] it to the ABCC, but there's no approval
[1:15:25] on this piece because it's outdoors.
[1:15:28] >> [clears throat]
[1:15:29] >> Everyone's comfortable with that.
[1:15:32] >> Okay.
[1:15:33] [snorts] Hector
[1:15:34] >> I
[1:15:35] >> Herabborg
[1:15:36] >> I
[1:15:36] >> Dan
[1:15:37] >> I.
[1:15:38] >> Brian
[1:15:39] >> I.
[1:15:40] >> And the chair votes I. Let the record
[1:15:42] show it is unanimous. Can we please go
[1:15:44] to the next motion?
[1:15:45] >> I move to sign the licensing authority
[1:15:48] certification for submission to the
[1:15:50] Massachusetts Alcohol Mic Beverages
[1:15:53] Control Commission.
[1:15:55] >> Second and made and seconded. Any
[1:15:58] comments? Seeing and hearing none. Roll
[1:16:01] call. Hector
[1:16:02] >> I.
[1:16:03] >> Ingerborg
[1:16:03] >> I.
[1:16:04] >> Dan
[1:16:05] >> I.
[1:16:05] >> Ryan [clears throat]
[1:16:06] >> I. And the chair votes I
[1:16:09] is voted and unanimous. Thank you very
[1:16:12] much. This uh
[1:16:14] >> my agenda.
[1:16:18] » Next on the agenda
[1:16:26] if you want. You don't need to stay.
[1:16:27] >> Thank you.
[1:16:27] >> Yes.
[1:16:29] >> Thank you.
[1:16:29] >> You're welcome to, but you don't need
[1:16:31] to.
[1:16:34] >> Thank you.
[1:16:38] » I don't I have the copy of them. If you
[1:16:40] have them with you, I can put them in
[1:16:41] the phone, but we have the copy. So,
[1:16:44] >> thank you. I just love them.
[1:16:50] » Thank you very much.
[1:16:52] >> Thank you.
[1:16:55] Okay.
[1:16:57] So, next on the agenda,
[1:17:01] >> uh, yeah,
[1:17:03] >> it would
[1:17:05] >> uh, police chief to present a proposal
[1:17:08] to build a limited gun range for the
[1:17:10] police.
[1:17:12] Let's take the motion on it. We've been
[1:17:14] doing
[1:17:15] >> uh, I don't know if we made a motion.
[1:17:17] >> So, I would actually ask you to hold
[1:17:18] off, right?
[1:17:19] >> U, because the chief's initial request
[1:17:21] was to hold a public hearing. That's
[1:17:23] what our motion was. So, but I had asked
[1:17:26] it come to come before you all to make
[1:17:27] sure it's something you supported before
[1:17:28] we scheduled a hearing on this. So, we
[1:17:31] don't have a motion. You're welcome to
[1:17:33] make one, but I did not want to assume
[1:17:35] what you would be voting on tonight.
[1:17:37] >> Yeah, because I do have some questions,
[1:17:38] of course.
[1:17:39] >> Yeah, absolutely.
[1:17:41] >> Um, all right. Well, before the
[1:17:43] questions for everybody else.
[1:17:45] >> Yep.
[1:17:46] >> How about you do what you'd like to do,
[1:17:49] the presentation? I know you gave us
[1:17:50] quite a bit in written form. Yes. Um, so
[1:17:55] this all started
[1:17:57] uh I would say right before our spring
[1:18:01] uh training for our firearms
[1:18:03] qualifications. Police officers are
[1:18:06] required to qualify with our firearms
[1:18:08] all of our firearms uh twice a year and
[1:18:10] we're also supposed to do firearms
[1:18:12] training twice a year on top of that. So
[1:18:14] we have um at least four sets of
[1:18:18] training qualifications of firearms
[1:18:19] usage throughout the year.
[1:18:22] And for years we went to Hudson and then
[1:18:26] we went to Neans and then we started
[1:18:29] going to Maynard.
[1:18:31] And after uh back in the springtime
[1:18:34] after of course all the um everything
[1:18:38] was set in place for this coming fiscal
[1:18:39] year. Um
[1:18:42] I was as I do is I speak to some
[1:18:44] residents as as we do in our normal
[1:18:47] course of day and we talked about
[1:18:48] firearms training and then he asked so
[1:18:50] you go to Maynard. Yes. And how much do
[1:18:53] they charge you? I was like they don't.
[1:18:56] And they're like so you get something
[1:18:58] for free.
[1:18:59] >> Oh god.
[1:19:00] >> Without [snorts]
[1:19:01] um that the normal person does not. And
[1:19:05] so that raised a red flag for me. I was
[1:19:07] like okay but they're donating it. I
[1:19:10] think I was the select board for
[1:19:11] donation. So,
[1:19:14] okay. [clears throat] Um, so I was asked
[1:19:17] I asked our firearms officer. I said,
[1:19:19] "Did you ask Mayor to send us a bill?"
[1:19:23] And the bill is $500 a day to rent that
[1:19:27] facility.
