numbers 1 through six. 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> 7 8 7 8 >> 78 >> Oops. No, no, don't. I got to figure this out. Give me a second. Check my mic. >> Okay. Does that go there?
>> Good. I'm not hearing myself. Okay. or two pages there or no >> I think just on your screen I don't see any errors >> I think >> that's fine oh no I fixed it okay mine
with the setting all right we go available Did you get a throw? >> There you go. >> Okay. Um, we're going to call the Shootsberry Select Board meeting to
order for July 7th, 2026. Um, so the first thing I wanted to announce is those coming in for speaking of ELAC, we have a list for anyone who wants to
make a comment. It's just to make it efficient for us here in the room and with on Zoom to be able to coordinate the two together. So, if you'd like to make a comment related to the ELWAC restructuring, please put your name on the list and sign up if you're in the room. It helps our administrative
assistant with his minutes and our record keeping that we're required to do. >> Okay. >> Um, yes. is the side of public comment for select boards two or >> no just this is just the the LWAC topic later on. >> Thank you.
>> Yes. Um okay so let's review the agenda. Um we have um public comment for general business first. Um then general business we have to approve our minutes for July 1st,
2026. And then about 5:05 p.m. we have the National Grid poll hearing. Um was going to be for Pelum Hill Road and Pratt Corner Road, but Stephen and I just had a little sidebar and uh Pratt
Corner Road taking off. That's been um redone in a different way. So we're only going to have the poll hearing for Pelum Hill Road. Um then the appointment of town clerk position. our discussion on that. Uh vote to lift the emergency
um and to restore public access to Lake Lyola Dam review uh and sign a dry hydrant license agreement that outlines usage of Makavoy Pond by the high by Shootsbury uh specifically for water for our
firefighting team. um review and sign the Kestrel Land Trust conservation restrictions, one for Monagu Road and one for the former Kohl's property um on Poverty Mount. Uh discuss plans for a
five minute speech for MW board. Eric, what does that stand for? >> Massachusetts Water Resources Authority >> um on July 10th. and then public comment um Lake Wyola advisory committee as well
as a joint meeting and discussion with the current ad hoc um ALAC committee. Um so that's our agenda. So, why don't we open up for public comment? If you'd like not if you'd like to make a public comment related to general businesses,
not the LWCA portion of the meeting, please use the raised hand feature on the screen. And anyone who would like to public comment, use your raised hand feature here in the room. Okay. Um, I saw Michael Dare first and then Tracy. Okay. Go ahead, Michael.
Remember, not for Elwack. This is just general business. I know. I um it's about it's about the poll hearing. So, do you want me to wait or is it okay to do it now? >> Do you mind? Well, um is it about We just changed up the poll hearing. It's
only for Pel Hill. Okay. Um yeah, go ahead. >> Okay. Well, it I will say just generally speaking, you know, I I get that you just shifted from Pratt Corner, but what I would recommend is given how poorly
the Pratt Corner implementation went, and I got to call out Devon did a great job of trying to help facilitate communication, but from what I understand, the communication from the contractor that's working for National Grid has been terrible. Um, and it's
resulted in like last Monday, no one got their mail because the post truck couldn't get through and they had two trucks. So depending on where they were, you had two blockades. And so it won't be the same issue on Pelum Hill because there's two lanes. But I think what the select board might want to think about
is getting written commitments um from National Grid in terms of how they implement with their vendor because it's not just about doing the poles or removing trees. It's about the actual, you know, doing the work. And like on Pratt Corner's example, it's going to
take place for a month. And when they block the road, it's like for me, if I pull out of my driveway, I don't know if I go left or right to get to an open way to get off a Pratt corner. Like there's no information about where it's getting implemented. And so, you know, I've talked to Deon and I've talked to Haley
and all that's fine, but I guess my suggestion would be as you're considering poll hearings with National Grid pushing them and their contractors have to be communicating with the So, that's my
comment if that's helpful. >> It is. Thank you. >> Thank you, Michael. Uh Tracy, I saw your hand. Non Elwack related. >> Um so I wanted to ask in order to support our police department in um
policing fireworks uh namely lake. Um, I'd like to have it I'm asking that if you put on a future agenda in the near future uh to discuss um few ideas than possible like a committee formed to come
up with alternates to traditional fireworks like a drone show or a laser show. Um, but something's got to be done because since it's completely out of game in a residential neighborhood and with more than 50% of the white
community now being year round, it's it's really >> Thank you. Uh, any other public comments before we reach our regular agenda? Okay. All right. Let's move on to the
minutes for July 1st, 2026. Have a few more a motion. >> You hear a motion approve the minutes for July 20 July 1st. >> The 26th >> July 1st. Um
I move approve the minutes as written a second. >> All right. Um did either of you have any corrections or edits to punctuation? >> Good. All right. All those in favor, >> Dr. I Walton.
Thank you. >> Um and then next is our poll hearing for National Grid just on Helen Hill Road. Do you want to go up here for us? Thank you. >> You introduce yourself. I believe I >> uh Steve Susi National Grid
if you want me to read or >> so I'll give a little bit of information while you're getting organized here. So, a poll hearing when the National Grant has to add a poll or um change installations or such, they come to the the select board um and they talk about
it, let us know what's going on, some background information, why they need it. And so, that's the process we're going through now. >> Yeah. So, um >> and >> yeah, so if I were reading verbatim,
>> Yeah. Um basically, uh we're National Grid is petitioning to install new pole 9-75 in between just about exactly uh between the existing poles 9 and 9-50
um splitting up the long span and we will put some more uh radio equipment on that which will be used to read uh the new automated AMR meters that are coming out and being installed. if not now within the next couple of years. Um so
this is a necessary step. We need to read the you know meters through radio waves and get more updated information because once the everything is complete um then you'll have more you know there'll be computerized meters
and then you can download your usage on a hourly basis, daily basis. There'll be a lot more um information available to customers and a lot more information to us during outages where we can go wow these people out automatically. We know
instead of waiting for someone to call. >> Okay. Um and it was just the one poll you were. >> Yeah, just one poll in between that which would be near 102 um pel or just south of that. Y
>> um does the board have any questions? Go ahead, Mary. I'm gonna select word first, Maru, and then I'll get to you. Yeah. If you have any questions, >> just I'm just trying to figure out where that is. Is it you and we sometimes we've approved some found out later it's sort of in somebody's front yard and
they're not happy with it or that type of thing. >> Yeah, this is south uh probably um because it's like 150 ft. Pole 9 is kind of like that the driveway of 102 Leverit Road. So 150 ft south of that. So
there's no it's just woods, >> right? Okay, good. >> Okay, good. >> You mentioned this equipment for reading reading meters. >> Yeah, this one poll. This is part of a project across the town.
>> There'll be um I'm sure we're installing these all around town. We needed a new pole set for this. I'm sure they'll be putting on existing poles >> for the existing polls for all the other for the all the other ones. >> Yeah. And and we shall see. I'm sure
there will be others as they go through that project and if there's something they need, they'll be partitioning town saying, "Hey, we need a new poll to set in this spot." Just like kind of regular cell phone coverage. They're trying to these will be on our poll. So there we
have a lot more polls, but they'll be uh all around different neighborhoods and strategic spots in order to read all the meters. >> And you think the timing mentioned the timing is roughly a couple years that
>> will be to get all the meters in every home in Massachusetts. >> That's for this town. >> Uh I'm not sure what the schedule is, but this would be in prepping for that. Okay. >> And I know they're they're starting in
different towns in Worcester. They they started it then and they'll slowly go to other other districts. >> Okay. Thanks. >> Um Haley, did you have any questions? >> Um there's no need to close a road or
interrupt trash or mail pickup service. >> Oh no. On Pelwood wide in this particular spot, the pole is going to be 10 feet off the road. Um, so the road won't be completely shut down. Uh, >> days it takes to do that.
>> This will be one poll being set. Uh, I don't know how long the if they're going to accept the poll transfer wise then leave and then someone else comes over and puts all the um radio equipment on
the meter uh on the pole. I mean, but that should be because it's only one poll. I'm assuming total like a day. Okay. And that may not be all at once, but the this here is like 12 feet off the road, 11 12 feet. Um, it's being set in line
with the other the other poll. So, there's enough room where if we do need uh, you know, a a police, it would be just be one police officer and the road won't be completely broad.
>> Okay. So, it's a short detail. question was has this been coordinated with our broadband committee? Do you know? Do you know that's >> No, I have no idea. >> Yeah, >> but it would be uh this whole project here of getting all the meters. Um I'm
sure this is all throughout the state, right? So it's not just us, it's every utility. I'm sure we have our own separate broadband. This in other words assuming you're going to add this we're going have to add take our broadband
wires off of put them on the new pole and all that stuff. >> Uh we we would go through the normal pole transfer process. It will be in line. >> Okay. So um it it wouldn't be that um it would follow the process and then um we
would have you know Verizon install their wise and notify them and then you know cable for us then Verizon. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> Let's have Brennan make sure he I'll have Brennan send that to the TL >> um just so she knows it's it's coming
along the >> but but this is a midspan pole so the the wires are already there. >> Right. Right. You're just you're just attaching them so they don't like slam up against it during the storm and ruin the covering. Okay. So, it's it's no one has to really install new wires. It's
just fasten to new pole. >> Okay. That's a simple enough. >> Okay. Um is it okay to I'll open it to the public now. Mary Luke conquer
stand up and speak louder. >> Okay. So um and gentlemen please elaborate on the meters. What kind of meters are they like a smart meter and
what is the meters relationship to 5G or 6G or 7G both? I'm not Yeah. Um I'm not exactly what sure what frequency we have and what but
this is all through the state that um you know we'll be able to read all the meters remotely. Um right now we have someone we've always had it for the past over two decades there would be like radio frequencies and we had to pick
them up off the truck. Now with all these meters and the you know the radio wave equipment or cell phone equipment that we'll put in we'll be just be at an instant be able to read uh get a reading from the meter but that's all the way through the state. I don't know which
which band or frequency we specifically are at but I'm sure this is done with the state that we have one frequency range and that's for that equipment. Where are the exe
talking about that? >> So my >> there'll be meters in the same existing meter socket. Um, >> so we're we're and I don't know where the program is in this town, but it was
say a three or four year plan to make sure every meter in national grid is now upgraded to the smart meters unless there is uh a provision that people wanted to opt out. I they could have >> that are on our house, Mary Lou. Those
are the meters on our houses. >> Yeah, it's in the 5G, 6G, 7G. Who knows that? >> Uh I I don't know what the specifics about what frequency.
>> Thank you. >> Um is there any other questions for Steve? Um so we have we have to vote um to accept the poll or permit the poll to be put in. So I hear a motion for the
poll that Steve outlined the locations through that lines. >> So moved. >> Okay. >> A second. >> All right. Um any further questions or discussion? >> All those in favor? >> Dr. I will tonight.
>> Thank you. I thank you very much. >> Do you have anything we need to find this point? Uh >> no. That will be done later. Yeah. Thank you. Uh moving on to the next topic which is the appointment of the
council position. So um part of the reason for our May 1st meeting was to go interview two wonderful candidates for um for our town clerk position. Calvin Ellison and >> Harry
>> William and Heron um both of which have Shbury. So um the next step for them was to supply the um references to you. Yes. And you doing the reference checks. Um were you able to complete that?
>> I was able to complete the reference checks. Um Calvin had emailed me his three and I phoned them and then Damon had sent in some letters um which all of which should get forwarded to you. So, what you have in your packet is a an offer letter with the name that's blank.
Just spells out what the position is, the hours, the pay, um some of the key responsibilities, a little bit about our benefits package, and of course statement that the offer letter is not a contract, um, and that it's contingent upon successful background check. All
the board has to do is just decide on who you'd like to appoint and I'll update the letter and get it sent out to you. Okay. Um, how would we like to discuss the candidates? Do we want to do them one by one or do we How would you two like to do that?
>> I think Excuse me. I think we can just nominate one of them to do it. >> Okay. All right. Um, do I hear a nomination, Eric, then? >> You do. >> What's Mr. Ellison's first name? I'm sorry. Calvin. >> Calvin. Yes. Calvin. I would I would nominate Calvin.
>> Do I hear a second? Yes. >> Okay. Do we have any further questions or discussions? >> I just thought it was really good. I thought um Damon was good, too. I thought, you know, we were lucky and embarrassment of bridges as we usually have these things.
