Lee Select Board Meeting – June 16, 2026

The Lee Select Board met on June 16, 2026. The meeting covered public comment, a third-party odor review under the town's host community agreement with Green Theory Cultivation, the former Price Chopper property, proclamations, licenses, appointments, and the town administrator's report. All votes were unanimous unless otherwise noted.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Kathy Hall, a Lee citizen, raised two concerns. First, she said the town's redesigned website made it difficult to find meeting agendas and she had to call Town Hall for help. Staff responded that the website vendor had forced a platform migration and that the new site has filtering and subscription features. Second, she requested a joint meeting among the Lee Youth Commission, Parks and Recreation, DPW, and the Town Planner to clarify responsibility for maintaining fields and playgrounds, citing two recent vandalism incidents at the athletic field, the need for a maintenance plan for the coming ninja playground, and a winter when ice skating did not happen until she contacted the town administrator. The town administrator said a seasonal parks employee will be added starting July 1 and offered to reach out to the relevant chairs.

Consent Calendar / Routine Approvals

• Approved the prior meeting minutes unanimously.
• Reappointed Andrea Wadsworth to the FY27 Berkshire Regional Transit Authority (BRTA) Advisory Board.
• Appointed Troy Barola as a per-diem Firefighter/EMT, based on Fire Chief Ryan Brown's recommendation.
• Appointed Matthew Camp to the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA).

Discussion Items

Host Community Agreement / Odor Review – Green Theory Cultivation

• Third-party odor consultant Michael Lannon of Tech Environmental presented findings from an early-morning site visit. He detected odor along Route 102 but found it less skunky than typical because new carbon filtration was in place. The facility has four grow rooms total: one mother room and three flowering rooms on staggered eight-week cycles, with four new carbon canisters installed in each flowering room.
• Lannon reported the facility operates at neutral pressure rather than positive or negative pressure, and that translucent roof panels had slid and bowed, creating gaps likely to allow odor to escape. He recommended sealing the panels, conducting a leakage test, moving to negative pressure, creating an odor management plan, and staggering carbon canister replacement to maintain odor control. He said there was no existing odor management plan, the maintenance record was weak, and the assessment was a one-day snapshot.
• Board members said the host community agreement promised no odors, but odors had persisted for at least two years despite repeated promises. Board member Sean expressed dismay that promises did not appear to have been made earnestly. Board member Gordon said neighbors on Highfield Drive, Route 102, Clark's Nursery, and Meadow Street were tired of the odor, and he was ready to discontinue the agreement if conditions were not met. The chairman emphasized the issue was solely the enforceable no-odor agreement, not an endorsement or condemnation of cannabis.
• The board voted unanimously to table the matter to the next meeting and to require a company representative to attend with a written improvement plan submitted in advance.

88 West Park Street (former Price Chopper)

• Town Administrator Chris reported the building is for sale, listed at $3 million, and that the town's earlier purchase offer was declined; the parties remain far apart.
• The board approved, contingent on owner Mohammed Zabian's signature, an agreement allowing continued town use of the parking lot for special events. The town would provide and maintain barricades at the West Park Street entrance and would name the owner as an additional insured; events would be coordinated in advance and the agreement renews annually unless the property is sold or leased.

FY27 Board/Committee Reappointments

• The board discussed a policy requiring board and committee appointees to complete annual professional development. ZBA member Kristen O'Brien had signed up for a course; another member, Francine, had not yet confirmed training; and Conservation Commission member Marilyn Hansen was not on the posted list and will be handled separately.
• The board approved the posted FY27 reappointments conditionally, requiring confirmation that training requirements are completed before appointment.

Proclamations

• Proclaimed July 11, 2026, as Mary Swift Day in Lee, recognizing Mary Swift's more than 20 years in Lions International and service as district governor for the 2025 Lions year.
• Proclaimed June 2026 as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Month in Lee.

Licenses and Permits

• Approved a one-day entertainment license for All Hallows Eve 2026, scheduled for October 17, 2026, from noon to 5 p.m.; organizers Nicole and Carrie said it was the third year and was chamber-sponsored.
• Approved a Berkshire Gas permit for a new gas service at 120 Silver Street.
• Approved a temporary sign permit for St. Mary's School bingo advertising and waived the fee.
• Approved a request to film a scene for the movie Caroline on Main Street on Thursday, June 18, 2026, for up to two hours, in front of Ben's and Main Street Comics, with a police detail and pedestrian rerouting.

Other Announcements

• Announced a free public lecture by historian Justin Jackson, Frontier of Revolution: Berkshire County and America's Democratic Foundations, on Monday, June 22, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. at Greenock Country Club.
• Announced an at-large vacancy on the Community Preservation Committee because Stephen Belafado is moving; interested residents may contact the town administrator.

Town Administrator Report

• The new town website is live after a forced platform migration; staff are fixing remaining glitches. Agendas are now grouped by board or committee, with subscription and filtering options available.
• The public safety building's structural steel is nearly complete; the final beam is scheduled for June 17, 2026, at 1 p.m.
• The town received a $250,000 state technology grant to build an internal fiber-optic network connecting town buildings, with the new public safety building as the hub.
• An intermunicipal agreement for animal control services with neighboring towns, with Lee as the lead town, was approved by Town Meeting; the board authorized the chair to sign the IMA.

Key Outcomes

• All votes taken during the meeting were unanimous.
• The host community agreement/odor issue was tabled to the next meeting; the company must provide a written improvement plan in advance.
• The 88 West Park Street parking-use agreement was approved, contingent on the owner's signature.
• The next regular meeting was scheduled for July 7, 2026, and the meeting was adjourned.