[1:19:30] So, I'm coming to you to ask for one
[1:19:32] year to use a highway department. I can
[1:19:35] set up a range for less than $1,000.
[1:19:39] Um
[1:19:41] actually probably way less than that for
[1:19:43] one year. And the reason I asked for
[1:19:45] only a year is because within that time
[1:19:48] uh at the municipal training council
[1:19:50] over in Malboro they have an indoor
[1:19:51] range over there. They haven't they're
[1:19:53] just using it formies right now and
[1:19:55] they're still developing their policies
[1:19:57] and procedures and sign up process for
[1:20:00] municipalities to be able to use
[1:20:03] although that facility. that has not
[1:20:05] happened yet and I would expect it to
[1:20:08] happen within the next year. I was told
[1:20:11] it was going to happen within the next
[1:20:12] year. So I don't want to get caught up
[1:20:15] in a position where okay is it is it
[1:20:19] happening now? Now we're in February,
[1:20:21] March, April, May, June and we're doing
[1:20:24] we're scrambling to to get all of our
[1:20:26] training in all of our training in
[1:20:29] within the last month because we have to
[1:20:32] have it done before June 30th. all of
[1:20:34] our So, we're right now like we're in
[1:20:36] fiscal year 27. We're in training year
[1:20:38] 27. We have to do all of our inservice
[1:20:40] training and and we have to do all of
[1:20:42] our firearms training. We have to do all
[1:20:44] of our um uh electronic control weapons,
[1:20:47] which is our taser training. We are
[1:20:49] switching over to less than lethal um
[1:20:53] shotgun. So, we can use bean bags or
[1:20:56] whatever uh what we get trained in. So,
[1:20:58] we're doing all these things to to make
[1:21:01] sure we we certified keep our
[1:21:02] certification up with our uh post as
[1:21:05] well as through the MPTC.
[1:21:07] Um I understand that is a public piece
[1:21:10] of property and you control as a select
[1:21:13] board and I would want to get input from
[1:21:15] the public as well and I talked to the
[1:21:20] BPW who is more than willing to donate
[1:21:23] their time and material in the area that
[1:21:25] we're looking for on their property. We
[1:21:27] are outside of the u areas of
[1:21:30] restriction for not only the wetlands
[1:21:32] but also the 500 ft from the area of the
[1:21:35] closest house if they don't get
[1:21:37] permission and that's what the law
[1:21:39] requires. There are other gun ranges
[1:21:41] within the area already on private
[1:21:43] property which people can have and as
[1:21:46] long as they're outside of the 500 ft
[1:21:48] you can have your own private gun range
[1:21:50] and there are existing ones on South
[1:21:52] Action Road as well. How
[1:21:55] do you How does that 500 ft?
[1:21:58] >> You need to speak louder than the
[1:21:59] camera.
[1:21:59] >> Sorry. How does that 500 feet work? Is
[1:22:01] that 500 feet from like the edifice of
[1:22:03] the
[1:22:03] >> It's the It's the building,
[1:22:06] >> not the property edge.
[1:22:09] >> Okay.
[1:22:10] >> I'll share the picture that the chief
[1:22:12] had sent just so folks can if it ever
[1:22:15] comes up see it.
[1:22:19] » There it is. [clears throat]
[1:22:22] And we are right at that middle of 500
[1:22:24] ft. Like not in the middle of 500 feet,
[1:22:26] I'm sorry. We are the
[1:22:28] where we're looking is going to be um
[1:22:32] the red square box.
[1:22:35] >> Oh, so the blue line is
[1:22:37] >> 500 ft from the house on South A.
[1:22:40] >> Got it. Okay. I thought that was your
[1:22:42] whole area that you were going to
[1:22:43] create.
[1:22:44] >> It's only the red box. And then
[1:22:46] >> Oh, I see. Okay.
[1:22:47] >> So then the 500 ft is also from the
[1:22:49] weather beam. Mhm.
[1:22:51] >> address as well.
[1:22:53] >> I'm assuming that we're that's going to
[1:22:55] involve like constructing a burm.
[1:22:57] >> There's already a burm there, but it's
[1:22:59] going to be like there'll be more of a
[1:23:01] burm put in place as well.
[1:23:02] >> It'll be reinforced.
[1:23:03] Yes. And also we we
[1:23:06] have plans. We buy signs and put them
[1:23:08] out on the property edge um saying, you
[1:23:11] know, live fire exercises going on,
[1:23:14] police training going on. We notify
[1:23:16] Butters. we would um also put it out you
[1:23:20] know on our social media on our website
[1:23:22] and say this is going on today
[1:23:25] I imagine no more because of our
[1:23:27] department size it does take us a couple
[1:23:30] days to do these training each of them
[1:23:32] so it's not just like I we can't process
[1:23:37] 12 people in one day
[1:23:40] >> so we break it up amongst two days
[1:23:42] because we want to get the officers
[1:23:44] enough training we want to get them uh
[1:23:46] enough time on online to get the
[1:23:48] training that they need. So it's always
[1:23:50] two days. So qualifications 2 days,
[1:23:52] training two days. Um you know and and
[1:23:55] so that's why I believe I put in there
[1:23:58] no more than
[1:23:59] >> is it 20 days?
