soon. All good. >> All right. >> All right. Okay. Good morning, everybody. We'll call the meeting to order at 8:33 for February 18th board select board meeting. Um lengthy agenda, but should go pretty quickly. We have the approve
with public comment out there. Approval of meeting minutes for February 4th, followed then by an appointment to the master plan implementation committee. the release of the overlay surplus funds for FY27 budget. We will open the
warrant for the annual town meeting on May 11th, 2026. And then a approval of the open space and recreation plan update, appointment of labor council, an appointment of the evaluation committee for the town center
trail loop project proposals, and then a signing of the conservation restriction for 389 Thornike Street and 60 Main Street, which is the McLean property. And that's all we got. All right. So, we'll open up open public comment.
Charlie, you have anything to say? No. >> Okay. >> All right. We'll move on to the next um entertain a motion for the February 4th meeting minutes. >> The move to approve the meeting minutes from the February 4th, 2026 select board meeting as presented.
>> Second. >> In favor? >> I Good. Um, next up we have um Mr. Robert Laga who had originally wanted to get on the capital
um plan committee um offered up his volunteerism to the master plan implementation committee. So >> excellent. >> We've already met him. We know his resume etc. >> Yeah. >> Laga. >> Laga. >> That's an interesting name. It's
definitely not Polish. I move to appoint Robert Laga. Second >> has the member at lodge of the master plan invitation committee for a term to expire on June 30th 2026. >> You want to second that again. All
right. All those in favor? >> I thank you Robert. >> Okay. You keeping up here, Jason? >> I am. >> Yeah. Okay. Um release of >> Yeah, we are. getting >> release of the overlay surplus funds for
FY27 budget and just give a quick description of what that's all about. >> Yeah. So, uh, this fiscal year, you might remember, we we requested the board of assess do the same thing. So, we used $25,000 of, um, overlay surplus to help balance
this year FY26 budget. Um, I spoke with um the assessor, uh, Vicki, and I asked her if she thought the board of assessors might be open to that. Um, you have an email from her. She said she thought it's worth a discussion with
them in a request. So, as we try to balance the budget, um, at the moment, uh, we still have like a 40,000, a little over, it's like $43,000 deficit. um that $43,000 at the moment does include a $25,000
appropriation um or transfer of funds from um Olay. So, >> is there any pros or cons to this? >> Um I mean, it's really up to the board of assessors to determine whether or not their overlay balance is sufficient to cover the um the abatement requests that
we're receiving. um Vickiy's um initial input which she thought it was but again it's obviously the board's decision and um and so it's it I think the balance is sufficient to cover the abatement
requests we're getting but again it's um sports decision. is do you know if she's been seeing an increase in the number of abatement requests recently in light of >> the feedback has not been that you know it's been pretty consistent. >> Okay.
>> Yeah. >> Okay. That's >> wrong. >> I think it's just an all hands on deck situation and >> you know that's we're still looking at a deficit so I think we we need these pennies that add up to a quarter if you will.
>> Yeah. I mean, ideally, you we wouldn't be doing this. I mean, if if it was an ideal situation, we wouldn't be doing this, but >> yeah, >> we're like you said, we're looking at everything to try to balance this budget next year for next year. So, >> and it's really taking the onus off the
taxpayers. They stepped up last year >> and I think this year, you know, we we're being really resourceful and diligent to help not go back to them for an override. >> Yep. >> Yep. I move to request the board of assessors to release $25,000 from the
fiscal year 2026 overlay account to support the fiscal year 2027 operating budget. >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I Okay, opening of the warrant. >> Not much discussion on that.
>> No, it's time. >> Yeah. I move to open the warrant for the 2026 annual town meeting to be held on Monday, May 11th, 2026 and to close the warrant on Monday, March 30th, 2026 at 4
p.m. >> Second. >> In favor, >> I >> I >> the open space and recreation plan update. Um, we seem to be in the final draft stage of this document. Um
I don't know if you have the opportunity to read through it. Um but >> I did yesterday. Okay. So there were a couple little minor tweaks inconsequential. They had nothing to do with the substance of it. It basically is, you know, adding the proper
department that a person is on and adding a water resource protection statement here or there. >> Um >> great plan. >> It's good plan. It's been spent a long time. >> Yeah. in the works finally getting it done. It It's a new um process and it's
a new um sort of design to it. The state put out a a work book on how it's supposed to be done which really streamlined things a lot and uh have to say I'm I'm happy with it. It's taken a while but I'm happy with it.