>> Um but my sense is that um Calvin was just a better candidate. >> Do you have any >> Yeah, I'd say the same. I said the interview the letters uh the background resume uh fits an excellent fit. It's a
really good fit for what he's trying to do and what we need. >> And I I too I that both candidates either one of them could have certainly done the position there. Thank you Haley and and Chief Pellet here for interviewing the first round of candidates. That was fantastic and
giving us two really good and hard picks to do. Yeah, I'd also say Damon uh >> has a lot of energy about wanting to be involved with the town and supporting town and we've got appointments coming all types of select committees and
whatnot. I think you'd be great couple of >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Um so with that um I assume also enjoyed Calvin's, um enthusiasm for records management and
>> Yes. good, >> which which can be tedious. It was definitely a task in records management. So, um so with that, all in favor of appointing Calvin Ellison, our town clerk, >> stock well tonight,
>> make peace in your life. So, you'll finish the letter and >> I'll get that sentence out. >> Perfect. And you'll let us know anything else we need to know. >> Perfect. Thank you. Um, okay. So, now, um, is our potential vote to
lift the state of emergency and restore public access to the dam. Um, Haley, why don't you fill us in and then I'll take the last. >> So, way back last Thanksgiving, um, when Walter Tippets had noticed the sink walls around the dam, we had declared a
state of emergency, which did a couple of things. It allowed the town to deficit spend and it also allowed us to move forward um more quickly with the repair project. So, as readers of the Friday 5 will know, it's been an ongoing process, but we finally have um reached
the full level the summer pool at Lake Wyola and we have confirmed with our engineering team and the state that the repair work, the emergency repairs were successful. Um and so they have basically said that we can um you know because of that that those have taken effect we can lift the state of
emergency. Um and then just as a disclaimer um you know there was always going to be the second step after the emergency portion which is that we anticipate the state office of dam safety will ask us to do a more in-depth assessment on the structural integrity
of the dam. Um but at least for the time being we've we've cleared the hurdles that we need to and we can lift the state of emergency. >> Thank you. Thank you for all that and all that work um Walter for finding the issue and everyone who contributed to
who gets to getting that repair done >> swiftly and the lake up to summer level by summer. >> Yes, >> you're right. >> We weren't sure where it was going to go. Um, so the the one piece that I'm I'm um
that I think we're going to hold off on is restoring public access to the Lake Wyola Dam because for some reason in my memory I remember we talked about it and I thought we had closed it off to Eric, remind me if I may be remembering this incorrectly. Closed it off to public
access because of walking across the private owners land. >> You mean did we do that now for this? No, not for this, but I think we had prior at least discussed it. So, I want to hold off on restoring the public access um until we look back and I had
had a regular long work day today, so I wasn't able to check myself. Um >> yeah, I think I don't I don't think >> we discussed it many times. I can't remember. I know the town meeting and got voted. Yeah, I think I'm okay. >> Hang off and make sure we undo something
we did. And so um so why don't we take the first part and and vote on the state of emergency and then at the next meeting we'll take up the restore the public access if >> okay I I move that we vote to lift the state of emergency on the Lake Wyola dam. Second.
>> Okay. All those in favor >> start to I >> make peace. All right. So now it's uh review and sign the dry hydrant license agreement for at the mavoy pond for a firefighter retaining. This will also needs to be
tabled. So we sent a copy of the agreement to our town council who had some suggestions and now it's at their town council but who has not had a chance to fully review it. So until all the lawyers have had their say their say um we have to table it till some later
date. Okay. >> All right then moving right along. Um review and sign the two Kestrel Trust conservation restrictions. One for um Brown May Road and the other for the former Bulls Land on Poverty Mountain. >> Yes. And I thought there would be
someone from Castl. >> Thank you. So I can give you an introduction. I don't know how much you know about. >> Sure. Um uh so there's two properties in Shootsbury that um Castrol's been involved in lately. One um 200 acres
formerly owned by the Brown family on Montyu Road where the old um the pond um one can tell me the name of the pond. Um >> Brown Pond >> Brown. Yeah. >> Thank you. >> Clearly enough. >> Um so Castro has owned that land for about a year. We bought that um through
a state government grant and a couple of other private funds and we're donating a conservation restriction over it, a second layer of protection to the New England Wilderness Northeast Wilderness Trust. So that's one of the conservation restrictions. The second one is um
Coohl's recently donated some land to the Trustees of Reservation, a statewide land trust that still more or less just operates in the in the in the valley. Um and the trustees is donating a conservation restriction again a secondary layer of protection over that
land uh to Castro Land Trust. So we will hold Castro will hold that one. So two different conservation restrictions, one about 200 acres, one about 140. Um they will both be um forever wild forest. There won't be any commercial harvesting. There can be habitat
management and a few things. Um happy to talk about specifics if anyone's got any specific questions. First is like Mary. Um, do you have a question? You have any questions? You're good. >> Mary Lou >> Yes. Sorry. Um, I think Are you saying
Castro? K S T. >> Yep. Like the bird Castro. >> And um, are you the ones who put in the U boardwalk >> in um, Bright Water Bog in >> Yep. And did they use um treated wood?
>> You know, I'm the wrong person to ask that. I can find someone to talk to about it. I There could even be metal poles into the ground, but yeah, I I can't answer that. I'm sorry. >> I'll connect you. >> Happy to. Yeah, I'll give you a code.
>> Should I take them one by one then? Um, do I hear a motion for the to review to sign the Kestrel Trust for the Brown uh/Money Road location? >> So moved. Second.
>> Right. All those in favor? >> Starker. I Walton. I >> make PS O'Neal. I And the second one, do I hear a motion for the Poles Land um on poverty mountain? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Right. All those in favor
>> stock or I >> maybe I do you have those for us tonight? >> I do. >> Is it one or three? >> I'm just I can't remember if it's if all three of you are just one. >> It's all three. Um one of them is about
page about page 23. Oh, good. Thank you. >> Very good. >> Oh, we'll have to fix that. We can >> my version does too. It was a pretty recent change. >> It was. Yeah. You said we could What did
you say? Hey, I could always wait it out. >> Jim, go ahead and sign here and we'll fix that after. >> Okay. Sign is read a pharaoh. You're saying I'm going to show up. and
deep. Okay. Okay. So now let's talk about the five minute small. >> I moved on. Um you still have to get it notorized. >> Okay. All right. Yeah. I can talk.
>> Well, thank you for >> Thanks. Thanks for coming by. Thank you. >> Um so we'll discuss the uh speech for MWA. Yes. >> Brennan will put the speech up on
in a second. And I've just drafted something for you, three of you to review. So, um, we've done everything we need to do to get the Robin equity resolution submitted to the MWR and we
have got a spot on their agenda. So, Joe Cmerford has asked us to prepare by choosing one to three representatives to give a five-minut speech. And so up at the top, we have to pick our three people and then I've divided the speech
into, you know, the context, the local impact, and then the solution and what we're asking for. Obviously, we can go off script, we can add and change, but I thought it'd be helpful to go into it with just some kind of a framework um with a
conversation and then we just have to pick who's the goal. And I know um Eric and Melissa, I think you have conflicts. Yeah, I have to work. >> Certainly Jim and I can do it. And I don't know if you think that they're the
inappropriate um third person. >> Um the Elaine Pleo said she could do whatever. She could be a third person, I would think. >> Okay. >> I see a hand raised over there. >> So, >> okay. Okay.
>> So, do you want to coordinate if Elaine can't mic? Yes. Is that I think that works. my alternate mighty help >> if a link. Yeah. Yeah. We'll do that one. >> Um and then I guess Jim, would you rather what do you what position do you play? Open.
>> Yeah. >> Um >> okay, >> perfect. >> Well, let me just scale of it's really the scale of the contribution. It's a local ver version burden and it is
>> yeah and >> call to action. >> Um >> well here you think about it and I can highlight so for people who don't know about the legislation what it is is it's giving Quabin communities a seat at the table. So the MWR is the board that
controls um you know the the stewardship as they call it of the Quabin area. And so for the MWR, they say, "Thank you very much, Shootsberry, for your land and they give us a very small pilot payment." And in contrast, communities in the eastern part of the state get
much bigger pilots. And when you think about the fact that for about 43% of the population in Massachusetts, they drink fob and water. Um and we don't have any seats on their board and we don't um see the exact language. You know, the the pilot payment is does not reflect the
true value of our land and it certainly doesn't reflect the fact that we have a great deal of stateowned land that cannot be developed, cannot be turned into housing and represents no economic um no significant economic impact for the town, which then means that all the property tax burden falls upon residents
primarily. Um, it's a really important piece of legislation and we thank Joe Cmerford and her team for that and that's why it's so important to have the representation because we want a strong robust showing at this meeting so that people know in a way that's a very um similar to
what we're doing here tonight that it we want to hear from people, you know, we want to hear from all the stakeholders in the Quaban area about the impact that it has and we want to advocate for some more fair treatment for our community. And so that's what we're going to be doing. And if you still want to go
second, that's cool. >> Yeah. Either either. Yeah, that's two's good. >> Okay. >> I like being the closer. >> Yeah. >> And I I think uh >> and I think it's important. It's nice the way you've done this because
includes three of us. It uh >> we commit. We stick to our fiveminute commitment and it flows. Okay. >> So it's, you know, like the way you put this together. >> Thanks. cheeks. >> Yeah. >> Okay.
>> Okay. >> Um, you may have this in your minutes or your logs, but is there a link with a prepopulated letter that we can just cut and paste and send to the representatives? >> So, um, in in a previous I think it might be too late, but although they say
it's never too late. um in one of the Friday fives and I can resend it as a town announcement. There was a link to provide public so there's not a public comment period at the meeting but they they can write public can write in and um I can send that back out if people
would like be happy to do that or not. >> I'm not really clear about >> to the this one. So, um, >> yeah, I can the three entrances to the garden. >> Yeah. >> The first one is the main like an office
building kind of a structure. I believe it's in there. >> Yes. And it'll also be online. So, there's also a Zoom link. So, if it's North >> Oh, yes. I do believe so. Yeah. This is I think the first time that that board has come to this area which again is
ironic given the water comes from but right um neither here nor there. So yes I do think that would be helpful. >> Oh can I speak to that for a second? >> Yes you can >> post that will be because it's two things. One is sending the MRA board
sort of a message that the town towns are paying attention and would care, but also Joe Cford filed the legislation to be able to increase pilot and get us a seat at the table. So, it's sort of reciprocating her to say we've got got back up here.
>> Yeah, there will be some meetings coming up about, you know, uh increasing pilot money too that we can all go to. Yeah, that we'll know. Maybe we'll get to Friday five and get the information. >> People should go to those, too. >> Well,
you don't need us to vote or anything unless No, we No, we're good. >> Okay, >> we'll put it on our agenda to report back next time. >> Yes, we'll have an update. >> All right. Um, we're going to move on to
public comment and the joint meeting with um the ALWAC advisory committee. So, we're gonna do this in a um anyone who came in late. We have a silent sheet if you'd like to make a public comment just to help us with coordinating with
Zoom and the room and so you won't have to have your hands up for so long. And if you came in late and did get a chance and would like to make a comment, go ahead and write on that now and do sign into the um signin sheet so that Brennan can have um helping his minutes and be
able to make sure everybody's in our open records. Um, >> and it will speak up so everybody. >> Yes. Yeah. All right. Um, actually, hold on one sec. Norine, can you do you mind bringing that over when you're done? >> Not at all.
>> Thank you. Let me go to the Zoom. >> Can I turn off the fan in there? >> Oh, yeah. But I'm gonna want to see how you do that. >> Hang on. learn something new every day. >> Yeah, really. I never knew either. >> Well, that's where the fan is.
>> Now we know what goes on back there. Yeah, really. >> There's a lot of stuff back there. >> I just focus in that do it though. until you're finished. Some extra
hopefully Okay, let's see. >> Some of you have the >> I have Okay, comment. Um, can I get a um those that are online, can if you'd like to make a public comment, can you put your hands up now
just so I can see how many there are who'd like to make a public comment on Okay, I'll keep checking back and then when we see hands go up, we'll we'll alternate between the two. Okay. Um All right. So, how we're going
to work this is I think what we're going to do um and I have to ask my fellow select board members if this is okay. Um it's my suggestion is um rather than making any uh grand decisions tonight on on this. I think listening to the
comments of the public and listening to the comments of the um current ELWAC members and gathering that together and giving us a chance to think about what we've heard and then maybe come back at our next meeting or or a special meeting
to to make those decisions uh going forward if you two feel okay with that. >> That's okay. >> Y okay. If some people send things in, will those be included with what you're just have sent in emails?