[1:24:00] >> 20 days. So and that's going to be and
[1:24:02] there are other things that we'd like to
[1:24:04] do too like there are new things, new
[1:24:06] tactics, you know, new deescalation
[1:24:08] techniques, things that [clears throat]
[1:24:09] we can incorporate. We do all sorts of
[1:24:12] um use of force training and then and so
[1:24:14] we want to incorporate we want to train
[1:24:16] how we how we perform. So you're not
[1:24:19] going to to mimic some things which we
[1:24:22] could do in some situations but nothing
[1:24:25] takes away from real scenario based
[1:24:26] training.
[1:24:28] >> Okay.
[1:24:31] The one I did have a question. Is it
[1:24:33] really necessary to go till 7 p.m. at
[1:24:35] night? Well, for Yes, because we have to
[1:24:38] do low light training.
[1:24:40] >> Oh,
[1:24:42] say no more. Got it.
[1:24:43] >> Yep.
[1:24:44] >> We don't always get to go out and happen
[1:24:46] during daylight.
[1:24:48] >> Yes. Or
[1:24:49] >> no. Got it. Got it.
[1:24:51] [clears throat and laughter]
[1:24:51] >> The same thing when we go like even
[1:24:53] working the day shift, you still want to
[1:24:55] carry a flashlight. You may go into a
[1:24:56] building and you know they may not have
[1:24:58] electricity, they may have, you know,
[1:25:01] nothing and you're in the dark. So,
[1:25:03] [clears throat] you want that low light
[1:25:04] training.
[1:25:05] >> Yep. Got it. Okay.
[1:25:07] >> And and I mean Yeah. So 7:00 I don't
[1:25:10] think is
[1:25:11] >> that's not
[1:25:12] >> it's not 2 in the morning.
[1:25:16] » Yeah. Please not 2 in the morning.
[1:25:19] >> He actor
[1:25:21] >> um my knowledge of gun rangers is very
[1:25:22] limited to what was in the air force
[1:25:24] which was very tightly controlled. So, I
[1:25:26] don't know how gun ranges around here do
[1:25:28] it locally, but just looking at a
[1:25:30] satellite image of the DPW,
[1:25:34] how what's going to be done to prevent
[1:25:36] some hiker from walking across the gun
[1:25:39] range
[1:25:41] inadvertently?
[1:25:43] >> Like walking like when we're there
[1:25:45] >> in the line of fire.
[1:25:47] >> Well, I would
[1:25:48] >> I know it sounds
[1:25:49] >> I mean, we're going to block off the
[1:25:50] area. Okay. So, and I mean this is this
[1:25:53] is still going to be like an you know
[1:25:55] the active DPW where you park cruisers
[1:25:57] on on a way that's um preventing people
[1:26:00] from coming.
[1:26:00] >> Yeah. I don't know what keeps people off
[1:26:02] the property if there's enough.
[1:26:04] >> Well, it's g I mean the DPW is an open
[1:26:06] piece of land, you know, for the public
[1:26:07] to come in during normal business hours,
[1:26:09] right?
[1:26:10] >> Um also, you know, we there are you'd be
[1:26:14] able to see us. We'd have signs up. We'd
[1:26:16] have cruisers walking the way. And then
[1:26:17] again on the other side in the woods and
[1:26:19] everything there would be uh signage and
[1:26:21] as well as um I mean it would just be
[1:26:24] the signage.
[1:26:24] >> Okay.
[1:26:25] >> And I don't want to litter lease line
[1:26:27] don't cross. I mean we could do that
[1:26:29] throughout but um it depends on like
[1:26:32] what we're how much we have.
[1:26:34] >> That raises other concerns.
[1:26:37] >> Yeah. Like why what what's going on at
[1:26:39] the police department, you know? I mean
[1:26:41] I thought DPW why can't you know?
[1:26:43] >> Exactly. And then they go underneath
[1:26:44] people sort of spiral.
[1:26:46] >> Yeah.
[1:26:47] So, I'm just asking for right now, like
[1:26:50] I said, it's just a I don't know what
[1:26:51] the approval is and what you guys want
[1:26:53] to do. So, I wasn't um So, my request
[1:26:55] was obviously to get approval, that
[1:26:58] would be great, but um I understand the
[1:26:59] steps that we need to do is, you know,
[1:27:01] we want to tell people first. We want to
[1:27:03] have the community involved.
[1:27:08] » Questions?
[1:27:09] >> Um
[1:27:11] Okay. Um, I know that you've specked out
[1:27:14] like a I know [clears throat] you've
[1:27:15] specked out like a year. Um, just
[1:27:18] because I know that Marbor was working
[1:27:19] on that range and we all know how
[1:27:21] building projects go. Um,
[1:27:23] >> Oh, it's up.
[1:27:24] >> It's up.
