WEBVTT

METADATA
Video-Count: 1
Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=avlAf2QjG4g

NOTE
MEETING SECTIONS:

Part 1 (Video ID: avlAf2QjG4g):
- 00:00:04: Welcome and Resident Concerns: Sign Removal Success
- 00:01:35: Chair Update and Recognition of Retiring Police Chief
- 00:03:46: Farewell and Thanks to Departing Police Chief
- 00:06:46: Volunteer of the Year Award Nominees Announced
- 00:08:56: Acton Water District Meeting and Amphibian Migration
- 00:10:06: Zoning Articles Hearing and Parambulation of Bounds Report
- 00:21:23: Interactive Map Discussion and Report Recommendations
- 00:22:26: Volunteer Appreciation and Interactive Map Ideas
- 00:23:50: Jim Snyder Appointed to Produce Parambulation Report
- 00:24:45: Consent Agenda Items Approved Quickly
- 00:26:36: Grant Request Discussion for Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan
- 00:27:41: Suburban Glass Application Withdrawal and Taylor Road Discussion
- 00:30:17: Public Comment: Support for Taylor Road Purchase
- 00:33:59: Taylor Road Purchase - Subdividing and Affordability Ideas
- 00:36:26: Right of First Refusal Continued Until April 6th
- 00:37:30: Public Hearing Suburban Glass Withdrawal Approval
- 00:38:57: Hearing Closed and Delay Approved for School Street
- 00:41:31: School Budget Approved, Transfer Station Recycling Budget
- 00:45:37: Childcare Facility Public Hearing Continued
- 00:47:29: Insulet TIF Agreement Discussion and Incentivizing Growth
- 00:54:12: Public Comment: TIF and Water Usage Concerns
- 00:59:22: Town Manager to Negotiate the Insulet TIF Agreement
- 00:59:58: Independence Day Celebration Options Discussion
- 01:03:16: Choosing July 2nd and Discussing the Celebration
- 01:05:59: Declaring the Independence Debate with Board Disagreement
- 01:13:24: Action Power Choice Contract Discussion and Pricing
- 01:26:16: Public Comment: Green vs. Basic and Contract Length
- 01:32:15: Percent Details and Further Clarification for Deborah
- 01:32:15: Tara from Apure Discusses 100% Green
- 01:36:32: Explanation on the Plan and Blending Options
- 01:40:26: Giving Town Manager Authority to Negotiate
- 01:42:25: Motion for Negotiation of Action Power Choice Plan Passed
- 01:42:59: Municipal Electric Contract Approval and Cost Reduction
- 01:45:55: Acting Leadership Group Update: Budget Balancing and Forecasts
- 01:47:47: Warrant Discrepancies and Meeting Adjourned


Part: 1

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Okay, welcome back everyone. Uh, we had previously convened the select board meeting and went into executive session. We're back in public session now. Uh, we will start out with resident concerns. If anyone has any issues they'd like to bring forward that are

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not otherwise addressed in the agenda, please make yourself known. I will keep it to a threeinut limit. And as usual, name and street address. >> Hi, Deborah Signs, 109 Conquered Road. This isn't a question or a concern. It

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is I wanted to say that [snorts] driving east on 2A for many years. I've been noticing that there was still the state sign that said Butterbrook Organic Farm up the road. They went out of business like 18 years ago. So, I

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[clears throat] wrote a little note to Corey York and said, "Hm, can you have somebody drive a truck into it or can we contact the state or something to get this taken now because it's misleading." I swear to you, Corey sent it on to DOT. DOT responded to him and to me and 5

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days later it was gone. Things work sometimes. Thank you for the happy talk. [laughter] Okay. Anyone else? No. Okay. Um, chair update. I actually we've got a bunch of stuff

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going on later on today. Um, so I will defer my chair update and uh refer things over to the town manager. >> Thank you. Um, I would like to take the opportunity during my updates to uh recognize James Kogan. Uh James Kogan is

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our police chief. Uh he announced recently. Yeah, sure. Yes, absolutely. Um he announced recently that he's retiring um at the end of this month or March 27th to be exact. Uh after 42 years of service to the community um and he put

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his whole uh heart and soul into it. Um he went to the academy in 1984 and uh worked a little bit in Maynard and then uh when he first started working here the community was smaller and uh as the community grew he grew into uh higher

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ranks in the department and for the last several years uh he's served as our chief and uh we issued a press release a few weeks ago announcing it and I think uh it it provides some really good information about what he's contributed to this community as a DARE officer um as a detective as a lieutenant, all the

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different things that he's done here. Uh, but I think in the last few years as the chief, he's really um brought exactly what we needed to this community. I think policing in this country is complex and uh a lot of that complexity a lot of times trickles down

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into different communities and if you don't have the right leadership in the department it can create some issues for a community and we're very fortunate uh to have James Kogan as our chief the last few years uh through some of that uh complexity and um we I I appreciate

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what he's done for for me as a town manager. the police chief is the most high-profile job and the high pro high-profile position that I work with. And uh having someone like James here uh has been a pleasure and uh we're going to miss him uh when he when he retires

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in a few weeks, but he's not going far. He's still going to be here uh just not as our chief anymore. Um, but I think I just wanted to take a minute and uh recognize we announced a transition plan a few weeks ago, but I wanted to make sure that he was able to come here uh

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and wish him congratulations and um wish you the best. So, thank you for your service. >> Well, thank you. It has been uh a blink. Honestly, it's it's crazy to think about it. Dean, I know you've um you've served

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a long time in the town, but um you don't expect the end. you just don't expect the um the you never think you never think about it until you think about it. Um and it's been really a pleasure. It's been an honor. It's been an extreme challenge which I um honestly

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enjoy. I I I love a challenge and I think it's been a role that um I was you know I learned so much in in being serving as the chief and as the deputy chief from the previous chiefs. Um, but I am just so thankful that I was able to

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spend my entire career in one place. Um, a place that I live. I've raised my family here. Um, I I really um I I enjoy the people in this town. I think we have a a great leadership team and I am

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thankful to for everyone that allowed me the opportunity to serve in this role. So um my thanks to all of you as well. >> Well, Chief, remain standing for a moment. >> And it's not the end. It's a new beginning.

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>> Yes. True, true. I'm looking forward to that. >> [snorts] >> little nervous, but >> so I I would just like to acknowledge that uh I was working part-time at the station um as a dispatcher when Jimmy

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came on. And uh you know, at that point, the dispatches were considered sort of the the lowest possible level of anything. And Jimmy always treated me with courtesy and respect. And I've always appreciated that. And that's the kind of man he is.

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and uh we're certainly going to miss him. Everything that John has said is absolutely true. This has been a really tough time for law enforcement. I appreciate your dedication. And we'd like to present you with this Isaac Davis coin as a little momento of

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our respect, Chief. Thank you so much. >> Thank you much. Thank you for your service. >> Thank you. [applause] >> Very nice. Well, thanks again. And as Dean alluded to, um Jimmy is um when you're my friend, [clears throat] you call me Jimmy. Um obviously my name is

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James Kogan. And I prefer that unofficial documentation, but um if I see you around town, say, "Hey, Jimmy, how are you?" So um thanks again for everything. I appreciate it. >> Thank you.

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Okay, under more pleasant business continues. Item three, announce nominees for Colonel Francis Falner Senior Exemplary Volunteers of the Year Award.

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Um, so I guess I'll start off. Um, my nominee this year will be uh Lori Cooney, who has served for many years on the Council on Aging, uh, the community

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preservation committee, uh, cable advisory committee, and Minuteman Senior Services. Who's next, Alyssa? My nominee this year is Joe Rob who's currently the chair of

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the water resources advisory committee >> David uh my uh nominee or uh uh recipient this year is uh uh Greg Jarbo um he's been on a number of committees

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including the select board back in the day um but uh and is now on the finance committee. Thank you, Fran. >> Um, my nominee is Nancy Cole, uh, who is currently the chair of the Actton

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Housing Authority. >> Jim, um, my nominee is Joan Burroughs. Um, she's helped start this Commission on Disabilities in 1989, and she's still serving on it. She's she's been the

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heart and soul of that commission for a long time. All right. Uh we will be having a uh a formal presentation at the uh 17 Woodbury Lane uh a little bit later in the month. I'm sure.

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>> David, >> could we just say that exact day for the in time for the public? I think it's April 15th at 5:00. Is that correct? >> That's correct. >> Getting a nod from Lisa. It's correct.