>> Uh, we will not read them um read them out. Yes. Yeah. Email anything sent to the select board on any topic is always Yeah. So when you send something since everyone is so many people are here, I should let everybody know when you send something to shbury.org
um the email goes not only to sheepbury.org, but it's distributed to the three of us automatically as well as Haley and Brennan. Um, so that we make sure that they help us make sure we don't miss anything and help us with research if we need to or or and Haley
is our designated responder so we're not violating open meeting law. Um, and she does a great job doing that. So, um, and Brennan does too, so they keep us on task. Um, so don't worry, we do get your emails. Okay. Um, all right. So, why
don't we start with um since that's going to be the how we're going to set up listening session. Oh, thank you very much. Um listening session um and then if people could keep their comments to two three minutes um that would be
helpful so that um we can also have um you know time to digest uh the information. Is there something on hand? >> I think it's uh I see Gary West is maybe on. Thank you. >> Thank you.
>> Um All right. Now I have boots turned. You're okay. >> All right. So, why don't we get started if everybody feels feels good? Haley, did you want to do any um introduction at all? I know you've been
>> um I have a I have a presentation, but I I think we should hear from the public first. Okay. >> And like I said, I like to be closer. No, that's fine. I'll tell about that. >> I I didn't know you would been I didn't know where you wanted to be. So, okay. So, why don't we start with uh Terry?
Would you like to start our >> request that Haley's slide res everybody could? >> Okay. >> What is included in that? So for reference like existing members tax
write on this. >> That's not my I'm just >> No, no, no. Um >> as a matter of >> that how does the select putting a hand in what's included in those slides? >> Um how does the selection feel about
that? Good idea. How do you feel? Give me your feelings. >> Uh I guess it's Yeah, it makes sense that it sort of explains what's happening. >> Sure. >> I think it g it gives a whole a whole picture of >> Okay. >> history and some of the great lays out
the issues and topics and >> I can do it first. Yeah. I just didn't hear from the the comment. Um >> but so Brandon, if you want to cue that up, thank you for that suggestion. >> Yeah. Everybody see that? Am I in the way?
>> Yeah, me too. >> Yeah. Do you just want to >> speak a little here? >> Yeah. Yeah. Hold on one second. >> I know. I was just talking to Brennan for a second. Hold on. All right. Perfect. I think that's big enough. So, the the presentation talks about how do
you make a modern framework for an advisory committee? And in this particular case, we're talking about the Lake Wyola advisory committee. So if you want to scroll down, Brennan. So the history that I've seen is in 1991 there was an ad hoc committee that was
formed um originally proposed by the planning board I believe at that time to talk about and study watershed protection, road safety and septic management. And so that was organized and formally adopted almost 35 years ago
today on July 20th um with the intention of preserving natural values. And so the original charge and there are copies of it back there talks about three to five members selected directly from the lake association roster.
And then later on in time in 2017, the the scope was expanded by a select board vote that happened on May 16th um to include water quality and dam safety oversight. And you had at that time there was a separate committee that that
dam management and so those are merged into one. Um and then that new roster of people added the fire chief and the damkeeper which brought the total members of the committee up to 11. And the impetus for this discussion today is there was a request to um you can
actually leave it there Brennan was that there was a request to add a 12th member but there was never any formal vote of the select board to increase the membership to 12. That's why we got started talking about the association. And now if you scroll down
Brennan you know why why are we here? So, you have a a committee that grew to a 12 seat, but you didn't have a formal vote. Um, you have town staff who are have voting seats on an advisory board. Um,
and they are voting on matters within their jurisdiction, whether that's as the damkeeper or as the emergency management director. And, um, you know, municipal committees cannot have private entities appointing board members to that committee. Um, you want to pro
protect the public integrity and all voting members must be approved and appointed by the select board directly. Um, that's everything on that slide. So, that's that's why we have to evolve. You know, if if you've been an ad hoc committee for 35 years, it's probably
safe to say it's a standing organization. And I think that the town recognizes that there's a lot of value. And it's not the case that we want this committee to go away or fall by the wayside or feel like people can't speak about the lake, but we want to make it
in a way that adheres to current municipal best practice in law. So let's scroll down and let's talk about the advisory role. So what is it? If you're on an advisory committee, what do you do? Right? You're a technical resource for the select board. You are forum for
interboard communications. So, the LWAC has members from the select board, planning board, board of health, um, and it it's a body that's focused on long-term, right? The lake isn't going anywhere, neither is the dam, right? So, how do we make sure that these long-term
environmental um, you know, health factors like water quality and dam operations, you know, like we had our emergency dam order, you know, how do how do we make sure that we're monitoring these and taking care of these resources? And it's it should be a research-driven group that provides
formal recommendations. So you should have an advisory board that issues some policy recommendations to the select board. Hey, we for example held a public listening session and we determined that for residents around the lake uh these
are the main issues that they're facing and so we would advise the select board to do X Y and Z to meet those needs. All right. But what it is not is not an autonomous decision-making body. It does not have any regulatory or enforcement
agency. It doesn't have, you know, taxing authority and it's not a platform for non nonwaterershed non-pertinent um disputes, right? So you shouldn't be using the LWAC if it's not related to something related to Lake Wyola, right?
And I think a lot of that makes really intuitive sense. And so if if that's what it is and what it's not, what is where does the authority lie? So Brennan, if you scroll down for me, please take a sip of water. Authority and influence, right? So a
public forum for community research, for data collection, for citizen feedback, a formal channel for gathering neighborhood expertise and passing on non-binding recommendations to the select select board. Because even if the select board is given a recommendation by an advisory committee, it doesn't
have to act on that recommendation. It's still ultimately the select board's authority on how it wants to be advised and what steps it wants to take. Um so to that effect, the LWAC, the Lake Guyola advisory committee is strictly
advisory, right? There's no regulatory independent enforcement or authority. It can't pass town laws. It can't enact mandates. It can't assess a fine. It can't alter town property rules. An advisory committee has no power to
enforce its own preferences. Its only output is advice to the executive town leadership. That's what it is. Scroll down, please. Um, so I know that in conversations with people in the public, there's there's a
lot of anxiety. There's some anxiety, right? Like hypothetically, what if a bunch of people got on the board and they said, you know, we want to get rid of voting. We don't want any voting on Lake Wyola. Can't happen. Very simply, again, no regulatory power. Even
if you had an opinion of people on that board who wanted to eliminate voting, there's no legally enforcable um you know, binding opinion of that board, right? And furthermore, there's no jurisdiction for it because Great Ponds,
which Leola is, falls under the jurisdiction of the environmental police. And you would need townwide legislation at town meeting to make any kind of changes. And even if something did pass on town meeting floor, it still has to go to the attorney general's office for the ultimate review, right?
And the appointment filter. So, the select board has in the time that I've been on um with the town just a year, um we've formalized an application process where people who are interested in serving on town boards and committees, they fill out an application. We do a
really short interview and then we make recommendations to the select board and we say, you know, hey, we have all these people who are interested in this committee and here's some of their background, here's some of their interests. And again, the select board has that ultimate authority to make that appointing. So, so I understand that there's certainly a fear, but it's not
backed up in any kind of legal reality. Um, so again, true decision-m, you've heard me say it a bunch, it's the select board, executive policy, hiring and firing, controlling committee charges, and making appointments. And then we
have some other um seats of power, right? So, the board of health, they have some regulatory power. Certainly, the conservation commission has some regulatory power. and ultimately town meeting you know that that is the body through which we make decisions here in town >> what risk management
>> yeah yeah risk management that's a good one um so so in a municipal power structure it's supposed to be distributed not concentrated right and you see different layers of that with each of these bodies excuse me um so if something happens how do we let
people know how we're feeling right how do we preserve the public boards. So, anyone in town, no matter if you live seasonally, no matter if you live year round, you have the ability to directly contact the select board. As Melissa said, they check their email. Um, they
don't have a private phone line, but that's when you would contact the town administrator's office. You would, you know, you could make a records request. You could call, um, you know, email. I have an open door policy. I tried to close my door today and people kept knocking on it. Um, which I like, don't
get me wrong. that's just a joke. Um, but there there are ways that people can make their opinion heard. Um, and certainly, you know, the the LWAC has should have public comment periods where people can make public comment. Um, they can also do things like surveys
and listening sessions and there's there's a lot of municipal tools in the toolkit to getting um, feedback from stakeholders. And so, the bottom line, it's constitutional. No one can take that away and it's not committee dependent. Every taxpayer hold I got to
let this woman in the room you know they you can and should if you have a concern make use of one of these avenues or make use of all these avenues. Um so if we scroll down priority of purpose full disclosure I did use an AI
tool to make this word art. Um so structure follows function right? So we're talking a lot about composition, but one of the things that we need to think about first is, you know, after 35 years, what does the select board want to be advised on? What are the issues
that are important in town? And the word chart talks about some of them, right? We we've heard a lot of words about community, you know, the beach, the boers, the swimmers, the silts, the erosion, the preservation, you know, all of those things are part of the lake and
probably a lot more, but that's what I pulled together. Um, and so how do you how do you compose an advisory committee, right? Well, what you should do in a municipality is you should say, well, we want to hear from the widest birth of people that we can. We want to
get, you know, enough opinions. so that we can get some good advice that then the select board will act on. So you you want to avoid stacking a committee in any particular way, right? So you wouldn't want to stack a committee with people who don't who don't like boats any more than you would want to stack a
committee of people who love boats and who think everyone should be mandated to have a boat, right? Too extreme. We want the middle path. If you scroll down again, so what I had proposed initially to the select board, um this is this is the
framework, right? So we had the ad hoc structure, 11 or 12 members give or take proposed framework removing the voting capacity of town staff. Again, we're going to try to protect u conference of interest violations. And I should note
that, you know, yes, the state has conflict of interest law, but that law doesn't necessarily tell you about best practice. It just sets a floor. Okay? It says you can't have a conflict of interest, and if you do, you should disclose it. But municipal best practice is particularly for a standing advisory
committee would be that your town staff are not voting members. And um you know, we have interdep departmental coordination. I added in my recommendation recreation committee because it's a recreational resource. Um, and then the voting seats and I think that that's where the the
conversation will particularly kick up tonight, but thinking about, you know, we have people who live at the lake, but it's also a townwide resource. You know, certainly people who don't live at the lake use the lake. So, how do we get, again, how do you get a wide section of people who have different opinions to
offer advice on a town resource? And so, you know, in my professional opinion, I would say you you certainly want an odd number. it's easiest for quorum and I I would certainly discourage going much higher than than like 12 or or 13 members. I I think at that point it gets
can be kind of a lot, right? Um but if you scroll down >> question on this one, can you explain uh just use an example? What would you define technical expert? >> Um so somebody who it can take a lot of different forms. It could be somebody who maybe has some
experience with maybe with hydrarology or maybe with conservation or maybe with um you know storm water erosion. That that's certainly been a topic. So somebody who has some kind of technical advice that meets a component of the lake, right? So fire chief, emergency management, that's pretty
straightforward. Damkeeper also very straightforward. Um and so some something in also those kind of lines would be another technical expert. Now you can scroll. So, we want to safeguard for the future, right? We want a committee that's going to stand at least the test of time for
the next 35 years, but hopefully much longer than that. And so, we want to we want to draft a charge that is going to lock in dedicated seats, right? Because we want dedicated water seats because people the odds are I would assume people will understand the lake a little
bit more just through force to have it. But you also want to have an opportunity for at large membership so that it's also so that you're not just hearing from that segment of the population, right? So you can hear from people who use the lake recreationally and might have a different opinion. Um, you know,
thinking about moving to staggered three-year terms so that way you're not constantly having a revolving door every particular year. You can make sure that there's a steady long-term experience. Um, and one one thing that you know we've kind of alluded to today, but
talking about interlocking directorships, right? So, making sure that this is a municipal board and it's functioning for a municipal purpose and not some other purpose that is being served by a different organization. Um, and so the next steps what we're
basically that's what we're doing tonight, right? So, we're doing a feedback loop. We are having a joint meeting. We're going to hear from public comment. Um and now you can scroll down again >> and ultimately too nearly you can finish that
class. >> Yes. >> Yes. Because again it's not going away. It's just being restructured. And so this was a road map I did. Obviously it's subject to change but one of the things that you know I like to move pretty expeditiously.