[1:27:24] >> Oh, yeah. No, there our our recruit that
[1:27:26] you guys uh hired, Joshua, he used it
[1:27:28] last week. It's up and running. It's the
[1:27:31] policy of us signing up that's
[1:27:34] >> caught up in the wheel of bureaucracy.
[1:27:36] >> Never mind. I'm going to rock that back
[1:27:37] and we're good then our perspective.
[1:27:39] >> Damn. Yeah. Um, so if this is just for
[1:27:42] next year, what um, I don't think you
[1:27:44] mentioned it. What was the cost of using
[1:27:46] Mar World if you use that?
[1:27:47] >> Oh, Mar zero. It's it's open to it's not
[1:27:49] going to cost us anything.
[1:27:51] >> Okay. Um, so this is
[1:27:56] just a year from from now or is it the
[1:27:58] rest of 2026?
[1:28:01] >> What you're asking for?
[1:28:02] >> What I'm asking for is to cover us for
[1:28:04] the training year of 27.
[1:28:06] >> 27. Okay.
[1:28:07] >> Training year 27. So June till June 30th
[1:28:10] if they open up before
[1:28:12] >> then we're going to be like, "Hey, we're
[1:28:14] going to go over there." Cuz I know I'
[1:28:15] I've heard like they have um you know
[1:28:18] they can shut the lights off. They have
[1:28:19] crew like fake cruiser lights. They have
[1:28:21] all these scenarios that we can go
[1:28:22] through. So it's a from what I've been
[1:28:24] told it's a good facility. I have not
[1:28:26] seen it.
[1:28:27] >> Um
[1:28:28] >> but I would prefer to use that
[1:28:31] controlled environment than you know our
[1:28:34] GPW.
[1:28:36] And if let's say it's ready to go before
[1:28:39] June, uh is it you said just south of
[1:28:42] $1,000 is your ballpark estimate cost?
[1:28:45] >> Yeah, because we we so you have to buy
[1:28:47] the you know the stands and and you have
[1:28:50] to make the the
[1:28:52] A-frame for the target holders and
[1:28:54] there's a couple other things that we
[1:28:55] want to purchase. A thousand was just a
[1:28:57] ballpark figure.
[1:28:58] >> It's the cost of building not the cost
[1:29:00] of operating if there is any. There is
[1:29:04] no cost to op operate in it for for
[1:29:07] >> just because it would be you doing it.
[1:29:08] >> It would be us doing I mean that the
[1:29:11] >> I mean there's overtime costs right
[1:29:13] >> that that's separate um there's overtime
[1:29:16] salary costs that go into this but to
[1:29:18] actually build it was um would be like a
[1:29:21] you know and we're not building anything
[1:29:23] we're sorry we technically we are
[1:29:25] building the frames that go into the target holders.
[1:29:30] >> Okay. And one more if I could. Um, it
[1:29:32] sounds like you were talking about
[1:29:33] police cruisers physically blocking off
[1:29:36] the road. Okay. Sounds like DPW's open
[1:29:40] to this. Has there been any conversation
[1:29:43] or push back about, well, what if during
[1:29:45] I don't know how long your your session
[1:29:47] of training would be, but they need to
[1:29:49] get in or out um and that being
[1:29:52] >> so we're not we're not firing
[1:29:54] >> constantly, right?
[1:29:56] >> Like there's always breaks because
[1:29:57] there's always instruction, there's
[1:29:59] always teaching, there's always
[1:30:00] learning. So we move out of the way.
[1:30:03] >> Right. I don't think the expectation is
[1:30:05] to block the DPW access.
[1:30:06] >> It's not the DPW,
[1:30:07] >> just the access to the fire,
[1:30:09] >> just where we are. Just like you'd still
[1:30:11] have
[1:30:11] >> I when you said it, I was imagining like
[1:30:13] the entrance from South Africa.
[1:30:15] >> Do you have
[1:30:15] >> No, I went back up.
[1:30:17] >> I mean, I'm looking at right now. So I
[1:30:20] >> when you said that, that's what I
[1:30:21] envisioned. That's why I was like, well,
[1:30:22] what if does that interrupt their their
[1:30:24] normal business, their own?
[1:30:25] >> So I would assume like around here is
[1:30:27] where they would plan to put
[1:30:29] >> Yes. something.
[1:30:30] >> Okay.
[1:30:30] >> Around this square,
[1:30:31] >> see that
[1:30:32] >> is where the cruisers would be. So the
[1:30:34] whole of the DPW yards, you can keep
[1:30:36] going in.
[1:30:37] >> So that's sort of um northwest to south
[1:30:41] east I guess road. Yeah. No, no concern
[1:30:45] of um DPW vehicles or people coming in
[1:30:49] or out there.
[1:30:50] >> Okay. Because if they make it around the
[1:30:51] corner, they're going to see our signs
[1:30:53] and our cruises in the way.
[1:30:56] >> Okay. Understood. Thank you.
[1:31:00] I have questions.
[1:31:02] >> You have a question?