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and it'll be a great opportunity to sort of showcase uh one of the more controversial projects in town. Before I proceed, I remembered I uh I stepped on a few people's toes and didn't give my colleagues an opportunity

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to give their updates. >> Alyssa, >> thank you. I just wanted to take the opportunity to one more time announce that the Actton Water District annual meeting is this Wednesday, March 18th at 6 p.m. and it's taking place in the

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public safety facility. And I guess um speaking of water, um tonight will be a movement of amphibians across the roads because it is wet and warm. It's going to be above 40 overnight. So, please drive slowly, keep an eye out for

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amphibians, but also our crossing volunteers. >> David, uh, thank you. I just wanted to let everybody know and remind everybody again that, um, tomorrow night in this room at 7:00, there'll be a hearing on the zoning articles for town meeting by

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the planning board. Um, there are three articles. Um, uh, you can, uh, get the list of them from the planning board agenda. Thank you, Fran and Jim. Okay. Thank you. And my

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apologies for skipping that section. Uh next to Jim report on the parameulation of the bounds. Okay, I'll get started while um Tom brings up some you know visual aids. Um,

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so the bulk of the work for this project is complete, but the report is not ready. Um, so I I I I should say upfront that um I'm going to be asking the board if they would be willing to have me

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continue to work on this report even after I'm no longer on the select board. Um it does seem as if the law allows uh people to be uh selected um by the select board to to work on these matters. So I'd appreciate that bit of

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support. Um but the the data has largely been collected. Um what Tom is showing us up on the screen is a typical uh one one pager for each of the monuments. Um, in

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this case, this is the one um that's uh behind the big water tower at the end of Ethan Allen Drive. Um that represents the corner of Actton, Boxboro, and Stowe. And and and when Tom scrolls down a little bit, he'll see the see that we

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have maps. Um and why don't we go to the next page just to show uh you know how how these how these can look different. Um that's the same. These are all painted. Um, there also are a bunch that were either uh not found uh because they

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were um they were documented but we couldn't find them. Um or it seemed like they would be legally required but no one's ever located a monument at like certain street crossings. Um others um

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seem to have disappeared uh in in the midst of either development or road construction. Um, and there were some that we couldn't paint uh because they were so um uh tilted and buried that we couldn't even find a place to put the

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year 2025 on them. Um, [sighs] so that's that summary. Why don't we look at the next little it's it's basically talking points to remind me what to say of things that will be in the report when it's when it's done. Um,

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the first is a reminder that this has been a law for a long time. So, I enjoyed um finding these uh 16 1646 of uh laws for laws and liberties of Massachusetts is what they were called back in the day. There have been a

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variety of names of the state's laws. They're currently called Mass General Laws or MGL. But each time that uh this body of law has changed its name and been rewritten, some version of this has preceded. Um this uh this original note

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from 1648 is where the the five pound uh penalty uh was mentioned which got changed to $5. But back then five pounds was a lot. Uh now it's not much and that's why most towns don't bother doing this. And the reason that Actton and

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other towns are beginning to take this up again is more for reasons of civic pride and historic research and historic preservation. Let's go on to the next one. Um, [cough] this was a key document for us. This is

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one of a uh uh many dozens of volumes written u in 190456 um describing where the boundary lines were, where the boundary markers were and um with with both little maps and

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with wonderful descriptions involving street names that we have no idea about anymore. [laughter] Um so street names change a lot, I learned. So, uh, it's it's important to also have coordinates. Um, the other the

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other big, uh, push was in the 1830s. We found a number of monuments as Dean and I were walking around with people, uh, where the the year of the, uh, the placement of the monument was was was chiseled in. Uh, there were a lot that were 1831. Um, but since 1904, not much.

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There's been a revival in the last 20 years or so. Um why don't we go on and look at the next section. Um so these are some things that um are going to happen next. Um I'm close to an interactive map so that people can see where the monuments are or are not and

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why uh with with other information. Um I I think it's it's a fun story to tell. So I think there's a presentation in the future uh which could get filmed. Um, and in terms of policy recommendations, um, what Dean and I came to see was that

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these are best treated as historical objects. Um, they're not the, um, they're no longer the technical definition of where the boundaries of the towns are. That's now in coordinates. Um, but they're important and interesting. So, it's important to

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know where they are. And there are some that are broken and fallen. I think it would be worth looking at over the next couple years how to restore those. Um it's in the law. This falls to both towns. Um so this would be a series of

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conversations with our many neighbors about hey do you you know do you want to have a joint like you know can you talk to your uh community preservation committee and we'll talk to ours and we'll get some money together and uh you know uh fix these fix a few monuments up. there's there's um you know five

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five or so that are um you know not in good shape. Um the other thing we were thinking was so we're going to these historical objects you know these granite markers stuck in the ground and then we're taking black Rustoleum paint and like writing the year 2025. It feels

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like vandalism sometimes when we do it. Um so I would prefer if we could come up with a less intrusive marking system. I noticed that if um online that if you buy large granite blocks, they will sometimes have a small um clear plastic

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stick on piece uh with like a QR code. Uh very small uh and I think that would be more um more appropriate and could also point people towards information about these things. I know when I first saw them I like the one at the um the

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one at the Actton Boxboro Littleton corner I thought it was a place where high school students would go and write the year because I know they write they write the year their graduating year on a lot of objects or at least they used to. It's not a good idea. Um but they used to and I thought this was just

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another one of those. This is just like some weird rock in the middle of the woods with the year written on it. So, if we had a little QR code there, we could be educating people that come across these things. Um, there's also a couple of monuments that uh have been lost apparently in the process of

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development. Um, and it could be that the developers know where they are. Um, so that's that's a little bit of further research that that can be done. Um, what's on the next page, Tom? Oh, some photos. Okay. So here is what we will

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what we will gather is for each monument uh we'll gather the photos that were taken and in some cases we'll notice that we're missing photos and we'll go back and take them. But this is this is the um the uh the Actton let's see if you go up a little bit it will remind me

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where this is. Oh yeah. No, this is this is the Actton conquered um um monument. That's on the old what's what conquered thinks of as old Stow road uh which is a um again another abandoned road just

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north of the train tracks. Um, it used to be called Parinter Road in the in the 1904 report and we did find evidence of a Pariner Road that went all the way, you know, through the Graceand but then ended up in Maynard and there still is a tiny little section of road in Maynard

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called Pariner Road that and I'm sure people have no idea of its grand history as a as an inter town highway. Um, but there it is. Um we uh conquered uh has managed to paint it a couple of times but has forgotten about it um for the

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last few decades. I looked at their last uh bounds report and they they didn't they they they admitted that there was something called Parinter Road. They had no idea where it was and they couldn't find it and they sort of thought it was Knox Trail. Um and same with Actton. It's got a few years on it but it's been

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missing. So we now now have painted the 2025 on it. What's the next uh image? Um, and then I think I'm done. Oh, this is the uh this is the big one. This is probably the easiest one for people to see. This is the one right near the senior center. Um, right near the uh

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electrical substation. And you'll see here u this is the this is the Sudbury Maynard conquered Actton Corner. The only four-way corner we have in Actton. So, it's got that, you know, special bit of awesomeness to it. Um, you'll see the Sudbury one in the middle. They've been very regular um uh getting there every

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five years. They did do this thing at some point where they whitewashed uh the monument in order to write the years in. That means we've lost uh you know the numbers that were written from previous years which I think is a little sad but that might be in old Sudbury records. Um

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conquered has a whole variety of styles of of how they wrote the years. Um Maynard has done this once. Um they also were in the sad position of um this used to be uh the corner of of Stow uh when

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before Maynard existed and when Maynard existed uh came into being the the natural side of the monument that would have been Maynard's had already been taken. Um so they they sort of have this odd angle that doesn't really point

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towards Maynard. Um that's I think that's it. There's probably a picture at the bottom. Oh yeah. Um there's, you know, people happily working away. Each time we went, we contacted the select boards of the towns we were near. Um and sometimes they sent staff and sometimes

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they sent um um select board members. So and we had a few members of the public who also were interested in coming. So it was a it was a fun event. Uh we went out about five or six times. um met with different people each time and um looking forward to um finishing off that

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work by having something to present to people. There might be questions and maybe there would be a motion to allow me to continue to work on this. David. >> Yeah. Uh, one question is your for your

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map, is that hosted on a a town server or is that not hosted or is it hosted on your own server? >> Um, the the future interactive map right now it's um it's it's on Google maps. >> Oh, it's on the cloud. >> Is it?

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>> So, we are we are going to take the coordinates of where the monuments actually are and put them in a town GIS layer. >> Oh, nice. >> Yeah. Okay. And then the GIS GIS team has also prepared a um an one of their

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iPads that I can take out when there's less snow on the ground to get uh even more accurate coordinates than the one I could ones I could get from my phone. >> Oh, great. And and um uh in the report, the only request I would have is that you have recommendations on any

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monuments that um need restoring or need anything else. Uh >> um and Mr. Chair, I have a a motion if you'd like one at some point. >> Alissa, >> thank you to Jim and Dean and all of the

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volunteers that accompanied you. Um, this is so much fun. Very exciting. I love history. Um, I'm I'm excited about the possibility of an interactive map and also the QR code on the monument

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sounds like a good idea instead of all of the the painted dates. I'm wondering once you have a QR code, do you then do the update every 5 years virtually rather than on the monument itself? Is

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that does that work into the general laws? um we would still be if we didn't actually do something to the monument every 5 years, we would still be subject to the $5 fine. Um but since no one I

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think has been charged that fine for a hundred years or so, I think we'd be okay. >> Well, maybe an electronic update will be a good um enough action just like where we switched easily from five pounds to

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$5. Okay. Uh, and I'd just like to thank Jim. It's been a very interesting process and I've enjoyed accompanying you and being your chauffeur. [laughter] Uh, >> you're you're a much

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>> much better painter than I am, too. Yeah. David. >> Um, I move to appoint Jim Snder Grant to produce the paramulation report for the select board and to report back um to this board later in 2026.

