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Record of Proceedings

Lee Select Board Meeting - November 4, 2025

Selectboard & Town Boards — Tuesday, November 4, 2025
BodyLee, Massachusetts
SessionSelectboard & Town Boards
DateTuesday, November 4, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 39:59

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Unassigned speaker

0:00

um

Speaker 1

0:00

all right seven o'clock seven o'clock i'll call the meeting order thank

Unassigned speaker

0:09

you

Speaker 1

0:10

and uh before we get started i'll read that pursuit to mass general law chapter 30 a section 20 um i'm informing everybody that a video and an audio recording is being made of this meeting that will our first order of business is approval of the minutes of our Tuesday October 21st meeting

Unassigned speaker

0:34

and

Speaker 2

0:34

Mr.

0:34

Chair I move that we approve the minutes from October 21st meeting

Speaker 1

0:41

and I will second any further discussion hearing on all those in favor all right all

Unassigned speaker

0:48

right

Speaker 1

0:49

next order of business we have a public hearing and this is in regards to an ownership slash change is it a it's a transfer of license because of a new ownership of a restaurant so do we have the applicants here you guys yeah

Unassigned speaker

1:06

so

Speaker 1

1:07

do you wanna just tell us what what's going on and yeah

Unassigned speaker

1:11

hi

Grace Enchel · Speaker 3Inferred

1:11

I'm Grace Enchel here representing uh Viva Senco de Mayo LLP and all three members of the LLP here and they are purchasing the restaurant business Helusco Cantina 8587 Main Street there and we are applying for transfer of the WICA license

Speaker 4

1:31

we

Grace Enchel · Speaker 3Inferred

1:32

have our proposed manager set up here and she's been hit certified in Massachusetts has experience managing restaurants during Alcohol New York as

Unassigned speaker

1:43

well

Grace Enchel · Speaker 3Inferred

1:43

and the concept the restaurant only remain the same the name the hours the license premises really smooth seamless transition change of ownership and then transfer of the license eat

Unassigned speaker

1:58

we

Grace Enchel · Speaker 3Inferred

1:59

have an a lease there to occupy the premises and

Unassigned speaker

2:02

we

Grace Enchel · Speaker 3Inferred

2:03

will assign that lease from the current to uh

Unassigned speaker

2:07

do

Grace Enchel · Speaker 3Inferred

2:07

the three

Unassigned speaker

2:10

and if you

Grace Enchel · Speaker 3Inferred

2:10

have any questions I'd be happy to answer them.

Speaker 1

2:13

Yeah sure um it seems to me that every we have all the documentation Bob did you have anything you wanted to ask

Unassigned speaker

2:21

you

Speaker 2

2:21

changing the menu

Unassigned speaker

2:23

just

Speaker 2

2:23

teasing

Grace Enchel · Speaker 3Inferred

2:25

there may some new menu I have so we have the fire detail there's any authentic Mexican would be well

Speaker 2

2:31

it's a good it's a great restaurant

Grace Enchel · Speaker 3Inferred

2:33

family business and family restaurant would be a great addition to channel and remain a great gathering spot

Speaker 1

2:40

yeah and just uh just for clarity no change hours or operations days or anything like

Unassigned speaker

2:47

that

Speaker 1

2:48

um there's nothing further Bob from you I will open this up for comment is it being a public hearing gotta let anybody who wants to comment the giving them the floor so there's anybody on zoom or here in person that has anything they'd like to say now is the time

Unassigned speaker

3:16

I

Speaker 1

3:16

don't see any hands on Zoom or anybody stepping forward so um

Unassigned speaker

3:21

I

Speaker 1

3:21

don't have anything I have any further questions um seems like everything's in order so I would entertain a motion for approval um it was a transfer

Speaker 2

3:33

Mr.

Unassigned speaker

3:33

Chair I moved that we uh we approved the transfer of the annual all alcohol license from East Co Cantina LLC doing business is Jalisco Cantina uh Mexican Cafe to vivo cinco de mayo LLC doing business as Jalisco Cantina uh at 8587 main street uh and I will second and if there's no further discussion on transfer of license hearing none all those in favor all right aye thank you thank you nothing thank you and good luck thanks to you okay so next order of business we have uh public comment um so if there's anybody on zoom or if you're in person that would like to make a comment at this time I see one hand raised the cathy unmute yourself and introduce yourself and what do you have going on and you gotta unmute please Kathy there we go thought I hit the button but I guess not but anyways Kathy Hall um I have a question and it's um do we have somebody um representing the cable company uh I know we used to we do the you mean on our advisory cable advisory board yeah you know because I I have a question about um and I don't know if it's appropriate here or it's something else but for spectrum that um they do allow streaming except for channel one three oh two which is the education channel and

Unassigned speaker

5:00

Uh I know we used to we do the you mean on our advisory cable advisory board.