[1:31:03] >> I do. Um Oh, do you have questions?
[1:31:06] >> Nope.
[1:31:08] >> So, I have the question of noise. Of
[1:31:11] course. Noise.
[1:31:12] >> Okay. [laughter]
[1:31:13] >> Nobody raised noise. So, um
[1:31:18] you will be doing this presumably winter
[1:31:20] and summer.
[1:31:22] >> Uh typically we do fall and spring.
[1:31:25] >> Oh, okay. Fall and spring. All right. Um
[1:31:29] >> I mean I know that our firearms
[1:31:30] instructor loves to get us out there on
[1:31:32] three degree days.
[1:31:34] >> Snow
[1:31:36] >> but um he's been he's been pretty good
[1:31:39] with us about not getting us out there
[1:31:41] on those days.
[1:31:42] >> But if it's raining doesn't
[1:31:43] >> or raining we
[1:31:44] >> time doesn't take the winter off.
[1:31:46] >> They don't take the winter off.
[1:31:47] >> I know. I and I get that and and you you
[1:31:50] know shows you train shows perform and I
[1:31:52] understand that. But he's been really
[1:31:54] good to us.
[1:31:56] So it would be fall and spring. The
[1:31:59] issue that I'm raising which would be if
[1:32:03] we do decide to go with a public hearing
[1:32:05] is um there's both noise for residents
[1:32:09] that are around there because you know
[1:32:11] travels and I know it's intermittent and
[1:32:13] they'll be and you'll as you indicated
[1:32:15] that you would let a Butters know so
[1:32:16] that we all know what's going on. Um,
[1:32:18] [clears throat]
[1:32:19] the other piece, and I'm not sure it
[1:32:22] really makes a difference, but I'm going
[1:32:23] to just say it so you can think about
[1:32:25] it, is there's um a lot of wildlife back
[1:32:27] there, a lot of coyotes spring. They're
[1:32:30] raising their young. Um,
[1:32:34] so I I don't know what the solution is.
[1:32:36] You're saying it's going to be 20 years
[1:32:38] or say 10 and 10 um 10 in the fall, 10
[1:32:41] the spring, 20 days.
[1:32:44] >> Yes.
[1:32:44] >> Sorry.
[1:32:44] >> Yes.
[1:32:45] >> For one year. So it may not be a big
[1:32:48] issue, but
[1:32:51] >> I just wanted you to I don't even know
[1:32:53] what one would do.
[1:32:54] >> So I mean there there is [clears throat]
[1:32:56] hunting that still goes on any area
[1:32:58] because there's private property and
[1:32:59] there's property around there that
[1:33:01] people can uh can can hunt and and
[1:33:04] discharge a firearm very legally. Not
[1:33:07] just on salt well actually it is on Salt
[1:33:10] Act and across the street as well too.
[1:33:12] um that you can you know that people do
[1:33:15] hunt in that area as well and then they
[1:33:17] do
[1:33:18] >> yeah there's a lot of hunting off what
[1:33:20] is it one road they're always
[1:33:23] >> well I was thinking about the the um
[1:33:26] availability for
[1:33:29] uh farmers to protect their crops
[1:33:31] >> well yes
[1:33:32] >> and so that they and so they can
[1:33:34] >> they can uh dispatch a an animal out of
[1:33:39] season too
[1:33:40] >> correct to if it's attacking their their crops. Um, so that's still going
[1:33:46] on. There are [clears throat] still, you
[1:33:48] know, and you can hear, you're right,
[1:33:49] there the noise. There's hunting that
[1:33:50] goes on up at Delaney project. You hear
[1:33:52] that? There's uh our farms, our apple
[1:33:56] farms, they take care of the deer that
[1:33:58] are destroying their crops. That
[1:34:00] happens. We get calls on that all the
[1:34:01] time. Um,
[1:34:03] >> the Ron Gun Club
[1:34:04] >> Hudson Rotten Gun Club, they're going
[1:34:06] all the time, too. Um,
[1:34:08] >> Devons, you can hear Devons.
[1:34:10] >> You can hear Devons. So I guess the
[1:34:12] question is
[1:34:13] >> when you do these are they like 10 days
[1:34:15] in a row?
[1:34:16] >> No. Okay.
[1:34:17] >> It's like
[1:34:18] >> so it's more intermittent.
[1:34:20] >> Correct. It would be like our next one
[1:34:22] we were hopefully to get up in the next
[1:34:24] month or so or you know or a couple
[1:34:26] months and then I know that um we're
[1:34:30] really trying to get forward our less
[1:34:32] than lethal stuff out there too. So we
[1:34:34] probably do that as a training and then
[1:34:37] um you know so it' be maybe Octoberish
[1:34:40] would be a good training month hopefully
[1:34:42] and then in the springtime would be the
[1:34:44] others.
[1:34:44] >> Okay. So as long as it's intermittent
[1:34:46] and not a steady 10 days.
[1:34:47] >> There's not a 10 day.