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>> Second. >> Moved and seconded. Questions, comments? All in favor of the motion, please say I. >> I. >> Opposed? Abstensions. Okay. So approved.

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Thank you, Jim. Um, our next item I think might take a little bit of time, John. So maybe we hold the our public hearings beforehand and to eat up the next four minutes,

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we'll go through the consent agenda. Item 13, approve request to amend business name of common vigil from Dunkin Donuts to Dunkin Donuts/Jimmy John's at 182 Great Road. Item 14, approve amended intermunicipal

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agreement for automated bike share program. Number 15, accept donation of $1600 from Middle Sex Savings Bank towards cost of Actton 250 event on June 14, 2026.

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Item 16, accept a donation from Wendy Scully for $1,250 towards the cost of Revolutionary War restoration of CE cemetery markers. Item 17, approve request for use of town

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roads for National Brain Tumor Society Ride on May 17, 2026. Item 18, approved letter of support for planning division and sustainability office application for the FY27

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Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Planning Assistance Grant for the creation of a bicycle and pedestrian plan. >> I move to approve consent items 13- 18 inclusive. >> Second. [clears throat]

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>> Moved and seconded. All in favor of the motion, please say I. I >> I >> opposed abstensions. >> Okay. So approve. We still have three minutes before the next hearing.

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Um Jim, I would happily ask a question about one of these items, one of the um the consent items that we just approved. >> Please do. >> Um uh Mr. Manager, um in terms of the

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bicycle and pedestrian plan, um I I I was wondering if I could get a a copy of the actual grant request. And um I'm also wondering if um we'll make sure to have the uh

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transportation advisory committee involved in some way in this project. >> Sure. Thank you. Uh this is an effort u being uh led by um planning and and sustainability. Uh the applications are due I believe the first week of April.

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I'm not sure that we'd have time to bring it to TAC to get feedback, but we certainly would share it with TAC and then if we get the money um they would be one of the groups that we work with as a stakeholder to um move it forward.

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>> Great. Thanks so much. >> Okay. Um, first item, um, site plan special permit 3/19-25-493 Suburban Glass and Mirror at 50 at 60

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Powdermill Road to redesign and expand the current parking lot. And the applicant has requested to withdraw our application without prejudice. I believe we never actually opened the hearing to begin with. So I don't think the board needs to take any further

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action on that. John, >> I was hoping that would be the case. Um I think that uh planning is saying that we need to the board needs to open it and then consider whether it wants to accept the withdrawal without prejudice.

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Uh which would then allow them to resubmit it someday. Um so it's a it is a requirement. Sorry. Okay. Um, except I don't have the legal notice. I don't know if we've if anyone who's

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got a computer has got the legal notice. >> Well, there's two scheduled for 6:30. Um, so we can do the other one first. >> Sure. And you won't be wrong. Let's do that. Okay. Um, so our second hearing is uh

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consider right of first refusal pursuant to general law 61B for real property located at 46 Taylor Road. Uh, this is a continuence from previous hearing. Uh, I think everyone so you've got a number of

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members of the audience who look familiar out there. the uh so the board met in executive session earlier tonight uh and discussed this purchase. There's still some issues that

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we're working on, but we certainly welcome input and comments from members of the public who might like to come forward at this point. Please come up and use the mic so everybody can hear you. Thank you. Are we allowed to comment if we already

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did at the last hearing? >> Absolutely. >> Okay. Thank you. Um, hello. I'm Patina Abbe. I live on School Street and I implore you to vote to exercise our right as a town of first refusal on this piece of property. We can't do this

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without you. It's the first step. allow us to bring this to town meeting so our fellow citizens can have the chance to vote whether or not they want to buy and protect this last piece of open space for the Actton Arboritum. [clears throat]

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A place that means so much to so many in your community. [snorts] If you recollect what this center park looked like in 1986 and compare that memory to now, then you'll realize there is nothing we can't do collectively.

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Mark Twain said, "Buy land. They're not making it anymore." Yes, we really do need this specific piece of property. Thank you. Thank you. Any other comments? Hello. Uh Renee uh 26 Taylor. Uh first

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of all, kudos to you guys for keeping track of everything going on in town. I see Alyssa like just all over town. Um [clears throat] so it's a lot of work. I I appreciate that. Um 46 Taylor is a special parcel. Like Betina said, I

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second everything she said. You can't just make land. It's there. It's in its natural state. We should really be trying to protect it, not just for us, but for the future. For my grandchildren's grandchildrens who are going to come back and visit me, you

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know, whenever I'm buried in the cemetery, they're going to come visit the arboratum. Um, it's the the location, the land. We we we have to do it. We have to act on it, you know. So, I really encourage, you know, uh, you guys to support it and to

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vote, to bring it, just like Patina said, to town to be able to vote however that works out. Um, the parcel just has a lot of potential. You know, sure, it's full of invasives. And this when I moved into 26 Taylor, my whole backyard was invasive. I got

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poison ivy up everywhere, right? But, you know, diligence, a little bit at a time, we got control over it, you know. Then we started taking care of the arburatum. We learned about the garlic mustard. We learned about the honeysuckle, about the bittersweet, about the black walnuts. There's a whole

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generation behind me, my kids that want to learn this, too. And I teach them. And there's they're they're hungry for information. So, it's like a great opportunity to teach that generation also. I'm sure we can get a whole bunch of volunteers to help clean up that land

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and the invasives and uh if we need to plant some native species, I don't I don't worry about that at all. I think the important part is that we have this opportunity right now and we need to take advantage of it and really do what

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we all want to do in our hearts and make sure that we are really you know thinking about the future not just what we see today. Thank you. >> Thank you. I guess I was on. Thank you. Uh Tom

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Wolf, 14 Sawmill Road. Um in general, I support the uh purchase of the property, but I did want to float an idea. [clears throat] Um, if the price of the property becomes a prohibitive factor, is it possible to

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for the town to purchase the property and then subdivide it? Um, selling the um street front, the for the front part of the property to a developer to build some housing and retain the back part closest to the

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arboritum as conservation land. um might might be an interesting compromise. Um that back part is probably not very developable uh developable anyway due to wetlands. So it's probably more valuable um to uh conservation.

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Um, I just wanted to float that idea and see if that is uh a possibility to um buy the land, subdivide it, and use the funds to sell off the uh selling off the front part of the property to help uh

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subsidize the cost. >> Thank you. Um, yeah, there's a a number of issues have been raised and questions raised. Um, and yours is not an uncommon point. Um, but I think one of the problems we run

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into is depending upon the source of the funding, um, I'm not sure that it's possible to purchase the land with CPC funds, um, and then subdivide it and sell a piece of it off. So there would have to be additional funds brought in uh to

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underwrite part of that purchase which would have to come from town general funds and at this point we've not had that discussion. I don't know if any of my colleagues care to weigh in on that or not. Okay. Thank you. Um

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but certainly uh we're looking at all options at this point. Any other questions or comments about 46 Taylor Road? All right. Um, at at this point, uh, I think you

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probably saw some indication at our meeting two weeks ago that there's a, you know, strong interest among some members of the board towards purchasing the the property, but we're not prepared to take a vote at this point. We're going to be continuing

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this hearing until uh the uh meeting on April 6th and we hope to come to a conclusion at that point. Uh I see the town manager leaning towards his mic. >> Sure. Just if if there's a motion made uh 7:30 would be the time to continue it

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too. >> Okay. Um David uh I move that we continue this hearing until April 6th. um 2026 at 7:30 p.m. >> Second. >> Moved and seconded.

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All in favor of the motion, please by saying I. >> I. >> I. >> Opposed. Abstensions. Okay. Thank you. Um and we'll take this up again in two weeks or several weeks.

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April 6th. So our I will read the notice for the public hearing for Suburban Glass and Mirror. Actton Select Board will hold a public

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hearing on March 16th, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. Continued from February 2nd, 2026 in the Francis Falner hearing room 204 at the town hall 472 Main Street, Actton and virtually at acttonma ma.gov/meings. gov/meing/bos

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on the application of suburban glass and mirror for a site plan special permit under zoning bylaw section 10.4 at 60 Powdermill Road. The proposed project consists of redesigning and expanding the existing parking lot. Application

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materials and how to participate remotely are available online at an Actton Town Hall doc.actton-ma.gov/dweb/ gov/dswebview/collection-19067 and the uh the applicant has requested

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to withdraw his application. Could I get a motion? Um exact a he asked to withdraw the application without prejudice. So Mr. Chair, you might want to ask for public comment first and then I'll make that motion.

