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Record of Proceedings

Lee Select Board Meeting - September 1, 2026

Selectboard & Town Boards — Tuesday, September 1, 2026
BodyLee, Massachusetts
SessionSelectboard & Town Boards
DateTuesday, September 1, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 25:38

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

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:00

Welcome to the uh select board meeting of September 1st.

0:09

Calling the meeting to order pursuant to mass general law chapter 38 section 20.

0:14

I'm here by informing all attendees that a video and audio recording is being made in this meeting.

0:22

We have two sets of minutes to approve.

0:26

The open session minutes of uh August 18th with a joint meeting with the school committee.

Speaker 2

0:32

Mr.

0:33

Chairman, I'd make a motion that we approve the open session minutes of uh August 18th, 2026.

0:41

As written.

Speaker 1

0:44

I will second.

0:46

Is there any further discussion?

0:48

All those in favor then say aye.

0:50

Aye.

0:51

Aye.

0:52

Passes unanimously.

0:54

And the second set of minutes uh the uh

Speaker 3

0:57

we we did have two meetings on the same day.

Speaker 1

1:00

On the same day, but

Speaker 3

1:01

supposedly it seems uh

Speaker 1

1:03

but that was that then we've had a regular meeting.

1:05

Yeah, so we have a regular select board meeting the uh the open session minutes of August 18th for the select board meeting.

1:12

So I

Speaker 3

1:12

will move the regular open

Speaker 1

1:14

session minutes as we just approved the joint.

1:19

Right.

Speaker 2

1:19

I'll second that.

Speaker 1

1:23

All those in favor?

1:25

Aye.

1:25

It's unanimous.

1:27

All right, next over business number two, public comment.

1:31

Anyone from public have any concerns?

1:34

We got a hand raised up there on the left hand side.

Speaker 2

1:37

Something that's not on the agenda.

1:42

Oh

Speaker 1

1:42

yeah.

1:44

Kathy.

Speaker 4

1:46

Hi.

1:47

Can you hear me?

1:47

Yes.

1:49

Okay.

1:50

Now I just wanted to give a shout out for all the people that worked on and attended the grand opening of the ninja fit playground.

2:00

It was absolutely fabulous.

2:03

Uh great shout out to the people that worked for two weeks trying to get everything put together for the grand opening.

2:12

And um the uh ninja people will be there.

2:16

Um

Speaker 3

2:19

we got hacked.

2:21

We got hacked.

Speaker 2

2:25

There you go.

Speaker 3

2:29

Yeah.

2:33

Sorry everyone.

Unassigned speaker

2:42

I

Speaker 1

2:42

guess we're outward not zooming tonight, then right.

Speaker 5

2:45

I can start.

2:46

We can try

Speaker 3

2:46

again, but yeah, we don't want

Speaker 5

2:51

recording in progress.

Unassigned speaker

2:55

Oh,

Speaker 2

2:55

never mind.

Speaker 3

2:56

Try it again.

Speaker 2

2:58

I was gonna say something, but I will not.

3:06

Are we live on C?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Cannabis Regulation█████████████████████████25%
Procedural█████████████████17%
Parks and Recreation████████████12%
Zoning and Land Use█████████9%
Personnel Matters█████████9%
Public Safety████████8%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████8%
Public Engagement████████8%
Community Engagement████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Lee Select Board Meeting - September 1, 2026

The Lee Select Board met on September 1, 2026, to approve minutes, hear public comments, receive an update from Green Theory Cultivation on odor mitigation, approve a one-day alcohol license, discuss a bylaw change regarding the Board of Public Works, waive an inspection fee for the Lee Youth Association, formally dedicate East Lee Park, table a purchase and sale agreement for 88 West Park Street due to a materially changed counterproposal, and appoint several individuals to positions.

Minutes Approval

  • The board unanimously approved the open session minutes of August 18, 2026, including the joint meeting with the school committee and the regular select board meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Kathy (last name not provided) expressed appreciation and gave a "shout out" to all who worked on and attended the grand opening of the Ninja Fit playground, describing it as "absolutely fabulous."
  • A Zoom hacking incident briefly interrupted the meeting; the board apologized to remote viewers and continued after addressing the issue.