you know, talking about it now late July, we're coming back to the board will come back and after they've digested everything that they're hearing tonight and then hopefully by next month we're making appointments and then by September we're kicking things off and
again moving pretty quickly and again just trying the the strategic goal for the town is not to disenfranchise but it is to create a transparent inclusive framework that is based on best practice. practices so that we have a long-term committee that will function
well for the years to come. Now, if you scroll all the way down the questions and discussion, I guess it would make a lot more sense to go first, especially now that I remember I had this slide. Um, so that that's my presentation. That's my spiel. You know,
it's not about it's not about disenfranchising. It's just about saying we had a framework from 1991 that doesn't really hold up in today's municipal world and how do we adapt things so that we we're not losing a particular voice, but we're making sure
that it's more encompassing of everyone who lives in the community because it has to be a board that's for the community. That's that's it. That's what I have. >> Take a breath. >> Thank you very much. Um, one thing I'
I'd like to do to to say first of all is when this Haley first brought this up to us, the select board focused really closely on getting it organized and formalized and that sort of thing. So, I do want to extend apology for not having had this part first with the listening
session with all of you and the the committee members. So, I I do apologize for that. That was on the select board for not thinking that completely through. we sometimes get focused on everything we have on our agenda and just push through. So, I apologize for that on behalf of the board. Um, with
that said, um I know you all here are to make public comments and just to um reiterate that uh kind of two or three minutes if you could. We do have Yes, Mark. >> Some point we make some comments about the slides. >> You can um Yeah, we could do it. You can
do it as any part of public comment. Any part of public comment? >> Yeah. Yeah. Um so hold on one second Tom. Um so as we get started so kind of like two three minutes so um everybody gets to speak and we're not um here too too late because >> Do you want to see those Zoom people again? >> Yes please. I do want to see them on
camera. Can you stop sharing screen Brenon please? >> Thank you very much. >> I'm just saying if we need the ability to >> Yeah, we can bring it up at any time. We can bring it up at any point. Um Brennan who you don't see here in the room is
behind the scenes um doing that for us. Um go ahead Tom. >> Hey all this stuff >> uh >> or is it big unless you do >> um so we have only you can do it you can do it a couple different ways. You can do public comment first or um and then
do the joint meeting. You can do them at the same time. Just depends. Um >> yeah. Yeah. Um why don't we do the public comment? Well, yeah. You can Why don't we call them to to order because they may have there may be questions they have to answer that the select board may not have the answer to. So,
yes, Mark, you want to call your >> So, here tonight, >> raise your hand if you're on currently on Lax. We can see if there's a >> darkness or just raise the cables. Um, I you got a quorum there, I think.
>> We do. >> Okay. So, you're called to order. Perfect. All right. Um, Terry, I had called on you before. Do you want to gave us that great suggestion for having Hayy go first? Would you like >> Since you just called back to order to
allow the chair away to speak? >> Go. I have to check with my committee. much topics tonight, but I just want to start off by talking a little bit about the history of ELA. Um, and you know what's how it was created and why it was under um it was created basically in
late 1990. really good started in the 80s, late 80s where um a number of people in town decided they wanted to restrict access to people's houses on the lake and there was a proposal town meeting that said they couldn't use your
house on the lake for more than 180 days a year. So that was the first sort of the first attempt at shifting lakefront property owners homeowners from using their fully their houses. Now that didn't pass fortunately and so you
know we move on um but as a result of that what got formed and it was designed to be foster communications between the lake community look in the in that uh packets there the lake community and the town and the town
is represented by select board concom uh board of health um and the the lake committee was represented five to five members of the Lake Viola Association. Um
uh and so this committee here has a it's been very effective over the years and we've done a lot of good stuff. Maybe not always within our charge, but always things that needed to be done because nobody else can do them. And I want to go through a couple of those things. I um uh you all know Lake View Drive,
that's the drive, that's the street that goes in front of the state park, right? seems to be a history of beaver dams at the culver and beavers like to build dams in the culprit. Well, that road is not a dam and so we've been so this committee has kept an eye on it and
we've coordinated with the highway department to to remove the dams and with the board of health. Um so we've uh recently has gotten really bad because of this missing coordination and the water level on one side of the dam was
several feet higher than um than on the lake side and that that road could easily got washed out but you know we were persistent and looked through the town and uh uh and got that repaired. Um we secured state and local funding for
the for the dam maintenance and u every two every two years there's a dam inspection uh the dam inspection identified problems for the dam u and so we with the help of our engineering company got funding from uh uh the town
and the state that funding unfortunately got used to repair the dam but still it's it was it was funding that was available that we worked on getting um we worked with concom and the mass department of environmental protection to obtain the necessary permits to lower the lake in the winter time really we
lower it by two feet and it's been done for 30 years at least 30 years and uh it's done to protect the dam it's earned dam it's done protect the dam damage well one of the comm meetings the state
inspector there and he says you know you guys don't have too much steer and so they know it's a big problem but we don't have the right state permits to lower the lake and we need to lower the lake to reach out to me and ELWAC went out and got those permits but we worked
with Kong. We worked with the state and we got the permits to do that in a relatively quickly quick manner that saved the town probably at least at least $10,000. Um we uh another requirement from the stand was to do a wildlife habitat
evaluation and members of ELA worked with that engineering company to successfully get that done accurately. Um we sponsored a wildfire safety workshop uh and home inspections so that because we're living in a bowl and actually all of Shbury was able to
participate in this. We live in a bowl and it's like if there's a fire there's not many places to go to. So we sponsored that. Um uh we alerted the town uh to deteriorating conditions in locks pond cover. That's the another major road
that goes down from center town to the dam and Culbert was deteriorated terribly. And so we petitioned and and got the uh select board to to agree to get funding to rep place that over and
that's been done. Um we led efforts to remove existing sediment and prevent official settlement from getting into the lake into the lake. Um that resulted in in in extensive uh study by Furkco Franklin regional county of government and
develop what's called a waterbased uh water based watershed based plan. Uh we were working hand inand on that plan and as a result of that we're now eligible for additional state funding. So it was a very crucial first step and until it was set contamination.
Uh we've done a lot of water testing over the years to monitor the water quality. Um we helped drive the bianual dam uh uh dam inspection. Members of the team you know made sure that that got happened and it was pulling teeth in maintenances. We
had a good engineer but didn't always write reports did inspections but trying to get the report out was pulling teeth and he kept pushing and pushing. He wrote that process. Uh we helped develop the dams operating maintenance operation and maintenance manual. Uh we obtained
host eggling permits from the uh mass division of fish and wildlife. This is so that we could uh boil the eggs uh so they didn't hatch and to keep to help maintain reasonable moose population on the lake. Um we led changes to uh town
bylaws to enhance safety on the lake. We we we made the recommendations. presented at town meetings um and they were voted on and uh and uh um you know eventually it came into law. Um
we worked with the con to develop uh uh boat ramp safety signage so people coming to the lake who know you know what are safe things to do in lake what are not safe things to do in Florida. uh we participated in a in a conference uh that was called the masses conference on
lakes and ponds uh and this was a conference to learn about what other communities are doing at the lakes in their uh oddly enough at that conference when one of the things we learned was that most people most towns would develop bylaws related to the lake never get it off to the attorney general and
at that time we didn't either uh and so well it wasn't technically law so that's something we pushed the town clerk to sign and she jumped right on it And uh um we successfully got that latest bylaw in place. Um few years ago um our damage
near retirement and so who do you replace them? Well, we vetted about eight companies. All right. Uh we developed a scope of work uh for dam inspections. Um and ultimately uh the talent management at that time chose a company which was so now we have a very
good high quality uh dam engineering company called GCA. We led that effort. Um, we helped maintain access to the railroad boat ramp. I mean, not theoretical access, physical access. We we go down there and we trim the bushes so that so that people can get into the
lake. Um, oh, and they this one I didn't really realize some of the members of of the committee mentioned it or longtime members. But you know those little green signs you have by your house that has your house number, right? Le ho act initiated that and worked with um fire
department and police department uh to help purchase those signs in some cases lock members actually did the installation. >> That's one that I will disagree with you because that was always just firefighters association. What that was
was the Lake B road signs that we did. Okay. >> House number signs have always been a fire department. Okay. So, it's it was a street size, >> right? >> I hope I misinterpret that when they said it did say street size, right? >> Street size
all the roads because most of the signs were missing nail to a tree and the tree would grow. I'm mistaken. >> Correct. Sorry. >> But all this a partial list of things we've done and it could not have been done with the extensive participation of
members of the Lake Bible Association. It's not for it's not for history. >> Thank you, Mark. Appreciate that. >> Okay, Terry, one more time. >> Good. Are you you would like to make comment now? >> So, I just want to introduce myself because I was a little confused
that at the time these discussions came up. So, my name is Terrence Smith. I'm a registered professional civil engineer and environmental engineer. So by the time the discussions came up I was shocked to find out this was still an ad hoc committee. It's very clear in the
title of it is lakew advisory committee that I was serving on advisory committee. There's never any question in my mind is the regulatory policy or anything that we had been voting on also too like the members that are here
Catherine Mr. Bory, Walter, we've all served I've served on this committee I think since 2009. So to have this come up in a meeting about the restructuring just a couple months ago at the time that I received
from you guys my reappoint notice and to go to town hall to get sworn in by the town clerk. I also wasn't confused about how the committee is appointed. There is
no confusion. The lake white association can have up to three to five people appointed. They can recommend those people. They have over 150 members. If 150 members wanted to join this committee, only three to
five of them could go. It's not the Lake Wy Association that's appointing the members to LWAC. It's you, the select one. And then you have to go to swear in the town. And then the other thing that really confuses me. Okay. Has to do with
the general law related to conflict of interest in town employees. In 1996, the town of Shootsberry, I believe, adopted an ordinance or a bylaw that makes any volunteer a town employee. And you can look in that because it's
given out to all of us that are appointed to committees by the town clerk. So the idea that staff or town full-time town employees shouldn't be voting members doesn't make sense to me. And
I'll tell you why. because the people that are there that are those people is the damn formally before he retired Mr. Tivids, it's the fire chief. They were the ones doing the work on the
day-to-day basis of Elwagac and saved the town thousands of dollars through this. So to to to put them in a position and expect them to serve on a committee that they would have no voting power, it just doesn't make sense to me.
plus every other person that's on committee when you go because of the state laws and what the town adopted we're all town employees even if you're just a volunteer and not paid. So with that I you know I just would
encourage you to continue that over the past but that as an advisory and a consideration be given that before this happened that the last meeting in the meeting prior to that in the meeting prior to that there was huge discussions
over the restructuring of LWAC and and that should there be considerations of changes to appointments and different things to come come back to you to be recommended to you. The committee settled that itself to come back to you to say we're
happy with the way it is. So why change its work? You had long-standing members that have been on there for you know almost there's I think Katherine might be one of the original members. No, >> I succeeded Bill Elliot.
>> Okay. But but we've served like longer periods of time and you know and then I just want to address this. There was a lot of discussion over people being seasonal or no representation and things and discussions and meetings recently
about that. Well, I'll tell you I'm a registered voter of shoot. Okay. I sort of I moved here just within the past couple years as a full-time resident because of changes in my life. But anyways, but prior to there being hybrid
meetings, I I used to drive 26 27 mines to come up here and find out there wasn't a quorum. Know why there wasn't a quorum most of the time? Because the people that served on the other committees, the select board, the conservation commission, the planning
board, those people wouldn't show up. It was a hard time. So, it was who was showing up? It was the people that were appointed by the select board who re represented the association because they had interests and I get the concept of
like people being from within the watershed. That's important. The community at large is represented by the other committees that serve on and that's just my feel. But I'll stop there because I think that other people need to be given more opportunity to to speak
on this. But um appreciate your time. I wanted to introduce myself so that and I would like to be considered however this goes to continue on this until the membership gets straightened out. >> Thank you. I just point out I think
correction if I remember right the volunteers are special time employees. It was to make sure that they were covered by um insurance and stuff but you were close that was just um okay uh next one I have Mary Lukon. I don't see anyone on. Remember, if you're
on Zoom, uh, feel free to raise your hand. Okay. All right. Um, Mary Lou. >> So, my biggest concern living here in Shootsbury are two things related to
Lake Wyola. One is the what I discovered through following um next door and speaking with people the drowning of beavers.