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public comment. Okay. I I I move that we accept the applicant's request to withdraw um their application without prejudice. >> Second. >> Moved and seconded to allow the

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applicant to withdraw without prejudice. All in favor say I. >> I. >> Opposed? Extensions. Okay. >> Done. >> I move to close the public hearing. Second.

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>> Oh, [laughter] yeah. It's okay. Public hearing. >> Oh, he opened it. [laughter] >> Yeah. >> Okay. Uh motion to close public hearing. >> Second. >> Second. >> Oh, moved and second. All in favor closing public hearing, please say I.

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>> I. >> I. >> Opposed? Abstensions? Closed. All right. Uh, we have another site plan special permit hearing in five minutes. I can't read

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the application yet, the notification yet. So, >> Mr. Chair, I think >> yes. >> Do you want to try item 12? >> Yes. >> Okay. So, thank you. I appreciate that.

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Uh, so we, as you know, we did an RFP to sell 3 and 13 School Street. The person that or the developer that's, uh, was chosen based on the RFP process was, um, Alex Moda. His his development proposal

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is in the works and he was supposed to have everything fully permitted before the closing, which was scheduled for the 27th. Uh, he's asking for 90 more days to sort through that. So the I just was asking for the board to approve an extended date for 3 and 13 school street

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which is 90 days later than what was initially proposed. Okay, David, I I move that we allow a 90-day delay for the uh closing of uh the sale for of 3 and 13 School Street. >> Second.

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>> Okay. moved and seconded to allow the uh the extension. All in favor, please say I. >> I. >> I. >> Opposed. Abstensions. Done. >> Thank you. >> Um maybe we can take up um item 11,

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assign, review, and take positions on town meeting articles. Only get two. Article 9, Minute Man Regional School District Assessment. So the assessment um is in the warrant the number that we received from the uh

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school the school district. Uh they are actually presenting to the finance committee on the 24th of this month. Uh but I think uh the board could take a position tonight if it feels comfortable. I know the the member of the school committee for Minute Man is here if there are any

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questions uh about what's being proposed. Okay, any questions? David, can I just say that the the amount in the draft warrant, which I believe is correct, is um 3,295,792.

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>> Okay. Thank you, >> David. >> Oh, Melissa, >> would you like a motion? >> Sure. >> Um, I move that we recommend article 9. >> Second. >> Moved and seconded to recommend article 9. Any comments?

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All in favor of that motion, please say I. >> I. I. >> Opposed? Abstensions? Okay. Um, and we uh we need for somebody to be assigned to

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that. I think we assigned Jim last time. >> Jim Snider. Thank you, Jim. Okay. Article 25, approved transfer station and recycling enterprise budget.

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This is the budget that we use to operate the transfer station recycling center. Uh it's funded through fees uh and also some retained earnings. Uh the last time this article had a few numbers that still need to be finalized. Those are now finalized in this article. So um

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it's ready for your consideration. >> Okay. Any questions? Jim, >> I think we covered this in the budget hearings, but maybe um memory is short. So, um the certified fund balance is uh you

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know falling um um you knowund something between 25 and 26 and almost more than 200,000 between 26 and 27. My memory is that that's a a planned change. Uh that the fund balance had gotten a little

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high. Uh and that we've been using that money to make uh capital expenses for the um for the transfer station. Um but I wanted to confirm that that's what was going on. >> Yes, that's correct. That also it's just some fluctuations with the contracted

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services that we use um to dispose of recyclables to recycle recyclables >> and dispose of trash. Okay. >> Okay. Would anyone like to make a motion? David, I

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>> I move that we uh recommend article 25. >> Second. >> Moved and seconded. Any other comments? No. All in favor of the motion, please. I say I. I. >> I. >> Opposed? Abstensions

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and an assignment. Alyssa. All right. All right. We're now comfortably at 6:45. The Act and Select Board will hold a public hearing on February 23rd.

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I think this is not the >> unlikely >> unlikely we're holding here on >> March 16th. >> Okay. Hold hold hold a public hearing on March 15th [sighs]

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16th 2026 at 6:45 p.m. in the Francis Faulner hearing room 204 at the town hall 472 Main Street Actton and virtually at acttonma.gov/meingb on the application of primo schools financing corporate company for site

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plan special permit under zoning bylaw section 10.4 4 at 457 Massave. The applicant proposes to construct a two-story 14,134 square ft childc care facility. Application materials and how to

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participate remotely are available online and at Actton Town Hall at doc.acttonmma.gov/view/colction-19896. GV/DSeb/view/collection-19896. The applicant has requested a continuence to April 6, 2026 at 7 p.m.

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David. >> I move that we continue this public hearing to until uh April 6th, 2026 at 7 p.m. >> Second. >> Okay. Moved and seconded. All in favor of the continuence, please say I. I. I. opposed

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abstensions. Okay, we are continued. Um John, are we prepared to take up item five? >> Yes, thank you. Uh so Insulent

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Corporation uh moved to act in in um 2018 or 19 or so. Uh, one of the big reasons to incent them to come here was a TIFF agreement that the select board negotiated and town meeting approved. Uh, at the time our largest employer in

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town was a school district. Uh, and here we are 8 years later and our largest employer is now insulate. Um and they have uh developed so they they redid their head they redid their headquarters at the end of the Nog Park and then in

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the last few years they also uh developed uh some flexible warehouse space for part of their distribution. Uh they're interested in growing. It's a growing company. It's a very successful company. We're proud to have them headquartered here in Actton. Uh and as they're continuing their growth, uh our

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economic development office has been working a lot to try to get them to grow here. Um so we we understand that they are working on a potential acquisition of another piece of property in Nag Park uh

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neighborhood or street rather. And I'm asking the board support in doing what whatever we can to negotiate uh a similar tiff agreement to the one that we uh did last time which would

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incentivize them to invest in a property in Actton and it would make reto it would bring a property back to productive use and while some of the incremental tax growth would be waved under a tiff agreement it would still be in incremental tax growth and once the

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the wave period ramps down, uh it'll be growth within the commercial tax base, which um as the economic development committee and the long-term economic development plan points out, it's something that we sorely need in this community. uh we're below 10% of the

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communities below [clears throat] 10% of our tax base is commercial and industrial and this is a a wonderful opportunity to try to um improve that situation by uh encouraging them to grow here in actton. So, a lot of the details

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about what they're proposing to do will need to be uh announced later, but the the issue that I wanted to bring out publicly and before you tonight is request for your support to work with them on some type of arrangement which would of course be brought back to the

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board. Uh it would have to be an article on town meeting. So, there's a placeholder in the warrant right now. I would propose that we work with them over the next two weeks and come back on April 6th with something um that is the framework of of a tiff and if the

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board's comfortable with it um include that in the warrant and move forward. So I'm happy to answer any questions about um what's being discussed or proposed um but I think it's it's really exciting opportunity for us.

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>> Thank you. Uh questions from the board. Alyssa. >> Thank you, John. I just have a question about the timeline. Um there's sufficient time to discuss this in two weeks, 3 weeks on April 6th, um

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ahead of when the warrant goes out to print. And is there any requirement for a public hearing for a TIFF? My understanding is no. we can just discuss that, approve it as a board and then put it on the warrant for approval at town

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meeting. Is that correct? >> Yes. U so what we would what we would do is we wouldn't put we wouldn't negotiate a deal and put every business term of it on the terminating warrant. What we would do is and similar to what we did last time and actually we did a tiff for

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um um >> natural stone solutions on Knox Trail a few years ago. We asked Taming to authorize the selectman to enter into a tiff agreement under terms and conditions that it um feels are appropriate. we could outline what those

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are and I do think that we have enough time uh to do that with the board next week and provide enough detail to town meeting to see if they support uh or see if it supports us. >> Thanks. I I think we did have quite a bit of detail that we presented to town

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meeting voters um for that tiff. So something similar would be good but then no no public hearing. Correct. Okay, >> Jim. >> Um, I'm in favor of proceeding with negotiations. Um, there was one, um, bit

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of language you used, John, that, uh, had me concerned, so I wanted to check it out with you. Uh, which implied that, you know, we would basically do anything to make this work. Um, and I I I suspect you don't actually mean that. I mean, I

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know there's limitations within what a TIFF is allowed to do, but I also want to make sure that [snorts] that I don't need to know what it is, but I need to know that you you have um in in your

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mind and with your team, you have um the town's a bottom line for the town that you're not willing to, you know, step over. Um so that we know that we actually it's an actual negotiation as opposed to you know here tell us what

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you want and we'll say yes. Um we um that's not the right it's not a helpful attitude to take towards a large corporation. >> Sure. I can I can assure you that that's not the approach to negotiations that we would take. I think we I think we should

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do whatever makes sense and whatever we can do to keep businesses like that here in Actton. And I think a tiff agreement is a pretty structured arrangement. There's not a lot you can do besides give them a discount on their incremental taxes. So I think as far as as far as that goes, it's not like we

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can give them everything. We can give them an a tax break on their investment. Um and that's what I'm proposing. >> Thanks. David. >> Yeah, I'm in favor of this for a number of reasons. You know, the the employment

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in the area is great. The tax base is is great. So, I think we should move forward and see if we can come to an agreement. >> Fran, >> I I'm in agreement as well. I think this is a a smart thing and we would want to keep insulent in town.