General Business

  • Green Theory Cultivation Update: Facility Manager Tirth Raval reported that the facility is currently growing but greenhouse four is shut down and greenhouse one is non-flowering; greenhouses two and three are the only flowering canopies. Harvest was completed on the meeting day, so no flowers are currently in the facility. New filters have been installed and the odor mitigation protocol is being followed. The company has finalized two companies for odor mitigation and is in communication with Mike Lennon to secure funding for the implementation. Mr. Raval stated he will have a "100 percent accurate answer" on the plan, costs, and timeline by the next meeting (proposed for October 6, 2026). The board accepted the update and agreed to reconvene for a full plan in October.
  • One-Day Wine and Malt License: The board unanimously approved a special one-day alcohol beverage license for the Taste of Lee event, to be held Friday, September 18, from 4:00 to 9:00 PM at the Lee Library parking lot.
  • Letter to Board of Public Works Regarding Bylaw Change: The board discussed proposed bylaw changes that would transfer some responsibilities from the Board of Public Works to the Department of Public Works, the Select Board, and the Town Administrator to improve efficiency. The board voted unanimously to sign a letter informing the Board of Public Works members of the proposed changes, which will be considered at the October 1 special town meeting.
  • Inspection Fee Waiver for Lee Youth Association: The board unanimously approved waiving the inspection fee for the Lee Youth Association. One member abstained due to a potential conflict of interest.
  • East Lee Park Dedication: The board unanimously approved a vote of dedication and signed an order of dedication for the 1.6-acre municipal property at 515 Chapel Street to be formally known as East Lee Park for park, playground, and public recreation purposes in perpetuity. The dedication ensures compliance with state grant requirements and Article 97 protections.
  • 88 West Park Street Purchase and Sale Agreement: The board reported that it had been negotiating a purchase and sale agreement for the property known as the Price Chopper property. However, the sellers provided a counterproposal that day that "materially changed the terms" and was described as "unrecognizable" from the expected agreement. The board unanimously voted to table the matter to allow time to review the new terms with the town attorney.
  • Appointments: The board unanimously approved three appointments:
    • Hunter Russa from patrolman to sergeant in the Police Department, effective October 1, 2026, based on his top test score and recommendation from Police Chief Stephanie Burdick.
    • Kathy Deverens as the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) housing authority representative.
    • Lisa Sloan as an at-large CPC member.

Key Outcomes

  • The board will receive a complete odor mitigation plan from Green Theory Cultivation at the October 6, 2026, meeting.
  • The board will review the counterproposal for 88 West Park Street and consider next steps.
  • The proposed bylaw changes affecting the Board of Public Works will be placed on the warrant for the October 1 special town meeting.
  • All appointments and approvals were effective immediately.

Other Business

  • The board reminded that an MPO designee meeting is scheduled for September 3, 2026, at 5:30 PM.
  • The board offered an opportunity for public comment via Zoom after the hacking incident, but no one responded.

The meeting adjourned.

Meeting Transcript

Welcome to the uh select board meeting of September 1st. Calling the meeting to order pursuant to mass general law chapter 38 section 20. I'm here by informing all attendees that a video and audio recording is being made in this meeting. We have two sets of minutes to approve. The open session minutes of uh August 18th with a joint meeting with the school committee. Mr. Chairman, I'd make a motion that we approve the open session minutes of uh August 18th, 2026. As written. I will second. Is there any further discussion? All those in favor then say aye. Aye. Aye. Passes unanimously. And the second set of minutes uh the uh we we did have two meetings on the same day. On the same day, but supposedly it seems uh but that was that then we've had a regular meeting. Yeah, so we have a regular select board meeting the uh the open session minutes of August 18th for the select board meeting. So I will move the regular open session minutes as we just approved the joint. Right. I'll second that. All those in favor? Aye. It's unanimous. All right, next over business number two, public comment. Anyone from public have any concerns? We got a hand raised up there on the left hand side. Something that's not on the agenda. Oh yeah. Kathy. Hi. Can you hear me? Yes. Okay. Now I just wanted to give a shout out for all the people that worked on and attended the grand opening of the ninja fit playground. It was absolutely fabulous. Uh great shout out to the people that worked for two weeks trying to get everything put together for the grand opening. And um the uh ninja people will be there. Um we got hacked. We got hacked. There you go. Yeah. Sorry everyone. I

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