I I was flabbergasted that the trap that they're held in um a beaver doesn't drown like a duck, you know, they can swim underwater. So they're caught in a cage. Yeah. And
there takes about 15 minutes for it to drown while the rest of the family watches. Beavers are family oriented. Okay. So I can't believe that that happens here. The second thing is, and
there was a woman who I was talking to privately through next door when somebody went out there and shot. I'm I'm a a pistol, gun,
anxious woman standing in front of you. I've lost a family member. Got shot in the head. Okay. So when I heard you somebody's out there shooting geese and then the dead geese floated up where the
woman who I was talking privately with her daughter found the carcasses and laid viola. Okay. So those are two things. Um your new group what authority will he have? I'm really curious. will
the ad hoc people be able to continue their work? And three, I hope you open it up to people who live here, not lake people only. Thank you.
>> Um, thank you, Mary Lou. Can't quite read this for this name. >> Anna, I'm sorry. >> Anna, Anna, hi. 26 link drive. I just
wanted to respectfully ask the salon board to just re-evaluate as you said we're going to do. Vessica, appreciate the apology in the way that the decisions were made um about full transparency to the to the group. Um, so I'm just here to ask for the select
board to pause and maybe table the discussion until the next couple of meetings where we can gather input and make a one to one decision on on on next steps. That's all. >> Okay. >> Right. Thank you. I'm gonna go.
>> Yeah. I'm sorry. That's fine. Um, I'm gonna go to Sorry, I couldn't read your signature. I'm gonna go to Gary online. Go ahead, Gary. You may unmute yourself. >> Can you hear me? >> Yes. >> Okay. Um,
my name is Gary West and I'm a resident of Shootsbury residing at 59 Shore Drive. >> Sus Susan, you have to mute yourself. >> Okay. Um, I have reviewed the proposed document to formalize the Lake Wyola
committee, ELWAC, and I've concerned about several of its provisions. I understand that many of these issues will be discussed or can be discussed later in the meeting, and I appreciate that they will receive further consideration. In my view, Elwack has served the
community and the town effectively for many, many years, decades even. It has provided thoughtful advice, fostered cooperation among stakeholders, and helped address issues affecting Lake Wyola in a constructive and productive
manner. To date, I have not seen a compelling justification for making significant structural changes to a committee with such a strong record of service. Before altering a committee with such a successful history, I believe there
should be clear evidence that the proposed changes will improve its effectiveness. In the absence of such evidence, I believe preserving a process that has proven successful is a more prudent course. I hope the select board will carefully consider long history of
effective service before adopting changes that have not been shown to enhance its ability to benefit the town and the Lake Wyola community. Thank you for your time and consideration. >> Thank you, Carrie. >> Um,
Michael Sto. >> And I know what Gary said and also Melissa, I want to thank you for your apology. Um, I serve on the LWA board and I can just tell you the select board
upset a lot of people this action. I heard that you're going to take a look at this again. I have a suggestion. I think the select board should step up, send the action that was taken and agree to go forward in a new manner
bringing everybody in and trying to quell all the anger that's out there. can talk a lot about it. Steve is short. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Um Mark Rivers, did you want to speak? >> I'll wait. I'll let everybody
walk and see. It's just the room. >> All right. >> Sure. Um Charlene, >> I can speak. >> Okay. Yes. I am Sharon Kinsky, a Lake Royola homeowner and taxpayer for over 40 years and a person who has enjoyed
using this multifunction functional lake for 60 years. Lake Lyola has always offered a relaxing, fun, safe and friendly environment for residents and visitors for many years. It is disheartening for me to learn that some
of the recent proposed changes in Elwack may jeopardize what so many people love and enjoy about Lake Biola. Haley Bolton's dismantling of Elwack and proposed new configuration at Elway are most concerning. I know there was a
mention of a conflict of interest um violation causing her to make this serious decision. The question to be asked was legal counsel consulted to verify the statement by a bailing bulletin. If there was a legal opinion
rendered, who was the lawyer? It is important to know for certain if there was a conflict of potent violation because Haley Bolton is limiting and lowering the number of lake residents on the new LWAP because she believes a
conflict adventurous violation exists. Also, not allowing the damkeeper and others to be voting members on this stem committee is totally wrong. The town of Shootsberry should be thanking Howie Kinder for his vigilance and monitoring the damned dam. He found the recent bowl
and immediately alerted the proper authorities. Being on any town committee should allow for each person the right to vote. Changing the configuration to limit Lake Wyola residents and members is illogical for two main reasons.
First, many of the current membership have tremendous knowledge about Lake Wyola. These members expertise has been learned through their professional careers and years of investment, caring and maintaining good practices for the lake. Many members have served for years
on this committee, providing valuable information that helps oversee the overall health of the lake. Having a new committee comprised of fewer lake residents and more Shoesberry residents who do not live around the lake could
mean the new members are not aware of such things as the dam and its knees, the history of the code changes, intelligence about water environments, and the partnership between LWA, the town and Elic
LWA is currently working cooperatively with the town on new lake initiatives. Secondly, the town of Shbury receives a tremendous, and I say tremendous, percentage of their tax base from Lake Residents. This tax base is essential to
the town's on this budget. Lake residents have a serious financial investment in personally caring about Lake Biola. When you own a home on Lake Biola that has high taxes, you are extremely devoted to maintaining Lake
Viola's pristine condition. It makes absolutely no sense to seriously limit the number of lake residents on this proposed new committee. The town of Shutesbury has been very fortunate to have an organization like Elwack for at least 35 years that has been
successfully operating. Lake Wyola is known as one of the cleanest and safest lakes in Massachusetts. Haley Bolton's drastic change to the LWAC configuration will be in my view disastrous to all the hard and dedicated work completed by
previous LWAC groups. Hopefully the select board will reverse Haley Bolton's decision and return to the successful Elwack groups composition. >> Thanks Charlene. One thing I do want to clarify is that and and and while it
might appear that this was Haley's decision, she brought to us only the fact that we should make it a permanent committee, we asked her to do the research that she presented. So it wasn't her that decided. She brought it to us and we decided so that select board decision to change it. It wasn't Haley. She's just does our work for us
and puts stuff together for us. So she's not the one. I'm only saying that because I had a correspondence with her and I must say she's very good about communicating that with >> can't tell you how much I appreciate it. She specific I asked her specifically where the recommendation came from and
she said >> yeah she recommended that we think about it and then she did the research for us but this the vote solely lands on us >> right >> and our decision >> y >> yeah we asked her to look into it for us too and she had made the the suggestion
um so that lies with the select board um Art >> Keane >> Keane there you are >> hello >> hi my name is Art Keane I live in 96 Lake Drive where I've been for the last 18 years. I'm a member of Elwack and of
the LVA board and I'm going to read my statements. So I've been trying to get your under three minutes. >> Um I'm here to ask you to reject the proposal for reorganizing and instead to vote to allow EWAC as currently
constituted to continue its work until such time as a better proposal is presented. one that does not undermine the committee's ongoing work. I have no argument with making LA a standing committee for adding additional experts, including reps from the recreation
commission and the storm water task force, but I disagree with removing the reserve seats for LWA representatives and for designating some current members as non- voting. I've sent you written testimony arguing for why the proposed changes are unnecessary, ill advised,
and not required by law. And um here what I'm going to do is I'm going to skip over all the arguments for why conflict of interest law doesn't apply. >> If you'd like us to have them, you certainly if you haven't emailed them, you can email them. So, so actually I was in the email
and I'll skip over the laws of except to say that there is nothing untored, illegal or unfair about reserving seats on LS for LWA members. They bring specific and necessary proximity to the committee's work and their presence on
the committee ensures due diligence on matters involving the lake and this has served the town and the lake well for the last 35 years. It makes no sense to me to potentially exclude LBA members from the committee when they are doing the heavy lifting of protecting the lake
and are on site keeping an eye on things. Um and um his assurances that all of us LWA members will still be able to make public comment is of little comfort. Here are some quick examples of
essential work that uh LVA members are doing to be the eyes and ears of the hands um available. Um one example is that chair Mark Rivers and LWA member and damkeeper Alexander were critical
forcing the dam repair and for seeking the necessary permits for inspections. The work of LBA members Tim and Kathy Timson who run the lake weed watch program was instrumental in identifying invasive mil foil late last year and in conjunction with ELWAC bringing in
experts from uh the DCR to investigate. LWA members test the lake water weekly and LWA members keep tabs on the beaver activity that threatens town covers and ropes. Elder members organized wildfire prevention workshops and inspections
that lessened our risk of susceptibility to wildfire. The list of contributions is long. Mark mentioned a whole bunch of stuff. I'm sure others will as well. But let me say that the suggestion that LWA members have dual loyalties is
insulting. And let me warn that what you are poised to do is create a committee that will not be sufficiently informed. Let me say in conclusion that the pro procedures that we've experienced for implementing this change have been
disappointing and the town can can and ought to do better and I appreciate um your apology for that. Um the town administrator and the select board as far as I know made no effort to reach out to LWAC and to LWA
uh to understand our ongoing work and to seek our input before developing this proposal. And this feels disrespectful and adversary, but it's not too late to remedy that error. So I don't have the authority to do this, but I want to invite the select board
and hailing to visit us at the lake and to learn more about what we do, what we have been doing, and what lies ahead and to have a conversation about how to maximize the efficiency of El and that we do that before implementing
um this problematic proposal. Um, well, let me just say this in conclusion. Over the next three years, the town is going to rebuild the dam, going to restore the B ramp. We're going to implement storm water intervent storm
water interventions and mitigate runoff related damage to the lake. These are substantial, expensive undertaking whose efforts touch on all aspects of the lake environment. It's imperative that Elwack be staffed with people who have the
expertise to revise well on these projects and provide necessary oversight. Just as Elac effectively shepherded the recent dams, >> for the last 35 years, Elac has served as an effective and trusted advisor to
the town on all matters concerning the lake and LWA members have been the eyes and ears and often the hands of the committee and staying on top of that work. The proposal before you offers misinterpretation of statute, its grounds for limiting participation of
LWA members and the committee's current experts. I ask you to reconsider those exclusions. Thank you. >> Thank you. Or you said that the part you skipped was in that email that you had sent. >> Yeah. Okay.
Um let's see. Is there anyone online on Zoom that has a comment before I move on to the next person here? >> All right. Um Kate Hiate mentioned my normal
um and I've been a board member of the lake association for years. We lived here for five years even coming here for close to 15. Uh I thank you for the opportunity to speak at this listening um session.
I'm a little confused um just where we are in the process. Uh first of all I wanted to thank you may be peace of the apology because it has created a lot of hurt especially for those members who have worked very hard on LWE for years
and felt very much blindsided by this. So in terms of procedure when you said this meeting was to collect all the information and then there will be another action by the select board or is the select board's vote of June 9th standing would have to be reversed. just just want
>> so the process for us would be listening to these comments and then spend some time separately of course because we've all been meeting a lot and thinking about it and then having another meeting where we discuss your ideas and and that
sort of thing. It could include >> Okay. So just so I'm clear so the proposal hasn't been adopted formally yet. Is that correct? >> No. Thank you. We voted to disband disan charge, I think. Yeah. And so those are
the two things we did do. We hadn't gone to the process of the picking the new members yet or picking members yet. So we're kind of like in the in the middle. >> We can always um we can change things as we go. So we're not there's no concrete things right. >> Okay. I will say more than that very
several paragraphs and ask you to actually you know um abandon the vote to disband the current Lac advisory committee then that's my position u but regarding the proposal I have two points um one is on the voting
non- voting membership um and uh I have a question why it's necessary to designate the three town employee positions as non voting members ELWAC is an advisory committee with as is said you know in the presentation
with no special policy contract or enforcement powers. It seems to me that input from the fire chief or emergency management director and the data keeper is essential to the the Lax mission. Barring them from voting on committee recommendations
um or segregating their input outside of committee vote as add-on comments seems overly bureaucratic and potentially undermining LWAX effectiveness. In addition, I have a question about who is meant to be covered as an independent
resident technical expert town employee that has that position. There are several members of Elwack who have volunteer their time who are part of the existing committee who have
technical engineering civil engineering environmental experience that they bring as volunteers. I'm wondering if the designation of a expert and a non voting member is an attempt to regularize that if that some way
>> I think eliminate that influence. So I I just have questions about that structure. So I can answer um >> I can answer that. >> Okay. So I currently I think in the current member membership it's been it's been the former fire chief Walter Tibbitz and his experience with the dam and trash rack and um of those natures.