Speaker 5

5:06

Yeah you know because I I have a question about um and I don't know if it's appropriate here or it's something else but for Spectrum that um they do allow streaming except for channel one three oh two which is the education channel and the only way you can get that is if you um get the cable box and my question is why is that so different from getting this channel um on you know spectrum or getting um the public um access one as well um it's very confusing um and I just wondered if there was a committee or somebody there

Speaker 1

5:57

we do actually have a member of the on the advisory committee but did you have something yeah well

Speaker 6

6:01

I was just gonna say she's been appointed but they haven't met since then yet so she's a brand new member but if you want to email me Kathy I can forward it to her they they did the renegotiation of the contract last year um and they haven't I don't believe they posted any meetings since then um so our new member hasn't been to anything yet but I do have contacts for the chair and we can send it to them too if you

Unassigned speaker

6:27

want

Speaker 5

6:28

okay thank you very much okay that's it thank

Speaker 1

6:33

you anyone else have a comment they would like to meet anybody so we will move on into general business which our first order of general business for tonight is a hawker peddler application we have considered Christopher on Zoom the applicant Chris do you want to just uh introduce yourself and let everybody know what you're uh trying to do

Unassigned speaker

7:03

here

Speaker 7

7:04

yeah thank you uh good evening members of the board uh Tana Lee my name is Christopher Hewitt I am a uh representative from Trinity Solar I am requesting a permit to solicit in your town I do understand some towns can be a little weary of door knockers and um having done this for a little while now knocking thousands of doors I can understand why um I I do just come before you respectfully requesting that you grant the permit um I am intending to solicit consultations so I'm not actually selling anything to your residents I'm just trying to schedule appointments for them to learn more about the green communities program to see if they could qualify for that and we do not charge for

Unassigned speaker

7:46

it

Speaker 1

7:49

we are we're not a green communities though is

Unassigned speaker

7:51

that

Speaker 1

7:52

an issue for

Unassigned speaker

7:53

him right

Speaker 6

7:55

yeah we're we've never adopted this right

Speaker 1

7:58

yeah yeah so anyway

Unassigned speaker

8:00

I don't know

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Historic Preservation██████████████████████████████████34%
Procedural████████████████████20%
Public Engagement██████████10%
Community Engagement████████8%
Affordable Housing██████6%
Entertainment Licenses████4%
Zoning and Land Use████4%
Budget Equity Analysis████4%
Public Safety████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Lee Select Board Meeting - November 4, 2025

The Lee Select Board met on Tuesday, November 4, 2025 at 7:00 PM. The meeting included approval of previous minutes, a public hearing for an alcohol license transfer, public comment, consideration of a hawker peddler application, extensive discussion of the 250th anniversary committee formation, and several routine approvals and appointments.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Kathy Hall raised a question about Spectrum cable's streaming restrictions on the education channel (1302) and asked where to address it. The board referred her to the cable advisory committee and offered to forward her concerns.

Discussion Items

  • Transfer of All Alcohol License (Public Hearing): The board held a public hearing for the transfer of the all-alcohol license from East Co Cantina LLC (doing business as Jalisco Cantina Mexican Cafe) to Viva Cinco de Mayo LLP, doing business as Jalisco Cantina at 8587 Main Street. The applicant, Grace Enchel, represented the LLP and confirmed no changes to hours, menu, or operations. No public comment was offered. The board voted unanimously to approve the transfer.
  • Hawker Peddler Application: Christopher Hewitt of Trinity Solar requested a permit to solicit in town for solar consultations under the Green Communities program. Discussion clarified that Lee is not a Green Community, but the applicant explained he only seeks to pre-qualify homes for information. The board discussed the no-solicitation list. The transcript does not record a formal vote, but the board moved on to the next item without rejecting the application, implying approval was granted.
  • 250th Anniversary Committee Formation: The board continued discussion from a previous meeting. Chris presented a proposed committee structure including members from various town boards (Select Board, Agricultural Commission, Community Preservation, Cultural Commission, Greener Gateway, Historical Commission, Youth Commission, Parks & Recreation), two members at large, the Chamber of Commerce director, and ex-officio members (town planner, administrative assistant). Kathy Hall suggested including school representatives. Alex Hedinger (Chamber director) emphasized planning for grants and funding. Peggy discussed a time capsule and youth involvement. The board agreed to reach out to listed organizations and boards for participation. No formal vote was taken; the discussion set direction for next steps.
  • Recommendation from Board of Public Works to Add Member to Public Safety Building Committee: Bob and Chris moved to postpone the appointment indefinitely, noting that the Board of Public Works already has a member (Rob Wright) on the committee and that the construction phase is largely complete. The motion to postpone indefinitely passed unanimously.
  • Gas Service Permits: Two permits from Berkshire Gas were approved individually. First: partial service relocation at 51 Park Street (already completed). Second: gas service abandonment at 770 Summer Street (on private property). Both approved unanimously.
  • Temporary Sign Permit Amendment: The board amended an existing sign permit for the Congregational Church to include two banners on the park fence for their holiday fair (November 15-22, 2025) and waived the fee. Approved unanimously.
  • Appointments: Laura Brown was appointed to the Affordable Housing Trust (filling the fourth of five positions). Ashley Salvini was promoted from alternate to full member of the Board of Public Works. Both approved unanimously.