[1:34:48] >> So I I'll tell you we we
[1:34:51] >> you are not chief. [snorts]
[1:34:55] >> He's talking.
[1:34:57] >> Excuse me.
[1:34:57] >> Yeah.
[1:34:59] >> I appre I appreciate that. Thank you.
[1:35:00] Um, [laughter]
[1:35:02] you know, that's asking a lot for the
[1:35:03] from the officers. I mean, they're
[1:35:04] already putting in long hours as it is.
[1:35:06] And to to force them, you know, say,
[1:35:08] "Listen, you're ordered to be at this
[1:35:10] all all of us to be at this training for
[1:35:12] the next 10 days is that
[1:35:15] you couldn't do it."
[1:35:16] >> That that helps a lot.
[1:35:17] >> Would be unfair to to the officers.
[1:35:19] >> Back to you.
[1:35:20] >> No, all I was going to say is of course
[1:35:22] I'm not doing it 10 days in a row.
[1:35:24] That's not what the proposal was put in
[1:35:26] front of us. And then as far as the
[1:35:28] noise is concerned, if we're moving to
[1:35:30] go into a public hearing, we don't even
[1:35:32] really need to get into that right now.
[1:35:34] >> What do you mean
[1:35:36] >> that we need do or don't need to go to
[1:35:38] >> I think you say not a final decision
[1:35:40] right now. Just a
[1:35:41] >> Yeah, it's not decisions and and stuff
[1:35:43] in those questions so we can, you know,
[1:35:45] vet it out more carefully. Um
[1:35:50] I don't have a problem with going into a
[1:35:52] public hearing. It's just the time
[1:35:53] factor. It sounds like,
[1:35:56] you know, we're going to have to move
[1:35:57] quickly on this if we're going to try to
[1:35:59] get a public hearing in. Yes.
[1:36:01] >> So, you don't need to do a legal public
[1:36:03] hearing that requires like a 14-day
[1:36:05] notice. If it's something you want to
[1:36:06] do, we could put on the next agenda. We
[1:36:08] could certainly send out a Butters
[1:36:09] notices. We would just call it a public
[1:36:11] hearing so that you would solicit public
[1:36:12] feedback, but we're not looking like two
[1:36:14] weeks in a newspaper or anything like
[1:36:16] that. So, you could we could
[1:36:17] theoretically put it on the next agenda
[1:36:19] and just get notification out that you
[1:36:21] will solicit public feedback. Maybe not
[1:36:23] call it a hearing, but public feedback
[1:36:25] at that meeting if you wanted if that's
[1:36:27] what you want to do.
[1:36:29] >> I would feel comfortable doing that
[1:36:30] because I think we do need to move on
[1:36:32] this expeditiously because you are in a
[1:36:34] time crunch for your training for your
[1:36:36] officers.
[1:36:37] >> I mean, we Yes.
[1:36:38] >> October.
[1:36:39] >> We would like to absolutely train have
[1:36:40] our officers trained and the more
[1:36:42] training we we can do, the better,
[1:36:44] >> you know, the better department you'll
[1:36:45] have.
[1:36:46] >> Um, let's if people are comfortable,
[1:36:49] let's put it on our next meeting,
[1:36:52] please.
[1:36:53] um so that we can move it forward. Um
[1:36:57] and then I don't think we even need to
[1:36:59] really make a motion for that.
[1:37:01] >> Fine. You don't. All right.
[1:37:03] >> Because we've resolved that.
[1:37:04] >> Yes.
[1:37:05] >> Um
[1:37:06] completely. Okay.
[1:37:08] >> So, can I ask would you like to do like
[1:37:11] a one page that we would put out send
[1:37:13] out to a butters?
[1:37:15] >> I don't know if you want to take some of
[1:37:16] that, but give us something. We can put
[1:37:18] it out to what we would normally do for
[1:37:19] an abutter notice. Mhm.
[1:37:21] >> Um and then we can do something on our
[1:37:22] website under the legal notices.
[1:37:25] >> Right.
[1:37:27] >> Sound good?
[1:37:28] >> Sounds good.
[1:37:29] >> Awesome. Thank you very much.
[1:37:31] >> Great. Thank you.
[1:37:35] » If you had a [clears throat] question,
[1:37:36] >> one last thing.
[1:37:37] >> You said ballpark thousand probably
[1:37:40] under by then. Would you be able to get
[1:37:43] um more like narrow specifics about how
[1:37:46] much? Okay.
[1:37:48] just because I I imagine
[1:37:50] >> we can we can actually do it like I'll
[1:37:52] have I'm sorry. I we can put together
[1:37:55] exactly what we need just to get us
[1:37:57] through this year and how much that
[1:37:59] cost.
[1:38:00] >> Great. Perfect.
[1:38:03] >> Thank you very much.
[1:38:04] >> Thanks.
[1:38:05] >> Thank you.
[1:38:07] >> Have a good night.
[1:38:10] >> I think we're
[1:38:13] >> okay. Just want to know that you support
[1:38:16] policy.
[1:38:16] >> We did that. before
[1:38:17] >> we did that.