So I think the title in this one we had just left it open-ended and you had thought you had put some thoughts for that. So the thought is if you're building something for the future, right? You right now we have a core group of people, but let's say one of those members left, like let's say Walter left just hypothetically, you
would want to have somebody who has a similar level of technical expertise be able to fill that role. So that's why it's kind of like a blank name because again the the idea behind this is that you're you do have to standardize and unfortunately there is a bureaucratic process that you're trying to emulate so
that you can create the template. you build the template, then you fill it in. Um, and just the voting non- voting thing. So, it is very irregular for a municipal staff to be a voting member of a committee. It's not best practice. Um, you know, certainly for myself, I'm on
the I'm a member of the personnel board and the finance committee, but I don't vote on those issues. It's the committee that makes those votes. And so, by moving the seat, yes, exeicio is another term for it if it, you know, non- voting. So the the idea isn't the idea
is just to align it with best practice and what we're doing in other committees. >> Well, I would just suggest that there be an affirmative request or or outreach to people who have expertise on this issue
to be on LWAC and they be voting members. So maybe there should be in the mission statement that they enlist community members with this kind of expertise and expand the number of community members. I don't understand why it would
be a non- voting position. Um so that was my comment on that. Um uh you know and I think it's a good idea to add the recreation a representative from the recreation committee. I think that's a good idea. My second point is about um
LWA Lake Association representation on Elway um >> and I'm going from the presentation Haley you made about functioning you know of the committee um if a place
where there's research discussion factb finding um the attempt to bring together ideas from the community that need to be brought to select boards I think not having the LWA in the room for a discussion and having them outside to
make a comment or to to appear at the committee is redundant and not useful. As others have have testified, LPA is a lot of work around the lake. Um, it is representative and been all of the things that other people have
said. I'm getting lost in my testimony. I think that they should that there should be representation inside the discussion and it shouldn't be sort of a special appeal to come be a witness to a committee meeting and give your input then I think there is value in having
representation from LA at the table as they as the committee deliberate. I also want, you know, I if if the idea is that there could be no more than two of, you know, the three community members or however many community members are there
who are officially LWA board members, that's fine. I think there should be somebody from the LWA board so that it can communicate things to LWA that need to be carried out. Um and I would also just point out that uh she's very benefits from the uh
lake wireless association's participation. As others have pointed out, we have arranged and paid for weekly uh water testing, you know, at the lake, which is information that helps the board of health here in the in town. Um for which we paid out of
fundraising $2,000 test year. And we've also contributed to the Shu storm water um management engineering study. We're a partner to that. We've had formally endorsed the town's application for state MVP grant to carry out public
education about that. We're we want to be involved and there are sometimes that our organizational capacity is helpful to the town and I wanted that to be acknowledged. I think that I think that covers it. Sorry. Thank you. >> Thank you.
>> Thank you. >> I still see any hands online. Uh Jennifer, do you There you are. I thought I'd saw you. Hello, Jennifer. >> Jenniferation. I'm also on the town by storm water
mitigation and implementation. perspective discussion. Well, first of all, I just want to say that I think it's a great thing that the town has proposed involvement in taking a look at reconstituting looking at how
it functions. Now, um I think the town might pay role as steward of this amazing system is involved in stepping up to even present a proposal even though the way it was presented you know
thank you for your apology. of I'm listening to all the comments and I had read the proposal and I I read the slide communication online from my view of it the proposal retains L and all its
wonderful history all the accomplishments that they've done are not eliminated by this proposal in fact it builds off um it asks for membership changes and this seems to raise a lot of concerns about
and I think that the changes that it's asking for reflect the complexities of how it is to live in this town in this ecosystem more full-time residents much greater impact from storms and impacts
into the lake tougher financial times necessary things to interact with the state and it's it's I think that the social and the natural ecosystem is complex enough it requires an LC that is also complex in its
structure. So then I asked how big can a committee really be to be effect you know can it be how big can it be to to broaden the expertise on the committee and the representation and also be effective you know as Terry
pointed out the current sometimes doesn't meet because there's not a form so so therefore you know maybe it needs to be bigger but if a committee gets too big and can't final effectively so an indication that I'm hearing is a concern
that there's an effort there to eliminate the lake my association and we've heard terms like lake community watershed community those that live around the lake and LWA members as if
one or the other of those has priority it is very unclear what we mean by mean or what we mean by wershed community or why we prioritize those that live around the compared to the ones that live in town that small.
I think that needs to be specified so that there's no hard feelings or confusion that you know someone's being edged out in favor of someone else being edged in. To be a representative community that reflects the whole system, the social
and the and the ecosystem that is the whole town. It requires expertis and membership that I think go beyond just the late wild association or those that live. So I think the membership thing is a big
controversial thing that's happened here and that's the thing that really needs to be um identified and uh say what kinds of expertise and representation do we need from which groups for the select board and the town meeting. Those are
our two governmental hubs, right? Everything that these committees do feed to the select board and to the town meeting who have the municipal government authority to do something in town. So, so I don't have big answers,
but I think that um I propose a complex committees based on many different expertises and residency that can match complexity of the town bases and I believe that Thank you, Jennifer. Is there anyone
online that's like to make a >> Okay. Um, Katherine Hilton. >> I am Okay. I'm Katherine Hilton. I am the board of health representative to El Black and I am also the chair of the
board of health and previous members of the select board may know that I am very jealous of our prerogatives. Um, I am concerned about the the slide showing that all nine
voting members would have to apply for their positions. The members that represent town boards and committees are nominated
by those town boards and committees. Our board is a consensus board. All of our votes are unanimous. Um if the five members of the board of health send a recommendation to this
election to nominate me, for example, as this um Elway representative, you better have a damn good reason for saying no. I think it's stepping on the um the prerogatives and the the um well
the prerogatives of the town boards um to do anything but basically rubber stamp the those committees and boards nominations and I would I would ask you to eliminate
that requirement for the positions that are chosen by town force committ I can actually address that. So I'm sorry that that's an error on my part. The application process is how we've handled like community
traditionally even after we've adopted this process. If a board makes a recommendation we still go with their recommendation. But for the community pieces, like when we did the police chief search committee, we had community seats and those we did hold the application process for, but not for
>> right. Fair enough. >> Yeah. >> Thank you. >> Uh George Abd. >> Hi, I'm George Abdau, 56 North Drive. Um I'm also the um president of the lake association
and I'm here to bring up a couple points and I think a lot of points have been brought up but one of the ones that concerns me the most is for those of you that don't know late Association is a voluntary membership. We're a charitable organization.
Nobody on that is a member of Lake Wy Association has ch has been forced to do it. They do it on their own. They do it for their little lake, for the for the keeping up of their roads of keeping up with the watershed area. People that don't don't
do it. To say that we're going to limit the amount of LWA participants on a board is opening up the possibility that people that are live in the watershed area but chose not to be on the members
of the association can all of a sudden become members of ELWAC or people that are say, "Hey, I want to get on LWAC, so I'm not going to pay my dues for this year and next year and all of a sudden I'm not a member anymore." Uh, I mean there's not a solid criteria if it it's
a it's a moving target. It's it's just a voluntary organization to to to list that as a criteria for a number of seats or against the number of seats is not a a good mention. And the people that live in the lake
area that are members of the association care about the lake, care about the association, care about Elwaki, care about preserving the wershed and that's why they're here and that's why they do it and that's why they volunteered all their time. As it was said, Elwak is working very
well now. It's worked great over the last since its inception. and this proposal to come around and change it in such a hasteful way so quickly whe without whether it's a violation of open meeting law not a violation open meeting law whether it was done as part of committee
appointments or whatever it was but just to do it in such a way that nobody knew what was going on until after it happened was wrong and I appreciate your apology but it's gotten to us to the point where we are and the the other point I wanted to
bring up again I know everybody probably wants to get out of is that um I mean the language is very very similar to a proposal that was brought before the board um LX committee and it was debated for numerous hours
and then voted down by the committee because they didn't think it was well and all of a sudden a real similar project gets slammed down your throat or however you want to say it as part of the new current proposal that's being
presented today And and that is wrong. There's a all these people that volunteer, whether it's Howard, whether it's Walter, whether it's everybody else, they they come here, they're not here for the money. They're here for the love of the lake. They're here to protect the
watershed and and to discriminate against them, saying, you know, you can't vote. Why would somebody want to come to a meeting, be part of the watershed and and do all this stuff if they're being told, "Okay, now you can't vote. You just got to go off over here and other people are going to do it." They're the experts. They're the people
that have the time and they're the people that know and all of a sudden they're going to be excluded. And and the consistency in which the the the exclusion is is not consistent for to the rest of your your town committees and the way everything
operates. And I think you need to reconsider and and come up with a better solution because there are a lot of people that love Lake Biola, do a lot for the lake that feel like they got um sat on. >> Thank you.
>> Thank you, J. >> Yep. I see one hand Zachary online. Zachary, >> go ahead. >> Still muted. >> Hi. Uh my name is Zachary Harrison. I just want to add uh one quick po uh quick quick point um just kind of back
off of what George and other people have said is I'm a member of the LYA um board of directors and also in my free time I am a social and civics teacher and I think that trying to move LWEA
membership from the advisory board is a bad idea and one thing that I always tell my students is that advising And giving your input is a huge aspect of being a good citizen, being a good role model. And that's what
teachers and as a social studies teacher, what I want to do, make sure that they're going to be better students and better people of society. Limiting people who have the most buyin, who care about the lake from this committee makes no sense to me. It's
kind of like if you think about Congress, you have armed forces, you know, committees. All of them are veterans. They know the issues. They know what is wrong. They know how they can fix it. So my two cents is the
reason why we have this advisory committee is to make sure that the lake is in the best place it can be. And the people that care the most about the lake and the people that have the most buyin is some other people in here are also members of LWA.
PE just like George said, it's volunteer and we do so much for the community and I think that, you know, representation in all forms is important. So, I really would recommend that you guys reconsider your vote. >> Thank you, Zach Brief. Um,
I see your hand, Matteo. I'm gonna go to Michael and then you, Michael. Yeah. I go take care of um I do not live on the lake but I live in Shoots Mary. Um and I would say my perspective is I've been on town committees for 20 years. I was on the select board, the school
committee. I'm on the planning board. I'm the chair of the energy and climate action committee. I was on the CPC. I was on the zoning board of appeals. I was on the broadband committee. I have a sense of how committees work in town. Um so that's the perspective I bring to it. Um I guess I one thing I would say and
Jennifer brought it up. I didn't hear anything in Mark's list of what ELWAC did that can't be done in a new ELWAC. It's about configuration. It's not about a committee achieving things. Every committee in town achieves things. We raise money. We deal with difficult issues. We try to engage people. That's
consistent. So, I applaud the select board and and Haley for thinking a new about how the committee should be. And I think it's really important that we bring LWAC into alignment with the rest of the the committees in town if not the way it's supposed to also work in the
Commonwealth. Um it's an aspirus right now. I think the way it's designed and it should not be. Um so I have some specific things that I just wanted to address. Um, in terms of the mission, you all got my email, so I'll
just sort of highlight this, but for the general public, in the mission at the beginning, it says, and my my approach is the lake is for Shootsbury residents. It's not for a subset. People around the lake don't necessarily care more than other people in town. It's a town resource, and we're all here for the
lake. We care about it. In my role in the planning board, we spent many hours talking about the lake. on the CPC we talked about the lake you know there's many comm committees are dealing with this um it's just part of town it's one part of town storm water energy and
climate action it's a big big deal um so when the mission it says the mission of LAC is to serve as a municipal leazison to the lake community and to advise the select board my suggestion is to change that and just say the mission of is to advise the select board there's no reason to call out as a liaison to this
the lake community and what is the lake community and why is it special? As we've talked about, committees that are appointed advise the select board. The select board is making the decision. So the whole idea is you have a committee, you have figure out who's on it and then they advise there. There's no reason to
be a liazison. You can have people who are leazing within it. Um I would propose adding an addition additional function around recreation. um you know as town meeting we had a discussion a couple years ago about that but in
adding a recreational member it also sort of reflects there's a there's a function about recreation that's important that's a lot of why people go to the lake that's how they use the lake so putting it in and I suggest it's the language but I think that's important um a small thing in terms of the town and
operational technical staff I think it should be the fire chief or the emergency management director although history is that it's the same person, it won't necessarily be. So, I think that needs to be just separated out so we don't trip over it in the future. Um,
and I do support the expanded membership in terms of the committee representation. Um, in terms of voting, I'm not going to go there right this second. I think the big thing, and I think Jennifer mentioned it, you know, the passion and the sense of being cut out is about the community representation. My suggestion is
actually two residents from Shootsbury living anywhere in town, one resident of Shootsbury living in the Lake Boa wershed and one non-resident property owner within the Lake Boershed. There shouldn't necessarily be calling out because someone's part of a group.