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>> Okay. Uh, any comments from the public? >> Jefferson's Conquered Road. I think I have three things. Um, if we don't do this, they're not threatening to leave town, right? [clears throat] >> I'm looking at John. >> I mean, that that's not something we've

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discussed. I hope that's not what what what they would do. I'm I'm just the phrasing about keeping them in town was what made >> Well, I think what I said was we'd like if they're going to grow, we'd like for them to grow here in town, which is which is a great opportunity for us. >> Okay. Can we know what parcel they're looking at purchasing?

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>> 35 Nagok. >> Thank you. And the only other thing I want to ask is that when you do whatever the negotiate, assuming this goes forward now, whatever the negotiation's going to look like, I seem to remember at least I don't remember honest to god which one it was, but one of these in the past decade or two in which what was

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laid out um at town meeting was actually a sort of gradient table of you know in this year they get this kind of discount and you know and that lasts for x amount of time you know some kind of term and then there were several steps in it. So is that the kind of thing you're

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thinking about >> as opposed to just you know >> Yeah, I think so that that one was I think they had 6 months to work on that one uh before town meeting. We we have >> couple weeks. So I think we'll provide as much information as as we possessed

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value of the property as a known entity. the investment that they're proposing to make is something that we can estimate and we can use that to um determine what level of increment. Uh so in the past agreement from 2017, it was a 20-year arrangement, >> right?

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>> That the [clears throat] first 5 years was 100% right >> waved and then then 75% then 50% and then 25% each 5 years. >> You know, that's necessarily that's not necessarily what we would do in this case. Uh but that's what the town agreed to um last time. So, I think we will um

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we'll come back in a few weeks with with more details about that. >> Thanks, >> Jim. Um I had a question uh for Alyssa. I think um you've spent a lot of time with rack and with the water district

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and um in the past there was um I remember this astonishment of understanding how much water insulate was using um and is that still an ongoing concern? Is there still um an an

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issue with them, you know, um using more more water than is available or um you know, more water that would be competing with other water needs? >> Um the only thing that I can tell you is that the projection for water use was

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very very low than the actual water use. Um how many gallons I don't know. And then I can also share that um one of the things that that I discussed um when we were presenting the MBTA communities and

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habitat for all was that we have done such a great job of conserving water in town that we're not anywhere near our maximum draw. I think we are about 500,000 gallons per day under the limit that the um D sets for us, Department of

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Environmental Protection. Um, so that's all I can tell you. I don't know what this expansion um how how much water is going to be required and whether or not that's going to match what they say um unlike unlike

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last time 8 years ago. And I actually had a follow-up question um for John if I may. Um I'm sorry if I missed this, but did you give a percentage of how how much this growth is? Do did have they shared that with you

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and did you share that with us? >> No. So we that would be the work that we do now. So the deals can be you can exempt anything from 5% to 100% of the incremental. >> No, sorry. I mean their growth. So you said they were the largest employer.

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They've overtaken the school district. >> They're tied for first place. >> Okay. They're tied for first place. But do we know are they growing their business by 20%, 50%? That's what I'm asking. Yeah, they're growing uh substantially um

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at you know they're an international company. They have they have a presence um overseas as well and um they they have the opportunity to expand anywhere including outside of Massachusetts. So uh we have actually have a partnership with uh the governor's office to to work

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to make sure that businesses like that stay in Massachusetts. And my my goal and my recommendation is that we we do things within reason to keep them here in Actton. >> Okay. Um John, would you like a a formal motion and a vote? >> Yes, please.

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>> Someone care to make one. David, I move that we ask the town manager to uh uh work on a negotiating a tiff agreement with uh Insulence new um uh a potential insulate new building um and bring it back to the board um in a

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future meeting. >> Second. >> Moved and seconded. Any other discussion? All in favor of the motion, please say I. I. >> Opposed? Abstensions. Okay. Approved. Thank you, John.

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Thank you. Um, item seven, discuss options for Independence Day celebration for 2026. Good evening, board members. Uh, while Tim makes his way on up, I will give you a brief, um, overview of how we got here. Uh, first, I'm pleased to introduce for the first time formally to

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the board, uh, Tim Makowski, who is a new parks and recreation director. Um, since joining, Tim's hit the ground running. He's got camps up and running. He's worked pretty hard on getting field permitting out there. So, um this is another piece that's landed on Tim's plate for the Independence Day

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celebration. So, uh how did we get here? Um we got here in late 2025. The board considered or took a vote to reconsider Independence Day and what it would look like. And uh the final vote looked at alternatives to a fireworks celebration

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and alternatives to a July 4th date. Uh what came out of that meeting was a July 3rd date uh with potential for a se another date uh and then some feedback um ideas about some laser shows, some sort of light show that would still give a visual effect for people who wanted to

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see that around the holiday um community event. Um, so since then, uh, Tim and his team, uh, have gone back to the board and to the drawing board and they've connected with the, uh, laser show light technician with different

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bands, vendors, and found out a little bit of information that he's here and prepared to to discuss tonight. There is a memo in the packet that outlines everything we're going to discuss, but I'm happy to turn it over to Tim at this time. >> Thank you, Tom, and uh, it's nice to

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meet everybody. Uh so the recreation department developed the two options for the community independence day celebration at Nara Park uh focused on family activities live music and a patriotic themed ceremony. Um both options are operationally feasible and they do not require uh anything taken

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from the $40,000 appropriation made for town meeting uh for the fireworks funding. And tonight we're seeking the board's guidance uh for the preferred event date so we can move forward with planning. Uh the main uh differences in the two options that you see in front of you. Uh the first one being the laser light production was only available on

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Tuesday night or on Thursday night option which would be July 2nd. Um and then the July 3rd option just for your consideration. Um in the original conversation there was some concern that was um spoken about in regards to uh previously authorized PTO that was put

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in uh and also um whether uh the payroll um that would be run on that evening. So, the Friday consideration for July 3rd would take into additional uh payroll with the overtime because the holiday for um non-public um

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[clears throat] uh public service would be on uh the Friday since the holiday does fall on the Saturday. Okay. Um thank you Tom and Tom. Uh, and to our new

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>> Tim and Tom. So, >> by >> Tim, um, thank you for this and you certainly got dumped into the deep end of the pool, >> didn't you? Welcome. Uh,

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thoughts from my colleagues about the two options. Alyssa, >> thank you for working on this. I am in favor of the Thursday evening um simply because uh it we discussed a lot about the importance of illuminations, some

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kind of illuminations. So because the laser show is only um an option for the Thursday date and also I like the idea that this could um be less expensive in terms of payroll but also attract a larger crowd um because people might

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still be here before they take off for the weekend. So, I'm definitely in favor of that that Thursday, July 2nd option. >> Thank you. Other comments, >> David? I'll just say I agree. >> I I was leaning toward the Thursday

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option as well, >> Jim. And I think we have to read this quote at the actual event, but here goes just for the first sentence. the second day of July, 1776 will be the most memorable epic in the history of America.

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And that was that was John Adams. Um, and so I think July 2nd has plenty of historical resonance. >> Who am I to argue with John Adams? [laughter] So I think I think you've got consensus from the board, David. >> Um, just both of these events or either

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of these events would be free to the public. Is that correct? >> That is correct. Thank >> I hate to throw a monkey wrench. Is a laser show a definite or is it necessary or

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do people want a laser show? Is Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm the stick in the mud. [laughter] So, at the request of the board, we did do research uh because that was something that had been brought up at your previous meeting. Um it is not necessary. Um but we do have them on

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standby um for that date. >> What is the price? >> So, the largest the largest cost is going to be the band which is going to run us between about $7,000 $8,000 and then the laser show is going to cost approximately additional $2,000. Do you also want a bonfire?

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>> I was just thinking more homie. Read the Declaration of Independence. Not all this pomp and circumstance. That was in my head. >> John said John said no to a bonfire. So you have to come over to my house for marshmallows before we go.