[1:38:18] >> We approved it.
[1:38:19] >> We just had the
[1:38:20] >> It was crowd control, not use of force.
[1:38:22] >> He included the No, he included the use
[1:38:24] of force as part of to show you what
[1:38:26] training they need
[1:38:27] >> as a department. So, he included a very
[1:38:29] thorough packet on firing range and
[1:38:31] training requirements.
[1:38:33] >> Yes. Uh town center,
[1:38:35] >> yes,
[1:38:36] >> is our next thing on the agenda.
[1:38:40] Um
[1:38:42] okay. um
[1:38:44] everybody had the opportunity to uh
[1:38:49] >> and may I just explain why this is on
[1:38:50] here?
[1:38:52] >> Please do.
[1:38:52] >> Um so if you'll recall back at the July
[1:38:55] meeting and we discussed uh doing
[1:38:57] additional engineering data for the town
[1:39:00] center, particularly around Common Road.
[1:39:03] Um the week I was on vacation, Valerie
[1:39:06] finally heard back from the engineer and
[1:39:08] then she was on vacation. And so when
[1:39:10] she and I connected last week and I saw
[1:39:11] the cost, I said, "Well, since we're
[1:39:13] meeting next week, I do just want to put
[1:39:15] it back before the board and just say
[1:39:16] this is what it will cost, this is the
[1:39:18] time frame that they're looking at
[1:39:20] before we gave them the go-ahad." So
[1:39:21] that's really why I put it on here, just
[1:39:23] to make sure you were aware of the scope
[1:39:25] that she and I put together after the
[1:39:27] last meeting, what the expectation was
[1:39:29] from the engineer, and then what the
[1:39:31] timeline was. So that's really why it's
[1:39:33] on here. And it's not necessarily
[1:39:35] doesn't even you can certainly vote, but
[1:39:36] as long as you're good with it, we could
[1:39:38] go ahead. Um, I just wanted to I didn't
[1:39:40] want people to think that we're not
[1:39:42] having this on an agenda. I mean, there
[1:39:44] is a lengthy time frame that's been
[1:39:47] proposed. So, that's why.
[1:39:49] >> Can Can I ask two Can I ask two
[1:39:52] [clears throat] questions real quick?
[1:39:54] [snorts]
[1:39:54] >> Sure.
[1:39:56] >> Sorry, looking in the wrong direction.
[1:39:57] Um,
[1:39:59] one is more procedural.
[1:40:01] This rises to the point of being a
[1:40:04] capital expenditure.
[1:40:05] >> Engineering is not. They don't do plans
[1:40:07] unless unless it turns into something.
[1:40:09] Okay. So, their their policy is um
[1:40:13] preliminary plans, things like that.
[1:40:15] >> Not engineering studies.
[1:40:16] >> It's only not studies, only if there's
[1:40:18] something that comes out of it, like
[1:40:19] some type of capital project that comes
[1:40:21] out of it.
[1:40:22] >> I' I've remembered like multiple
[1:40:23] conversations about that at capital. I
[1:40:25] wish I couldn't remember which way the
[1:40:26] coin fell. And then two, is this coming
[1:40:30] out of that free cash aotment from the
[1:40:32] special art the edition? Okay.
[1:40:35] >> Yes, it would. That's what the article
[1:40:37] was for you to explore, making Common
[1:40:39] Road a two-way street. So that would be
[1:40:42] the funds that would be needed to
[1:40:43] explore that conversation.
[1:40:46] >> So we still $1,000.
[1:40:49] >> Yeah.
[1:40:49] >> Yes. So the scope includes all the
[1:40:51] options um data analysis uh predictions
[1:40:56] of road usage uh taking into
[1:40:58] consideration increased programming at
[1:41:00] the library increased programming at the
[1:41:02] church um data that they have currently
[1:41:05] with accidents and pedestrians and
[1:41:07] whatnot. Um so it does include it's a
[1:41:10] very robust study uh which is why the
[1:41:12] cost was so high. It also includes a
[1:41:15] potential left turn lane on the
[1:41:17] eastbound 117 review which I
[1:41:20] >> that's a full suite right direction.
[1:41:21] >> Yes. So they would make uh a
[1:41:23] recommendation on if I believe it's
[1:41:26] whatever recommendation they make they
[1:41:27] would make a recommendation to make sure
[1:41:29] it's safe on each end and then that the
[1:41:32] small piece of the study would then be
[1:41:34] incorporated into the larger town center
[1:41:35] project to make sure that the whole
[1:41:37] center flows
[1:41:39] uh with the direction of this road so
[1:41:42] that it all sort of works seamlessly.
[1:41:44] Okay,
[1:41:46] >> sounds good.
[1:41:48] >> Do you think we need to make a motion?
[1:41:50] >> You don't. Okay.
[1:41:51] >> Yeah.
[1:41:52] >> All right.
[1:41:54] >> So, just to be clear, unlike a grant,
[1:41:56] this doesn't the it's not a situation
[1:41:59] where like funds that were allocated or
[1:42:03] have to be spent.
