Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.
The Bourne Select Board convened on October 7, 2026, with member Jean excused/absent. After a moment of silence, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a remote-access disclaimer, the Board found no one signed up for the initial public comment period. The Board then took up the Chapter 61A notice and appraisal process, approved several licenses and warrants, discussed town meeting articles and budget planning, and received operational updates.
Okay, big 7 p.m. I will call this meeting to order October 13th, 2026. Um this meeting may be recorded streamed by Bourne TV. Audience members record recording, please notify the chair. Born enterprise, um, please no flash photography. Um the zoom meeting webinar is 829-8050 3097, password born, all caps. Um just a disclaimer on the remote access, it is a courtesy. Uh the meeting will not be delayed or suspended due to technical issues that we are out of our control um via Zoom. So we just want to note that. All items in this agenda are the subject to deliberation and votes, and I'll call the meeting into open section. And first we have a moment of silence to recognize our troops and public safety personnel. Salute to the flag. Okay, so um, do we have anyone signed up here this evening for public comment? Anyone online? Do we see anyone? No hands raised in our webinar. No. All right. Seeing as we have no public comment, we will move on to our first agenda item or our fourth topic tonight. Uh it's related to the chapter 61A notices for say a roadborn dale road. Notice it notice of intent to convert approximately 61.8 acres. Um at our September 22nd meeting, we discussed, um, we directed the town administrator to proceed with ordering an appraisal on this subject property. Um she has done so, and a copy of that report is included in the board's packet and the public packet. Um, I'm pretty sure. It is my understanding that she also has a copy, provided us a copy of um to town council and the property owner and the property owner's council. Um that's accurate, right? Yes, okay. And uh we also have Brian Bertram here today, town council. So I'm gonna ask Brian to describe what happens next, and if you could outline what decisions the board must make tonight. Um, I'll I won't vary the lead, so there's not really any decisions that you need to make tonight. Um because we sort of made the decision at the last meeting, right? When we decided to commission the appraisal and send it to the landowner, which was done within 30 days under the statute, that sort of triggered um a process whereby they disagree with the price that our appraiser sort of appraised the land at, then they can go and get their own appraisal. And as we understand from communications received from them, that's what they're opting to do. Um they need to do that within 60 days of the original notice that they supplied to us. So just to backtrack in terms of the timeline that the statute allows for. We had to do our appraisal and deliver it within 30 days, which we did. And so now we're within a 60-day window running from that original notice where they need to have their appraisal done and deliver it back to us. They've communicated to us that they expect that it's going to be uh appraising the property as being worth a lot more than what our appraisal was, um, based on the fact that the land is already subject to a lease for battery energy storage. You know, we'll wait and see what that says. Um, the statute, if we encounter a situation where we have two sort of mildly different appraisals, and the town wants to proceed with the the option and we can't figure out a price, then um the statute then has us agree on a third appraiser. So basically, one would think that the appraising profession wrote this statute because there's a lot of appraisals involved. But that third appraisal would actually be the determination of the price if we get to that point. Um, right now we're just sort of stuck in the middle of the process. We're waiting on their appraisal to come back. out a price then um the statute then has us agree on a third appraiser so basically one would think that the appraising profession wrote this statute because there's a lot of appraisals involved but that third appraisal would actually be the determination of the price if we get to that point um you know right now we're just sort of stuck in the middle of the process we're waiting on their appraisal to come back so there's really other than giving you an update tonight and sort of discussing that there's not really anything that the select board needs to actually do um you know we we should start it doesn't have to be denied but it at some point if we're we're serious about this purchase and we think it's gonna fall within a price that the town is willing to pay we're gonna have to start thinking about you know where the money's gonna come from funding sources and all of that because this is there there's no special process under the statute for the acquisition of the land uh we're gonna need town meeting approval and an appropriation of funds from town meeting to do that and you know in my experience with the 61A process it's sort of getting across that finish line that often takes the longest because of the town meeting sort of calendar and doing that um the only other thing I'll I'll kind of speak to just because I'm sure the public is probably wondering about it and you are too and it's kind of connected to the 61a process is the entire concept of battery energy storage system best whatever you want to call it facility in the first place because under our our zoning by law you know you can do battery energy storage that's ancillary or connected to a solar field but there's really no use category in our zoning bylaw for a utility scale Bess all together.