Town Administrator's Report

  • Chris provided an update on the FY27 budget process: capital budget nearly complete, most department budgets received (mostly level-funded or slightly decreased), contractual raises and COLA increases included, with health insurance costs expected to rise. A draft budget will be presented to the board and finance committee by end of November, with department reviews beginning early December. The goal is to offset increased debt service for the public safety building and health insurance costs.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved minutes of October 21, 2025 meeting (unanimous).
  • Approved transfer of alcohol license for Jalisco Cantina (unanimous).
  • Approved two Berkshire Gas permits (unanimous).
  • Approved sign permit amendment for Congregational Church (unanimous).
  • Appointed Laura Brown to Affordable Housing Trust (unanimous).
  • Appointed Ashley Salvini to Board of Public Works (unanimous).
  • Postponed indefinitely the appointment of Dave to Public Safety Building Committee (unanimous).
  • Hawker peddler application likely approved (no recorded vote but board proceeded).
  • No formal decision on 250th anniversary committee; next steps agreed: outreach to boards and organizations.

Meeting Transcript

um all right seven o'clock seven o'clock i'll call the meeting order thank you and uh before we get started i'll read that pursuit to mass general law chapter 30 a section 20 um i'm informing everybody that a video and an audio recording is being made of this meeting that will our first order of business is approval of the minutes of our Tuesday October 21st meeting and Mr. Chair I move that we approve the minutes from October 21st meeting and I will second any further discussion hearing on all those in favor all right all right next order of business we have a public hearing and this is in regards to an ownership slash change is it a it's a transfer of license because of a new ownership of a restaurant so do we have the applicants here you guys yeah so do you wanna just tell us what what's going on and yeah hi I'm Grace Enchel here representing uh Viva Senco de Mayo LLP and all three members of the LLP here and they are purchasing the restaurant business Helusco Cantina 8587 Main Street there and we are applying for transfer of the WICA license we have our proposed manager set up here and she's been hit certified in Massachusetts has experience managing restaurants during Alcohol New York as well and the concept the restaurant only remain the same the name the hours the license premises really smooth seamless transition change of ownership and then transfer of the license eat we have an a lease there to occupy the premises and we will assign that lease from the current to uh do the three and if you have any questions I'd be happy to answer them. Yeah sure um it seems to me that every we have all the documentation Bob did you have anything you wanted to ask you changing the menu just teasing there may some new menu I have so we have the fire detail there's any authentic Mexican would be well it's a good it's a great restaurant family business and family restaurant would be a great addition to channel and remain a great gathering spot yeah and just uh just for clarity no change hours or operations days or anything like that um there's nothing further Bob from you I will open this up for comment is it being a public hearing gotta let anybody who wants to comment the giving them the floor so there's anybody on zoom or here in person that has anything they'd like to say now is the time I don't see any hands on Zoom or anybody stepping forward so um I don't have anything I have any further questions um seems like everything's in order so I would entertain a motion for approval um it was a transfer Mr. Chair I moved that we uh we approved the transfer of the annual all alcohol license from East Co Cantina LLC doing business is Jalisco Cantina uh Mexican Cafe to vivo cinco de mayo LLC doing business as Jalisco Cantina uh at 8587 main street uh and I will second and if there's no further discussion on transfer of license hearing none all those in favor all right aye thank you thank you nothing thank you and good luck thanks to you okay so next order of business we have uh public comment um so if there's anybody on zoom or if you're in person that would like to make a comment at this time I see one hand raised the cathy unmute yourself and introduce yourself and what do you have going on and you gotta unmute please Kathy there we go thought I hit the button but I guess not but anyways Kathy Hall um I have a question and it's um do we have somebody um representing the cable company uh I know we used to we do the you mean on our advisory cable advisory board yeah you know because I I have a question about um and I don't know if it's appropriate here or it's something else but for spectrum that um they do allow streaming except for channel one three oh two which is the education channel and Uh I know we used to we do the you mean on our advisory cable advisory board. Yeah you know because I I have a question about um and I don't know if it's appropriate here or it's something else but for Spectrum that um they do allow streaming except for channel one three oh two which is the education channel and the only way you can get that is if you um get the cable box and my question is why is that so different from getting this channel um on you know spectrum or getting um the public um access one as well um it's very confusing um and I just wondered if there was a committee or somebody there we do actually have a member of the on the advisory committee but did you have something yeah well I was just gonna say she's been appointed but they haven't met since then yet so she's a brand new member but if you want to email me Kathy I can forward it to her they they did the renegotiation of the contract last year um and they haven't I don't believe they posted any meetings since then um so our new member hasn't been to anything yet but I do have contacts for the chair and we can send it to them too if you want okay thank you very much okay that's it thank you anyone else have a comment they would like to meet anybody so we will move on into general business which our first order of general business for tonight is a hawker peddler application we have considered Christopher on Zoom the applicant Chris do you want to just uh introduce yourself and let everybody know what you're uh trying to do

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