If you're if you live around the lake, you could be part of the Lake Boy association or not. um you have a stake in the lake and if you look around the lake we want to make sure the voices are there and then I have a non-resident as well but currently it's actually the
inverse the people who live in town who are not part of the lake have less of a voice than other people and I think it should be just residents generally speaking without having that title um in terms of the terms um I think three
years staggered is okay Um, I have two thoughts about that. The way appointments work now, appointments are one year at a time for many committees. I would say if we're going to align with other committees, it should be one year appointments and you can free up. Um, and that's sort of how it goes. That's
standard for many of the committees in town. If it was a three-year, I think just like finance committee for example and others, you have a limits to renewal. There should not be people serving for decades. That does not expand voice. >> Finance has two three. Yeah.
>> So, three years. >> Yeah. There's got to be a limit on how many removals. >> Um because otherwise it's not really a representative committee. It's not bringing in new voices fresh. >> Um and I do think the conflict of interesting is really important. So, I applaud Haley for sort of identifying
that. Um if you were to sort of keep, you know, the LWA designation, it really is important to have a limit of how many voices are representing the community because that's a community spots. Um it it
shouldn't be underestimated that that's important. It's just the whole idea of being on a committee. And I guess I would just say this for people who have said, you know, volunteering and putting in hours. These folks put in a gazillion hours. I put in a gazillion hours. Cath put in a gazillion hours. People put in
a gazillion hours because they care about this town. And it's not about, you know, just the lake. It's about the town. And so the whole idea is to think more broadly. And I think I just I'll end by saying you should go forth with what the recommendations are. There's some tweaking, but generally speaking, I
think it's really appropriate for alignment, for consistency, for legality, um, and to expanding voices panel. So, thank you very much. >> Thank you, Michael. Hey um
as Michael brought it up too there is now here that's working with the lake and for the tap on that that defines the wershed wershed if wershed community continues
to be used could be very useful to have some actual definition of what is the wershed then we all understand what what we're Okay. People who live in that wershed who might not necessar >> thank you Jennifer look at that
>> right I don't care then I'm going to detail >> no one touched on this point but I think that something that considered because there was something that was recently brought up as part of the formal lwack vote involving
the private roads around there. So I'd ask if there's a storm water committee that's there and if there was no representation of the Lake Wy association, you'd have people that are outside
of the association membership making decisions associated with private roads. And that's a big part of this. And I commend the town because Elwax started 15 years ago talking and I think Tracy
had brought concerns up about about the roads and and it started from a roads committee and Mr. Elliott had put together and worked with folks from the Quavin who developed best management practice just as some general guidance.
It wasn't like this big formal plan that everyone thought it was. So, um, but with that and with the repairs that are going to be coming up on the dam, the whole watershed is going to come into play on that. But the bottom line is the
property owners whose lake pron property extends out to above the town's property and the dam. And it is all going to come into play. and he could potentially have people from outside of those areas with no property
ownership interests making decisions. Nice. >> Uh Matteo, >> how do you add to the list? Can I just be >> hi Matteo? Matteo Pangalo on Locks Pond Road and um you know I've I've lived on
the lake and I've not lived on the lake in Shootsbury and I am technically in the watershed area now I guess. Um I had just two things. First the conflict of interest law about appointing um uh employees to uh voting membership on a
committee doesn't apply to towns under 2,000. Um so in Shootsbury I think we're still at 1,800 or so. Uh so that you know that really doesn't apply to us. But I do want to echo uh Michael and
Jennifer's uh points. Um I've heard a few things raised today that I'm a little concerned about. I I disagree with the presumption that only Shootsbury residents who live on Lake Wyola can adequately care about the lake or or or have the adequate expertise to
serve on Elwack. Um, I know because I lived there that our lake residents provide a tremendous service in their stewardship of the lake, but there are many Shootesbury residents who use the lake on a regular basis and who also care about it deeply and could serve ideally on Elwack. Uh, I think it's important for the select board to
remember the lake is a public resource. It's for all of Shootsbury residents and beyond. Uh, we all enjoy it and protect it. Uh, it does not belong only to the members of the Lake Wyola Association. It belongs to them as well, but it belongs to all of us. And it's also not ELWAC's function to ensure that the Lake
Wyola Association continues to have in the form of its guaranteed seats on Elwack an incentive to attract paying members. That's not the uh that's not the committee's charge. I would also I kind of there's something that came up earlier in the public comments. I wanted
to kind of resist this extremely, I think, troublesome argument that because someone pays a particularly high property tax or property tax at all, they are therefore entitled to a certain role in local governance. Um, I think that a pay-to-play scheme like that is contrary to the fundamental principles
of the democratic process. It implies that that those who are less affluent somehow deserve fewer opportunities for representation or less of a voice in our local government. I heard the phrase um uh property uh private property interests come up and I think that's a
concerning way to make a decision about um how our committee appointments are made. You know, I I see no reason why Lake Wyola Association members should not have a guaranteed voice on ELWAC. Um I think Michael's solution is a really elegant one, but I also see no reason why the community at large beyond the
Wyola district should not also have a voice on the committee. And I don't think that that's exclusion of anybody. I think it's the opposite. I think it's inclusion of more Shootsbury community members in the decisions that impact a resource that really is a Shootsbury resource and not just a an LWA resource.
So I I think that both, you know, both the community at large and members of LWA should have a seat at that table. >> Thank you. Um, Matteo. Um, I've really done my go. Norin. >> Hi. Norin P 19.
I'm a former president of Lake Association and I was on the board of Windat for 15 years and my sister retired. So, I'm no longer cat people. I knew it like holy
>> so I am very grateful to the select board and to Haley for taking on um this issue and for attempting to modernize and update and make it consistent with other town committees. I think it only
invites more people in our town to participate in down government and to learn about its learn more about its wonderful resource that belongs to all of us, not just a few of us. Um, and as
a member and a former president of the Lake Wyola Association, I unfortunately have to say that I don't feel like the Lake Wyola Association always completely attempts to listen to all the voices
around the lake. So, I am hopeful by um taking this more inclusive approach that more people who live on the lake and in different places on the lake, perhaps not right on the water. I do live right on the water. fortune to do that. We'll have more opportunity to um participate
in this process and have more direct say and policym. And finally, um I I agree with everything that Michael has proposed. I think it u makes a total of sense. I was going to suggest uh a definition a broad
definition of the watershed at the very least but I like Michael's even broader definition of it is the town this is the town's resource the town has put a lot of time and money and effort into this resource and um I appreciate it
>> thank you >> Katie top standings >> no you're all set okay all Okay. Uh Tracy, >> hi Tracy McDonald. I'm 82 Shore Drive. I do live over here for 16 years now. Um I
am a member of the Make My Own Association. Um I I just want to really highlight the fact that the lake is a great pond. So it's open to the general public. It's not it doesn't belong to any specific
organization. It doesn't belong to those of us who live at the lake. It is a community resource and beyond. I think that and beyond is very important. We can't restrict access to it. We can't restrict people coming in to vote from outside and coming to the Randle boat
launch. Um and so I think you know I I'm in complete agreement with Michael that uh we need you know there are plenty I know plenty of people because I work within the town. I clean houses in town and I know lots of people coming swimming every single day and they don't live at the lake. we have a conversation
about it all the time and they have their their own special interests. Um yeah, so you know the statement and I agree with Michael as well the statement liaison between select board and the community removed for a little bit of a different reason than Michael although I
guess I would say both. Um this isn't you know our town is a direct democracy. I have I get to speak directly to you. I do not have a representative that I choose or vote for in between me and you. And that's what LWA, you know,
saying that a liaison between the LWAC, you know, shouldn't be the liaison. It means that they I go to them to get to to you that that just doesn't make any sense. So, I feel restricted by that statement as um a resident.
Uh, so I I I that's that's my reason for thinking that that shouldn't be there. Um, and I too, you know, I really didn't want to bring anything negative tonight and but I do need to speak truth and Nori has spoken it and
I'm going to reiterate what she has said. I am a Lake W association member. I come to the meetings and and I'm a year-round resident. The thousand of people who come to the Lake Biola Association annual meetings are
non-resident folks season. >> The vast majority now we're going to give the floor. I understand she might face people disagree. Excuse me. Michael um we are going to listen to you know you disagree. Please be quiet. It's
she's got the floor. we gave all of you like that. I haven't interrupted you. Um, and so I I don't, you know, I don't feel that my interests are represented by the Lake Wyom Association, although I try to bring them to them and I continue
to um keep my membership. Um, and I'm hoping that that may change and I feel that the changes that are being made that are being proposed here by Haley and the select board will in the long run add to that to bring the residents
and non-resident community together. She's very and then the way I think she can become an organization that is participatory rather than um divisive. Hey uh anyone else online want to make a
comment before I turn to someone else here? No. Okay. Um is there um Mark, you wanted to go to the end? I'm going to see if anyone else wants to make a comment. Okay. >> Is anybody else in want to make a comment in person here if for an
additional Go ahead. >> I just want um to say two quick points. The Lake Wyola Association owns three private beaches around the lake. It also has the association hall and even though
we're a nonprofit, uh we do volunteer to pay taxes on that land to build the town. So, the Lake Royal Association has financially done things beyond what they needed to do. Just to make that clear. And the other thing is it's disappointing for me as a way member and
also I'm on the board um that the board works very hard very very hard um to do as much as we can with the time that we have with the money that we have and yes there are people in this room that might
be disappointed with oil association but there are also people in this room that are extremely happy with the association. We try and bring community. We held functions that invited everybody and anyone. A good example is we had the
water firing vote um on July 4th. It was not restricted to Lady Association members. It was open for anyone and everyone. And we had well over 40 children there, parents there, and the kids had a ball. There was no expense.
It was free. And the Lake Royal Association does lots of activities like that. And I'm sorry to hear that we have some people who are not happy with the dissociation because in all honesty if you see and hear and watch what we do um
with the help of so many people who um just want to make that lake a happy place and I I just hope that if you've heard that it's not a good organization come and visit us and come and see what we do and watch because I think you
would be very surprised that the low budget we uh and you'll dream among work that we do that is u for this wonderful community >> I have a word of caution for the select board and for Haley and her selection process whoever's on this committee um
the the lake bio advisory committee has worked hard over the years to maintain universal access to the lake Everybody's welcome, you know, come on and vote. We strive to not restrict anyone because
that's just not the way we are, right? But over a number of years, there's been attempts to restrict access to the land. There was the first one, 180 days. You can't use your property over 180 days. Um there was an attempt by a number of
years ago to restrict waterfront usage, right? by you can't do anything within 50 ft of the water. Well, virtually every house is in within 50 feet of the water. Um uh so that was another attempt at restrictions. It didn't pass for um I
hope this isn't uh this is an attempt to sort of create more restrictions on the lake. Now I'm using the follow example at the the uh um 2025 town meeting, right? There is a proposal to modify a warrant by make a
bylaw that in in effect this exact wording but in effect families with kids uh grandkids come to the lake on the weekend because they're working you know working families um uh they can't water ski on
Saturday and Sunday afternoons that was the effect of that what proposed that is an un unrealistic restriction on the It didn't pass the town meeting fortunately, but there was a 100 votes for it. So, there's at least 100 people
in the town who want to restrict access to this lake. And I caution the select board in Haley is that when you're when you're picking people, pick people who believe in universal access to the lake and not restrictive access to the lake.
and and and one of my concerns here is by watering down the votes of the homeowners on the lake, you we increase the probability of of creating a restriction on the lake. >> Thank you. >> So
I said two great things. >> Well, just in responding to that, the lake is open for everybody. And the way you said it, Mark, it sounds like Lac and LWA extended universal access to people. We have I'm just saying that's how I heard it. And I just want to
reiterate the fact that we all have access to the lake by definition of being in Massachusetts. If someone from New York, I come use the lake. It doesn't matter. It's universal access. I did vote for that because I actually think that that was a constructive conversation at town meeting. that being able to zip and run on a motorboard all
the time to me does not make it safe for people who are swimming in kayak to get the speed that they want. So it might please some people, it doesn't please other people. And so the whole idea is to come to negotiated ideas. Maybe you have to tweak them over time. Which comes to my second point
which is for you guys which is we're not debating whether LWAC is important or not, if it's done good work or not. We're not debating well about LWA if people you know come with good intention if they're going to do work. That's not the debate. The issue is we're coming to
this is town government. You're designing a town committee that works within the construct of town government, how it represents the needs of the town, its residents, and how the government functions. It's not. So, the testimonials are helpful, but that's not what we're about. You're trying to say we need a committee that actually is a
committee that's aligned with the way the town works and how do we design that to have maximum input and to be effective. I think that's what you have to figure out. >> Thank you, Michael. >> Okay. Um Dem or Eric, do you have any thoughts?