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>> Okay. I think you've heard the the board's interest and concerns. Unless anyone else has any questions. No. Do you do want a motion? >> Let's go for [laughter] a motion. I >> I move that the board endorse the uh uh

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proposed Thursday, July 2nd show at Narrow Park. >> Second. >> Second. >> Okay. >> Moved and seconded. Any other comments? >> Alyssa? Um, I'm wondering when would be an appropriate time to discuss the

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reading of the declaration if we want to do that now or closer to the I I can't I can't see that this would come back to the board for a discussion cuz it usually doesn't we usually don't take up the business of of the Fourth of

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July celebration. >> Well, we're kind of running ahead of schedule. So, >> we are >> Can I I'll just I'll just say um one thing then. So, I'm definitely in favor of this um commemoration of Independence

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Day. Um I think the Declaration of Independence is a very important part of that. I do think that there is language in the declaration and it's conveniently at the very end that it would be um

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I'm trying to think of the word um indefensible for us to to utter those words regardless of whether they are in the historic document or not. Um, so I'd

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like to just offer that as my position that the derogatory racist language um not be read out loud at a an event in our community on in in the year 2026.

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Well, I'm not sure that know the exact phrases that you object to, but um my point is that yeah, this is our community, but we're also part of the United States of America. This is one of our f founding documents.

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And I think the whole idea about trying to edit history to pursue whatever agenda you might have is the wrong way to go. And if we're going to read the Dark Elization of Independence, which I hope we do, it

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should be read in its entirety. Alissa. Oh, Fran has a copy. Um, so I'm not going to say it out loud because as I said, I think that it is um indefensible. Um, I also think that it would be in direct violation of this board's respect for all policy and

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probably the code of conduct that we have on the wall outside the door. So, um, I think that we can definitely acknowledge that the document has flaws and yet still celebrate the principles

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of the document and the ideals that are set forth. Um, and I encourage you to read the the phrase at the end and see if you change your mind. >> Uh, could I could I just ask her to

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identify what sentence it is in? >> Oh my goodness. >> That's the end. >> Oh, thank you. It's it's a reference to the indigenous peoples of the land. And um I'm not going to read the very

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derogatory um racist words, but the phrase that follows is whose known rule of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes, and conditions. Um, so I feel like we can we can definitely include the grievances

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that the colonists um had against the tyrant king. Um, but we could just maybe cut it off um at that point. So just wanted to share that now and we'll see where it goes.

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Jim, >> it seems like there would be more um educational value in not um quietly cutting it out, but to plan for um something like the person

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continues to read um some volunteers come onto stage and speak over that um uh you know and and you know drown it out. Um So, it's it's it's it's it's noted that, oh, there's something in

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there that people are so upset about that they're willing to stand up on stage and speak over people and and and, you know, make it clear. Uh, I'd be happy to be uh, you know, play that role, for example. Um, um, but it it brings it it brings some

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attention to it without sort of, you know, pre-editing it in advance. David. So I I just will say that, you know, the the the paragraph that we're talking about is the fourth paragraph from the end and the the last um issue

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uh or problem with uh King George. Um you know, I I think there are a number of ways to identify this to read it and identify it as being either in the beginning or the end. and and we we could think about those and

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discuss those further, right? I I don't know if I have the optimal solution right here. Um but um you know, one of them is as Lissa propos proposes skip that paragraph or the part of the sentence. Um you know, we we could have as Jim says, have people talk over the

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speaker um or shut off the microphone during that paragraph. [snorts] um you know uh or um um you know I mean I think the educational value comes from speaking to it um um anyway you know I don't I don't know not claiming to have

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the best solution um perhaps we could come back to this I mean we do have um a couple of months several months >> thank you um >> thank I think the

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general public who might be listening to this conversation and scratching their heads and saying, "What the hell is going on with the select board?" Um, might get a weigh in over the next couple of months. I'll move on. I think their park and

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recreation director has an understanding as to what we have agreed to so far. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. and uh we will keep you updated as we move forward with planning. >> Thank you, >> John. Item eight, approve change to act

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and power choice contract. >> Okay, so this is pretty complex stuff, but fortunately we have an expert in the room, Paul Gromer, uh who Paul Paul's helped us through uh energy procurement for several years. um and he's going to

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break down what what we're working with here and I'm not even going to try. So I'm going to just take it from the top. Thank you. Um thanks very much John. So I'm here to give you an update on the act and power choice program and to discuss three issues and as John mentioned it's a

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little complicated. There was a background memo I think in your packet. So the three issues are one is a request for an increase in the price in the program. The second is an opportunity to modify in an the program in a way that would offset that increase and even

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could produce a decrease. And the third is an opportunity to enter into a new contract or an extension to the current uh contract that would enable you to lock in a longer term price below where your current price is. The particular reason to think about that third issue

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is your current contract ends at the end of the year anyway. So over the next several months, you'll need a new contract. And it's a volatile time now in the energy markets, as you know, and a lot of upward pressure on prices. Um, let me go through each of those issues

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quickly. The first, the request for an increase is a repeat of a discussion we actually had almost a year ago now. Your program, like all programs like this, has a provision in your contract where if there's a change in the rules or regulations after the contract is signed

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and that increases the cost for the program supplier to supply the program, they're entitled to increase the cost to cover that increase. This came up um almost a year ago. The town agreed to a change at that time that was based on an

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estimate of what the costs of this program would be. program has turned out to be even more expensive, much more even than was anticipated nine months ago. And the supplier has come back again and said, could we have another increase to reflect these costs that were higher than we had thought?

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The way the town dealt with that last time was you offset the increase by changing the percentage of extra renewable energy in the program. So offset a an increase by reducing the cost and we were able to keep the program price the same.

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You have an opportunity to do that again if you wish. Again, offset the increase by a change in the renewable energy content. If you change the [clears throat] voluntary renewable energy for 2026, you almost offset the increase dollar to

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dollar pretty close. You might want to also think about offsetting changing the renewable energy for 2025, which would actually produce a decrease. So why would you want to do that? The reason is that unfortunately the renewable energy

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world has changed quite significantly since the town decided to put renewable energy into your additional renewable energy into your program. The purpose of putting that additional renewable energy in is to create a market demand which will cause new renewable energy projects to be built.

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Unfortunately, the actions of the federal administration in blocking new renewable projects, cancelling permits, and other things has put the state in a situation where for the next 5 years or so, developers won't even be able to to construct enough new renewable energy to

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meet the state minimum, let alone something over and above that. And so in this world for a town to buy additional renewables can't have the effect of causing more to be built because developers can't even meet the minimum.

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There's an additional factor which is makes it even worse which is that the state has decided to take some money that was paid towards this requirement and instead of using it for renewable energy as had been said it's being used to fund rate

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decreases for customers. So the state has said we're going to prioritize reducing costs over renewable energy. So we're going to take this renewable energy and use it to dis to provide discounts. In that world when towns like act and pay extra for extra renewables

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indirectly it has the effect of increasing the pot of money that gets distributed across the state. So in this given this many towns are now rethinking their decision to add extra renewables. Um to ask like how could we go back and

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change 2025? How could we do that now? You you can do it because renewable energy supply or energy suppliers buy the extra renewables in the spring of the following year. So we're actually at the time now where the 2025 renewable energy would be purchased. And the

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reason you might want to do it is in addition to saving money here, it's actually quite similar to what the state did where they collected money for renewables through electric rates, did it in 23, 24, 25 and then decided later not to spend that on extra renewable

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energy, but instead to return it to rate payers. So what the town would be doing would be very similar to that. If you take that step of changing the renewable energy content for 2025 and 26, you would get enough for a savings off the current rate. And

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then what you could decide to do was reduce rates now, which would be the period from May to December and then knowing that they'll go back up again in December when a new contract would begin. Or instead, you could carry those savings and blend it into a new

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long-term contract, reduce the price of that, enter into a new contract in May for another year, two years, three years, whatever you decide at a price below your current price. That's a mouthful from me, so I'll stop there and

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see if there are uh questions. >> Questions, Jim. >> Um, thanks. that was um that between that and the memo I I believe I actually understood what you were saying which is probably I'm missing something but I it

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it did it did make sense um because we've we've always been um you know [clears throat] wanting to understand whether these w payments were would lead to additional renewable energy projects and it was you know it was a tricky

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question before but now it's not tricky it doesn't um and to have um Actton pay for um people across the state to have slightly lower electric bills. Um it's very generous, but it doesn't seem in

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line with the goals of what we're, you know, trying to do here. Um so I I think some variant on your suggestion makes a lot of sense. Um, one question I had was, um,

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uh, why is it that doing something now for a new contract or getting it done soon, why is that less expensive than than waiting? Doesn't that imply that we sort of have we understand what's happening

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with energy prices? And I thought we never did. I thought it was always, you know, pretty mysterious. Um, >> yes. No, that's that's a very good point and there there are two aspects to it. Um the main point, the second one is you're you're completely right. We can never

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know for sure what the future of energy prices will be. And that's particularly true now when prices are extremely volatile and they're up a good bit since the start of the war. Although mostly what's up are oil prices, which don't m affect electricity prices so much. It's

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natural gas prices that affect electricity prices. Those are up too, but not as much. We can't say or I certainly can't say where will prices be a week from now, a month from now, 6 months from now. One thing I can say with some confidence though is that if