>> You've put an enormous amount of work into it. So >> I feel like I still am. It's not over. >> Are we going to pull maybe some of the maps and re the tools they put in there, you know, to give to conservation to say here's an updated land inventory of
>> Oh, I we this is I do this constantly. >> Okay. All right. Cool. >> It is a a living working document for the conservation commission for sure. is just like seeing this it just really it tells a great story about Dunstable and our >> you know how we value the natural preserve of the areas and the mistas and
all the you know sort of treasured land here in Texas. >> Yeah. And you can notice I will point out that a lot of the areas are um greenways around water resources. >> Yeah. >> Which are really important and um as we
know that. So >> great. I move to approve and endorse the updated 2026 to 2036 open space and recreation plan. >> Second. >> All those in favor?
>> I >> I >> I. >> Great. Thank you very much. Okay. Next up, so we have appointment of our labor council. So the person that we have been using has um moved from the
company he was working with to a new company and um >> yeah so the discussion is whether or not to continue with him in his new company or to use the new person at the company that we're still using for our other
legal matters. I think the the sort of overwhelming thought is to stick with Mr. Terry for in joining in his move for that aspect of our town legal council.
>> I I just want to add to that. I prior to today I didn't know that he was going to Stoneman, Chandler, and Miller. Stoneman, Chandler, and Miller. This is their salad. This is what they do. They're out. They just they're labor council and they're really good at it and one of the partners I know extremely
well and I that's that as far as I'm concerned that's a huge plus for us >> that yeah it is. >> Do we get to carry or does attorney Mark here get to bring with him all the documents he drafted for our contracts?
Okay. >> Make sure that there's continuity in terms of if he wins Powerball. >> He's been with us. He's been with us a long time. >> Yeah, he's been >> and he's been through several orals with us >> and you know, he's just been a great guy
to work with. He's articulate. He follows up on things. You know, his strategies have always been really good for us and I totally support sticking with this guy. And yeah, Stoneman,
Chandelor, Miller was like two. All right. >> Any cost concerns from that side of things? No. No. No doubt. >> So, no. >> Okay. >> Is Rachel stay the same for us? That's great. >> I move to appoint Mark Terry of Stoneman, Chandler, and Miller as the
town of Dustable's Labor Council and to authorize the town administrator to sign the letter of engagement. >> Second. >> Those in favor? Hi. >> All right. >> Okay. Next up, appointment of evaluation committee for the town center trail loop
project proposals. >> So, we had a um we issued an RFP for design services for the trail loop to advance more of the feasibility work in concept design. And um and so we we received uh 10
proposals. We got a lot we got a lot of interest in the project which is which is exciting. >> Yeah. >> So um in the RFP we issued, we have both non-pric and price proposals we've received. So we have to now review the non-pric proposals and rank them based
on the criteria in the RFP. So in the RFP we said you know it might just be the town administrator ranking them. It might be a committee, it might be just town western. Um so I figured putting a very small efficient group together to
just quickly um go through these >> would be um a good idea. And I think it will be just um us doing them individually compounding that and then signing up to a select road. That's at least how I'm envisioning it. Envisioning it.
>> Um so this is um you know suggested group me someone from Nco and the chair to um to evaluate the proposals. >> Cool. >> And so after we evaluate that this um ad
hoc group is going to put a recommendation out, right? >> Correct. >> Is that the plan? The plan is to vet them out and come out and say, "Look, we think this is the best path and here's why." That's the point with the group. >> Yeah. Yeah. I get it.
>> I move to appoint Jason Silvaton, administrator Kelly Lima. Lynn, >> Lana, deputy executive director of NEMCOG and Leah Basmain select board chair as the evaluation committee for
the town center trail loop proposal. >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I >> I >> I good. Okay. Last but not least, the conservation restriction for 389
Thornikeke Street and 60 Main Street, which the reclon property. This has been a a uh project that's been going on for a long time. So, finally glad to get this done. And >> I thought it was done a long time ago.
>> No. Well, it had its, you know, its issues going back and forth. >> Oh, better. But everything seems to be sorted out and it's had its legal reviews and and by view by the conservation commission and the land trust and blah blah blah. So here we are.
>> Beautiful. >> Ready to roll. I move to approve the conservation restriction from the Dunstable Rural Land Trust to the Dunstable Conservation Commission for property located at 389 Thorndikeke Street and 60 Main Street, known locally
as the McCloon property recorded at the Middle Sex North District Registry of Deeds at book 33494, page 91 in perpetuity, Allen's favorite word, and exclusively for conservation
purposes. >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I >> I >> Great. Thank you very much. That's good. And that's all we got. Unless >> Anybody else have anything discussed? >> Sure was.
>> Like a long 15 minutes. Yeah. Yeah. What what I would give >> what I would give >> I can imagine >> where from your other place. >> Yeah.