>> No, not no sitting here scratching my head. I think it's all out there. I think it's been a really good discussion. Really the whole uh >> well a lot of good arguments u for a lot of different points. Well done. >> Yeah. No, we appreciate you welcoming
and and our our next steps is to >> ponder all these and then sit down and have our discussion about where we are headed and what we want um you know what what we're what we're thinking and and
um make some decisions. And I think I don't know if I speak for both of you, Jim. we don't know what each other well but but I think we know we're not going to make everyone 100% has and so um that is the
downfall to a select work position is you can't make everybody happy. So um but but we can um work with these comments and work with work with the charge and work with everything and see if we can come to a better solution um
or a better committee. So, we appreciate you all. Um, and the work is up to us to figure this out in a way that um works as best as we can in a committee setting.
Yes. T >> one final question that I have. It seems you open this meeting. Why aren't you prepared tonight to resend the vote that you took so that you can make because
because what you're doing at this time where it's critical for the town to continue working towards like the damage stops being led by Elmer. Okay. Now you have dissolved committee that you have to restructure and you're going to lose about probably 11 or 12 of
us that were working on different things. So that there could become a point in time where it could be turnover or it could just become a standing committee as opposed to an ad hoc committee. So it seems like you've opened the door to
resend something but you're not doing it. >> Well, the comments tonight because we we had gone about this a different way. Now we have to we have to to think about the comments we just heard. I don't know that any one of us are ready just to jump in and make those corrections and
and talk that through this closing for the next three or four months. >> I don't expect it to be that period. >> I don't know. I don't expect us to be that
>> it was say that again. >> Our next meeting is the 21st. So um >> well by the time by the time FR had was presumed by September. So >> yeah. >> Oh yeah. Well she said that was just that was just a suggestion for the process based on some of the other work
we've done. Right. So we can speed it up and we can slow it down in any way that >> and we can always add special. We added the one on the first. So >> like if they can put her >> south petition right
>> a citizen petition you can >> there is a citizen petition option or anything in town actually and it's been used that way. >> So yeah no there's always those things but then that would put it out until um May. So um but the intention is not to
not to have this languished and and such. you know, um, but we will we will think about it and have our discussion and figure out our our uh how to incorporate and come up with um a a committee that
that still does the work that ALAC is doing and still that has a best membership and and you know that's our work today. Yes. >> Could you clarify what is the parent status of our black kids? disband it.
>> That was your vote. The vote was to disband and then when we did the committee appointments at a previous meeting, the LWAC committee names came in after the 24 48 hour posting limit. So we did not receive the names in time
to make appointments to LWAC in any event. So e so you could vote to resend the disbandment but there would not be a standing committee because the names were not given in time to post for that meeting
if you stay in the committee that I could be appointed that was my fault because it took me a while I thanked everybody and make sure that if they were still wanted to be on the committee so I was a daily call short I apologize for that >> that's okay
>> in the committee spent three months trying to for to recommend something to you related to the membership itself. >> So, so if you did vote to resend there would >> you would have it but there would just be there would not be anyone appointed until a time when you made that
appointment or you you know and obviously you could decide well we'll hold off on the appointments until we do the charge or decide one way and you you could come back at your next meeting and do that. So you do have some options um in terms of how you want to handle that. last
minute. >> So if we could resend that >> resend our last vote >> and then Yeah. And then but like you said it'd be no >> there's no on the committee. >> There's no one on the committee. Yeah. So what does it be next time? >> Okay. Now I know that >> I didn't think you can do that action
because it's not on the agenda. It wasn't posted as an action board would take. So you have to execute anyway. >> And you make a good point. Well, if there was if there was a perceived issue that initially maybe we should have Donna here. If there was a perceived issue procedurally
with the last vote, um, you know, I'm not sure that that would still hold. >> I think if you put it on the agenda and people knew that the select board was considering resending their vote, the whole idea is an educated voter >> would know to attend or not attend. >> You think that was a potential
remediation for >> it's still an action? That's significant. Maybe you should get the >> So maybe you should p and then we can hold the >> purpose. The purpose for rescending the one purpose for rescending would be to allow the committee to continue opinion work. But
>> it can't so why I don't see how rescending really gives you any value >> functionally doesn't give you any value. >> Yeah. But did it anyways? >> No, the agenda it didn't have >> the agenda had the appointment and in the course of making a committee
appointment it is standard practice for for a select board in any community to say we we'll look at the the committee and what it does. Um so I mean I think practically speaking there there is no real difference,
right? because if if there's not anyone that's been appointed, it doesn't matter whether or not there was a vote to disband because there's no one standing on that committee right now. It has to get addressed later. And to Michael's point, there can be a pro there can be a more detailed posting for a future
meeting. So >> and those of us >> so now the difficulty of open meeting lock received our package just prior to when you took that vote would have been reappointed to the committee if you didn't resend it
maybe against all the meeting I think >> not in my understanding because the names came in after the posting so you weren't officially appointed at that point because you weren't included on the the agenda for that evening lw WAC's weren't on it because we didn't get that inside.
>> You weren't. So if you got a packet, >> all the names were listed on our agenda. You have to name all the names on the meeting. >> Excuse me. >> That might have been an error and you know, we can look into that, but >> right, go ahead.
So, in terms of posting names on the agenda, that is true if the select board is reasonably able to know who they will be appointing before the 48 hour deadline. If you don't know who you'll be appointing before the 48 hour
deadline, sorry, I'm out of breath. I just had to groom my dog inside. uh uh if you don't know who you'll be appointing before the 48 hour deadline, if that information is being presented to the select boards at a meeting, then
you can appoint people at a meeting. It doesn't need to the names don't need to be on the agenda. I understand we've gotten a couple knocks on our open meeting law record about this specific issue, but the the thing that really matters, the detail that matters for
this record is did you know ahead of time or not? That's the first thing. The second thing is that um talking to my dog who is currently uh just scratching on the glasses next to
my ear and it's very disgusting. Um the second thing is that in terms of the agenda posting, you guys can always say that you're going to discuss things that might come up after the 48 hour deadline and then
add a disclaimer on the end of that that item on the agenda saying uh if you know to the extent that if this comes up. So, in terms of the posting and in terms of the appointing, you guys
absolutely can appoint if you need to. Uh, the names have to be the on the agendas if you know ahead of time. If you don't know ahead of time and you can explain to the attorney general's office why you didn't, then it
the names don't need to be on the agenda. That was what I had said. end up. Um, >> yeah. >> All right. >> I'm not sure that clarified DNA. >> Um,
>> yeah. Well, I I did it. It did. It did. I know that I just checked and the names for ELC were not on that list that we did the, you know, the list of names that we did there. So they weren't appointed that night um after the 48 hours. >> Question. >> Yes.
>> So can you not just resend vote and go back and say mo make a motion to say that the committee continues to function as is until we've made a decision on when it structure should change. >> Um how was listed for us? That's the
that's the question. So, so the the agenda that for fort that had been out was to discuss hold on sorry public comment Lake Wyola and Lake Wyola advisory committee and then the joint committee and discussion with the current ad hoc Lake Wyola advisory
committee to discuss disbandment of an ad hoc committee to permanent committee proposed permanent committee charge. Um when we have a vote, we put um what we're going to vote potential and that's
always a vote. We can always decide not to vote on it or to vote different way, but when there is a vote, we always put that we're voting on something so the public knows when we're voting on on um this unless it's a contract that we've got in there or there's there's a whole
variety of things we vote on as general business that we don't always >> sometimes it doesn't. But it does sound like the from what I'm hearing is that there's a lot that the board wants to consider, >> right? >> And and even though it may not be popular there, there is it is okay to press pause and
say that you want to come back to it at another meeting. >> Yeah. So I think um in light of of agenda that the vote that was >> I don't remember. I was trying to find >> it didn't say that there was a vote. That is correct. But it could come up in
the conversation of that committee member. >> Yes. >> If because the committee ceases to exist because they weren't appointed at the last meeting, how are
we having a joint meeting with that? >> Good point. And then just um Yeah. No, that's a >> practice, >> huh? >> Practice for what? >> Practice, right? Um,
>> so I think I think for us right now being with all these questions surrounding particularly um that I think we I think we have to pause and not do a vote and >> I think it's Yeah.
>> stick with what um for right now um >> check with Donna. >> Yeah. Yeah. And check with Donna. Um, >> you know, I don't think she's on vacation. >> She's back. >> She is. Okay. Um, so we'll check with
Donna and we'll ask all all of these questions. Um, >> I think that's the best way to go for now. >> I don't think want to muddy the water anymore. >> It's already pretty
>> that doesn't exist anymore. we shouldn't be having any more meetings. Is that my correct understanding that you just said? >> Yes, for for our vote, but also for not being reappointed. So, um even if we did resend, they're still not reappointed.
Um >> it's important to like point out that the Delac meets traditionally the appointments have always run this way anybody um not every three years. And then second of all is that meeting minutes
are mostly publicly they are open to public and that's how discouraging. >> Well Melissa have you at your next meeting posted on your on your >> next meeting we have two weeks so we have plenty of 48 hour moments. Then you
can with long to send the action of disbanding Elwack and in order to let Elwack continue until such time as you've made your final decision. So
>> yeah, we can do that at right. So we can do that >> while we wait for your decision. You can do that as much as the meeting want. >> We can always right and the slipboard has a habit and a best practice maybe of um sticking meetings in everywhere. So
you know it is something we can have a one topic meeting for as well >> early. >> Yeah. Right. >> So that'll be a discussion for us with Haley when we get to our that point of the agenda.
Yep. Okay. Okay. That thought. Okay. Um so I guess that this is where we'll end that um that discussion. Thank you everybody for coming and giving us your
information. you think of anything after, email us. Um, so we can add that in our thought processes. >> I'm not sure you have to close, Mar. >> If you'd like to best practice, you can.
So, you got to call it for the holiday. >> I still can't really hear out of it here. I have one of those. Let everybody have a couple sense of >> material.
I know when I Good though. I still felt very efficient. It was a good flow. Great idea. Well, I figured, you know, normally we don't have much, but I figured that volume >> I don't have much time
on but not finished. I'll be right back. I told you we are >> all recording. Yeah, >> I already >> it was
actually good. >> And one day we might have more than 2,000 people >> if we're lucky. the committee just >> I just looked up found this piece of paper,
>> you know, ways to go. >> Did you skip? >> I was on it then I had then I was I filled out somebody's terms. So I got sort of longer terms and so I had my own terms that
>> that's how you can do it. So I think >> this your first >> meeting on the cemetery commission. >> I don't want to get on camera. They just painted it incredible committee now. No.
>> Okay. No, we have not. >> Okay. >> We have to officially Okay. Do you want to hear a motion to adjurnn? >> We do. You got nothing to say for your administrator. No administrative administrator to >> someone wants to hear a second. All
those in favor >> start all nine. Big only.