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the current situation doesn't change when we start to get closer to the winter when there's more demand for natural gas, we're almost certainly well very likely to see a big bump in prices then. And that certainly it's that conditions are much like what we saw in the early days of the Ukraine war where

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there was a shortage of natural gas in Europe and that caused electricity prices here to double or more. So if you were the town were to lock in now prices are higher than they were a month ago. Who knows where they are will be a month from now. Can't really say but at

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least you're protecting against a risk that they really jump up in a few months which is one of the possible outcomes. The other part of your question was though and a really good one. Why can we save now? The the savings that are for sure is

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this carrying forward the savings from the change. So you could reduce prices for 6 months and then bring them back up. Or you could take those savings and kind of blend it into a new rate and get a lower price that way. And then you don't have to go down and then up. You

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could just go steady. David, >> thank you, Paul. I do understand this and um uh I think it's a good idea to um take the savings and blend it into um uh the the future rate either uh to 20 29

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or 2030. I did want to Oh, just it does say December there. So, you know, I guess if I was just choosing myself, I would choose to the end of 2029, but um I I say that for a a few reasons. One is

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um um actin power choice has up till now done pretty well in keeping our electricity prices lower than uh Eversource and um I think it it's important to continue that you know reput you know as our reput reputation

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and also because um in today's environment um um giving folks more any more incentive to convert um to electrification, you know, to conver convert to electricity as a heat source and things like that is

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a better use of um you know, better strategy than um trying to invest in wrecks which don't exist. So, um, you know, I would propose the the, you know, just in in my preference to the December

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2029 or December 2030, um, uh, uh, blended rate of 15 cents a a kilowatt hour. Other questions or comments? Um, the one I'd make is that, yeah, I think

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I'm glad this has all come forward and I'm glad that you've made it as clear and folks can read it. um if they check the select board's packets because amongst some portion of the population's a great deal of skepticism about

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renewable energy credits and the fact that you know we've sort of uncovered this situation and we're being very transparent about it I think everyone should find reassuring the other issue that I have is leaison

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under our council on aging um seniors are very concerned concerned about all costs and the next thing they worry about after property taxes is energy costs. U I've got a meeting with the COA board tomorrow morning and someone last

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week sent me a a comment about what can be done to make sure that we keep energy costs as low as possible for the senior population. So I think I'll second what's already been said. Um, I think blending and extending for the maximum

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period of time. Uh, you know, years ago when I was in charge of the energy contracts here for our town buildings, we tried to get as long a period of time as possible. um in that instance because it made things much more predictable for our

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municipal budget. But I think for the general public, their home budgets will be a lot more predictable if they know what the rate is going to be for as long a period of time as possible. So I'll kind of second what David has said.

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Other questions or comments? All right. I guess the question for you and John is would you like a motion or do you have and I I think I've got one person from the public would like to make a comment. [sighs]

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So Deborah, please come up. >> Thank you, Paul. Thank you. Um I have the wrong glasses on so I can't really see what I wrote. One sec. Okay. Um, may I ask Paul questions? >> Thank you.

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>> Try to keep it short though. >> Yeah, [laughter] you've met me. um how how would um this this unfolding scenario if we go in the direction that you are sort of laying out for us how

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would that interact with our green and our basic options within APC that's one thing um also when it comes to when we're starting to sorry when we're starting to think about a next contract I wonder I hope that you will speak at that point

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because you usually consult with everyone everyone um to just talk and this is hilarious coming from me because I've been such a champion of class ones but um to talk about what role nationals might national rex might play um and then the other thing I hope I'll

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talk about is what role an adder might play in a next contract but the the first and sort of burning question for me is does this collapse all of our things into one level or do we is there some way to preserve

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particular, you know, the basic and the 100%. Thanks. Yours was I fast. >> Yes. So, thank you. That's so that's a great question that the background is the program has three options now. You have a standard one and then you could buy extra renewables or you could buy

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zero renewables by choice. If you were to go ahead the way we've been talking tonight, the standard product and the basic would be the become equivalent. the price would be the same and the renewable energy content would be the same, but the town

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could continue to offer a 100% renewable product as you do now as an option for those folks who choose it. Um, that would be your choice. My s one thing you might want to consider is well people have chosen this voluntarily

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maybe not take it away from them. Tell them about it and let them decide whether they want to stay in it or not. That that would be your choice. There's no reason from my perspective or from the program's perspective why you couldn't continue to offer the 100% green product for people who want it.

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>> Okay. Thank you. David, do you have any idea how more expensive that would be um if we kept 100% green or would be you know maybe it would be worth choosing something in the middle? >> Yes. So well you certainly could choose something in the middle. it would be

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about the same increment over basic that it is now. So it's about an extra 2 1/.5 cents over basic. So if you were to go with a price say of 15 cents that would make the 100% green about 17 1.5 cents if it remained 100. You could certainly

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choose a a middle option and offer three but it would be two options of opt. That would be that would be a choice. >> Yeah. I Oh, sorry. I I I think it would be good to keep the 100% green for those who might want it and also to just to

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retain the people who signed up for it, right? Um because we can if we are able to offer a better deal on it in the future, we would have to recruit those hundreds of people that are in the uh the green product. Now, of course, we can let people know what the new prices

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are and if they choose to go to the standard that that's fine. Um the basic um we may be able to get in the next months a um a community solar add-on to um the um our aggregation plan which

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would become kind of the new basic. So um I don't mind cl collapsing the basic out um for now. Um >> Alissa, >> can someone remind me um which is the default? Is it the basic or the standard?

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>> The standard. >> Okay, thanks. >> Okay, Jim. >> Yeah, I'm torn on the on what to do with the 100% option. I I do think we we want to keep it. Um, but I think we do have a

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duty to communicate what it means now, which is you're voluntarily paying more money into into into a fund that ends up lowering everybody else's electric bills. And that may be

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what people want to do. Maybe they just want to stay there until it changes because at some point it's going to change. Um but you know I I I don't want to be um you know fooling people. I I I want to

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communicate clearly that I and I know that other towns have done this. Other towns have said um you know yeah this this program's here but you know you you might not want it and here's why. If you did this for environmental reasons then here's the new here's the newest

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environmental explanation of what happens with that money. And I and I think that's probably better than doing something like switching to um you know uh what I what I think of as greenwashing sort of you know fake Midwestern wind wrecks that you know

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don't really play any role in in in in helping to buy power and don't even help lower people's electric bills. David, um I I was just wondering if the you said two and a half cents premium for 100%. Is that linear or is there a sweet

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spot somewhere in there? So, for example, if we just wanted to keep people on our roles, not impact them enough. I completely Jim agree with Jim. Whatever we decide, we want to be clear to everybody what we're doing. But if 60% is a sweet spot now, maybe a much smaller increment, um maybe we could do

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something like that just to keep those people around. >> Um it it is linear. So what this it's the same price for each additional percentage. So you could choose whatever percent you want, but there's no bulk discounter for for buying a higher percentage.

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>> All right. Um I think we've got one caller online. We'd like to hear a comment. Calling user one, you just have to unmute. >> Calling user one. It looks like you're unmuted.

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>> Hello. Hello. Can you hear me? It's from up here. I have a question regarding what I just heard and I want to make sure I understand. >> Are you saying that Oh, sorry. Can you hear me? >> Yes. >> Okay. Uh it's Tara from a pure mass. I want to understand what I just heard and

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I think what I heard is because of various factors that if you have 100% what you think is have always thought of as green energy credits or whatever else however else it's it's done. um that if

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you ch do what you're saying that the that the person with the 100% no longer is actually uh contributing to uh sustainable energy. All of their money is going to

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lower rates. All the extra couple percent are going to lowering rates across the state. Um is that what we're saying? So it's no longer a environmental play and it's a like energy cost justice play as some people

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will just use it to enrich their already privileged resources and but then it could actually help a lot of people who could use a 2% um I guess spread over the state but anyway I just want to understand whether this is at all what you're proposing

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doing um makes the program uh not an environmental play at all. That's what I guess I'm asking. Thank you. I'll take my answer offline, >> Paul. Um,

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yes. And so this um I was speaking for a little bit um uh simplifying things a little bit. So to to to expand out the explanation for a customer who chooses to buy additional renewable energy, additional Rex through

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the program, that person does get the Rex. So if you sign up through the program for 100% Rex, you get 100%. No question about that. When we talk about the money going into a fund that goes to others in the state, we're talking a bit about an indirect effect.

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So, we're talking about what happens when you when you are buying those 100% wrecks. We used to be able to say, well, that's creating a demand and more projects will get built. But in today's world where there isn't enough renewable energy even to meet the minimum,

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electricity suppliers make up that shortfall by making a payment to the state. And that payment to the state is now what's being distributed to other rateayers. So when you just decide to buy extra as an individual, you're getting that extra, but the effect of it

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is to take money out of the pool of Rex that's available to meet the minimum. And so it means indirectly you're causing more of these payments. So it's a a little yes and a little no is the answer to the question. >> Thank you.