[1:42:04] >> They do not have to be spent. No.
[1:42:06] >> Right.
[1:42:07] >> Just want to state that publicly.
[1:42:10] >> Yep.
[1:42:12] I'll take a motion.
[1:42:14] >> I move to approve the additional
[1:42:16] services scope and cost as presented at
[1:42:18] this meeting.
[1:42:19] >> Second.
[1:42:20] >> Third.
[1:42:22] [snorts]
[1:42:22] >> Any further comments, questions?
[1:42:26] Seeing hearing none. All those in favor?
[1:42:29] >> I.
[1:42:30] >> The record shows unanimous.
[1:42:33] >> So, we'll get that going.
[1:42:34] >> Yes. So, we will give them the go-ahhead
[1:42:36] >> so we can
[1:42:38] >> finally
[1:42:39] get the answers. Mhm.
[1:42:41] >> Okay.
[1:42:42] >> And hopefully recommendations.
[1:42:44] >> Yes,
[1:42:46] >> recommendations. If you if you looked at
[1:42:48] the whole scope that was in there,
[1:42:52] >> nothing. I'm being fresh.
[1:42:55] >> Okay. Um,
[1:43:00] next on the agenda are the meeting
[1:43:02] minutes.
[1:43:05] Um,
[1:43:08] there's nothing minute about them.
[1:43:11] Oh. [clears throat]
[1:43:12] >> Um, yeah. I'll take a motion
[1:43:15] >> for all of them or one of them each.
[1:43:17] >> Um, each separately. I think we have to.
[1:43:20] >> I move to accept the meeting minutes of
[1:43:22] the July 14th, 2026 meeting.
[1:43:24] >> Second.
[1:43:27] Moved and seconded. Any comments?
[1:43:30] >> All looks good.
[1:43:31] >> Looked good.
[1:43:31] >> Yep, that did. All those in favor?
[1:43:35] >> I.
[1:43:37] >> Next motion, please. I move to accept
[1:43:38] the meeting minutes of the July 15th,
[1:43:40] 2026 meeting.
[1:43:42] >> Second.
[1:43:44] Comments, concerns, seeing and hearing
[1:43:46] none. All those in favor? I
[1:43:48] >> I
[1:43:50] next motion.
[1:43:51] >> I move to accept the meeting minutes of
[1:43:52] the July 30th, 2026 meeting.
[1:43:55] >> Second.
[1:43:56] >> Was really hard.
[1:43:58] >> Moved and seconded. Any comments or
[1:44:01] concerns or questions?
[1:44:03] >> Seeing and hearing none.
[1:44:05] >> Seeing hearing none. All those in favor?
[1:44:07] I
[1:44:08] >> great. Um board correspondents.
[1:44:13] Uh we did get two additional
[1:44:15] correspondents
[1:44:17] um after our packet arrived. One was the
[1:44:20] invite from the Unitarian Universalist
[1:44:23] Congregation
[1:44:25] um for October 18th of this year.
[1:44:30] And the other correspondence was from
[1:44:34] Bird Metal Cottages. The 40 OB 40B.
[1:44:38] Uh did get the state approval for it.
[1:44:42] >> Yeah, that email said attached is a but
[1:44:45] there was nothing attached or at least I
[1:44:47] didn't see anything.
[1:44:49] >> Did you?
[1:44:49] >> No. So, so Joyce sends for the
[1:44:52] correspondence she for anything that
[1:44:54] comes in additional she usually just
[1:44:55] sends you the PDF of the email
[1:44:57] >> and then we have the attachments if
[1:44:59] anyone is looking for but yes and they
[1:45:01] are printed for the public record but
[1:45:03] instead of sending everything
[1:45:04] >> okay thank you.
[1:45:05] >> So if you'd like it we can certainly
[1:45:06] send it.
[1:45:07] >> I was just curious but I don't need to
[1:45:08] see it. And just to explain that uh
[1:45:13] email from the Yuyu Cav, that's our
[1:45:16] official opening dedication ceremony as
[1:45:20] the new Unitarian Universalist
[1:45:22] Congregation in the Aset Valley.
[1:45:25] [laughter]
[1:45:25] >> Okay.
[1:45:26] >> Deeper.
[1:45:27] >> And the president of the Unitarian
[1:45:30] Universalist Association would be there
[1:45:32] and Jamie Aldridge might be there too
[1:45:33] and Kate Hogan. [snorts]
[1:45:35] So great.
[1:45:36] >> Yes, it does say another invitation. So,
[1:45:38] I would expect you to get something more
[1:45:40] as it gets closer. This was just a heads
[1:45:42] up.
[1:45:43] >> Okay, great. Okay, I'll take one more
[1:45:47] motion.
[1:45:48] >> I move to adjourn.
[1:45:50] >> Second.
[1:45:52] >> All those in favor?
[1:45:53] >> I put the return unanimous. Thank you
[1:45:55] all very much.
[1:45:57] >> Thank you.