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Other questions? Deborah? Yeah, just I have one quick clarification. So when we were talking about you know looking at 60% or collapsing at you know levels that would all be in the next contract period that doesn't affect the current contract. Correct. We can't change the design

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mid-stream can we? >> Or can we? >> It would get very complicated if you did. >> So better not to I think it's better not to. Okay. Thanks >> David. So, just to be clear for Deborah,

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we we are talking about the next contract as well. >> Yes, I understand. >> Okay. Okay. Um, John, I I think it would be helpful for me to try to explain what I [clears throat] learned tonight because I think maybe folks listening at home

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started where I started with this one. Um I think we're asking the board to do two things. The first is to agree to um back off on the um default

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act and power choice plan which was buying I think it was an extra 20 to 30% of Rex what whatever that was. We did that for for envir environmental reasons and because it's now no longer an environmental uh issue, we're recommending that you

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back back down from that and reduce the rates for the act and empower choice people, which is everyone in town. That's the first thing we're asking. And then the second thing we're asking is to going forward change um the next contract so that

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there are just two choices, the standard or the 100% green, right? And then that the standard will have the minimum purchase of Rex because it's not clear

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that buying any more than that has any environmental benefits. How'd I do? >> Um, you did great. And I think I would just add one thing which is in addition to everything John said, I think a question for you is do you want to do

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the blend and extend? So start the new contract starting in May and so have a effectively a lower price going forward or do you want to do it in two steps which would mean a drop from May to December and then a bounce back up with

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a new contract in December. Okay, David. So, that's why we It's not necessarily two things. It could be one thing. Um, and I'm in favor of the blending because if we do it in two steps, people see their electric bills

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artificially drop and then at the end of the year, they're going to go higher than they would have gone um had we not do the blended, right? So, um, and that, um, that down and up. I'm sure everybody would be happy about the down, but everybody will be unhappy about the up.

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And then the up would last for several years, right? And if we delay the decision on the up because of the current Middle East hostilities and other things, we don't have any idea where we would do. So, if we don't do it tonight, we don't do it in starting

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soon, then um, uh, uh, it could be higher than that. So, for that reason, for more even bills for everybody, it's it's already slightly lower for people on standard. Um, uh, and so we're going to see a very slight drop and a very

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steady, um, uh, a steady rate, um, rather than a big drop and then an increase. >> Okay, other questions? Jim, >> um just to remind us, um the actual

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details of the contract, uh don't come back to the board because there is a very tight window between putting things out to bid and needing to sign the contract. So, we we end up um putting this in the hands of the town manager

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and Paul. Uh and I'm comfortable with that. Um but I think and I so I think we can but I still think we can give the kind of general direction that um that's been outlined here the the blend blend and extend. So just nice rhyming words.

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It must be a good thing. Um I I I I recommend that. Okay. Um we've heard from at least two in favor of the blended extend actually three. Uh, but we should put that in a uh motion if anyone care to make one.

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David, >> I'd be happy to put it in a motion. Just before I do that, feedback from the board as to whether we should go through the end of 2029 or the end of 2030. >> My own feeling is the longer the better. Jim, >> yeah, and I uh my other feeling though

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is that um that might depend on the details of the pricing when it goes out to bid. So, I I'm happy to be vague on that and let the town manager and Paul figure out what's the best move, but I agree. I mean, if it's close, it's

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better to go longer. Alicia, >> I'm looking at the table that was in an email that I thought was going to be turned into a slide. Um, and I haven't seen a slide, so I think we should have that information put in the meeting

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packet for the public. But I don't see a difference in the rates between 2029 and 2030. So I agree with Dean that we should um go as long as possible. And I'm in agreement with the blend and extend option.

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>> David, we're ready for your motion. >> Yes. Um, I move to authorize the town manager to negotiate um a two-tier blend and extend option with just the standard and green options um through December

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30th. Sorry, December 2030. >> Second. >> Moved and seconded. Any other comment? Okay. All in favor, please say I. I opposed.

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Okay, we are ready to go. Thank you. Um John, I think we've got another energy related. >> Yes. Thank you. Thank you. So the board just uh authorized us to do something that essentially takes a side step on some of the environmental goals that the

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or that we have as an organization but will result will will result in a lower rate for rateayers. Right? So that's a positive uh that's the that's a good part of that. I think uh the next item is just to

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in confirm that you support us doing the same thing with municipal electricity contracts. We had a an individual um contract separate from Act and Empower Choice with similar purchase of Rex um at 100% local and so we'd like to do

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back off in the same fashion uh for the for the town ones and just wanted to make sure the board supports doing that um as well. And is there anything else on that? >> Um not for me. I was involved in that specifically. I could speak to the general issues, but

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>> yeah, it's the same premise. >> The sustainability directory is online, by the way. Um uh may I >> Yes, I can address questions. Yeah. >> So, so the um um it's not really uh also abandoning our

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climate goals, right? Because right now because the these wrecks used to go into a fund that clean power developers wanted so they would build clean power so they could get money out of the fund. Now that the state's giving away that fund to um uh

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uh lower prices that's that's not there besides that there's not enough um uh clean energy. But the lower electric rates in in lie of that lower electric rates do help electrification.

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Um and so um it does help clean energy goals. Um it helps them for the town in this the next um item on the agenda and it helps them for the people in the town for the last item on the on the agenda. Um anyway, I'm also in favor of the

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town's contract which uh uh lowers the uh the new contract would lower electric rates for the town about 3 cents a kilowatt hour. A little under 3 cents a kilowatt hour. Okay. Other comments?

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All right. Um ready for a motion? I I move that we um uh uh that the board agree to the um proposed uh municipal electrical contract as outlined in the packet which reduces the town's cost of

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electricity. >> Second. >> Moved and seconded. Any comments? All in favor say I. >> I. >> Opposed extensions. Okay, we've got that one handled.

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Thank you. Um, >> do you want to go back and vote? >> Yes, let's go back to the uh was noted by my vice chair that we did not call for a vote on that we're going to have

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the Independence Day event on July 2nd. So, all in favor just so we'll have a formal vote of uh of having the event on July 2nd, please say I. I >> I >> opposed

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abstensions. Okay, just for the record that's now been recorded. Uh acting leadership group update. John, >> thank you. So the acting leadership group met last week [clears throat] and um as a group it decided to make a

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minor adjustment to revenues to uh which would resulted in a net uh deficit of zero for FI27. So the ALG process, the goal of the ALG process every year is to solve the budget year deficit and and balance the budget. So uh we completed

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that task. I think uh similar to last year, I think the only remaining item uh for the ALG to discuss at its next meeting is whether there's consensus on the rest of the forecasts in the plan. uh we we took a lot of time and effort

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to fine-tune and actually add detail to how we're forecasting in future years for expenses. Uh we we we're still pretty conservative with revenue estimates, but we tried to be more precise with uh forecasting for expenses and I think it adds a lot of value to

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the plan. It was a good suggestion by the finance committee and I think it it it works and as we learn things about some of those line items, we can make adjustments to forecast accordingly instead of just dealing it in bulk, which is how we've always done it. So, I

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think it's a good improvement and um I think we posted an agenda for March 26, but the actual date of the next meeting is April 2nd. So, we're going to have to fix that. That was my bad. I think I wanted it to be March 26 and I tried to will that to happen. Uh, and so

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we need to fix that. But, um, in any event, as I said, the the plan was published. It's published now in the packet and, um, it's in it's in pretty good shape as far as ALG plans go. >> Thank you. Any questions?

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Alyssa? >> Um, John, I just have a question about a discrepancy that I saw in the warrant versus the spreadsheet. Um, so in the draft warrant that's in the packet right now, article 4 spending is at

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42,322,565, but when I checked the spreadsheet for the March 26th, which is actually April 2nd meeting, it says total municipal spending. Sorry, strike that the total municipal

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spending in the spreadsheet um is different than the total in the warrant. So there's 43,851,840 in the warrant and then 43,91,840 in the spreadsheet. So I guess

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just check on that. I don't I don't think that they should be different. But we can address that at the ALG meeting, I guess. >> Yeah. I um I don't have that in front of me. Well, I have it partially in front of me, but not fully in front of me to

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know exactly what you're referring to, but I think we will certainly double check to make sure the numbers are right in the in the warrant. >> Okay. And and I think that um in the in the warrant there's there's an updated

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spending proposal. Um, so it says FY27, but then in the table it says the percent change from FY25 instead of FY26. So that's another thing to look at. >> Okay. Yeah, I think >> I'm sure you'll fix it. I got very

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confused. >> If you could just we could maybe look at this offline if it's just a typo, we can we can address it. >> Okay. Any other points on that? Questions? No. Um,

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in that case, I think I'm ready for one more motion. >> Move to adjourn. >> Second. >> Moved and second to adjurnn. All in favor say I. >> I. >> Opposed? Abstensions. Okay, we're done.

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Thank you.