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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Lee Select Board Meeting - September 15, 2026: Spectrum Update, Warrant Approval, and Founders Day Events

Selectboard & Town Boards — Tuesday, September 15, 2026

BodyLee, Massachusetts

SessionSelectboard & Town Boards

DateTuesday, September 15, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 49:07

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

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:01

Call the meeting to order.

0:02

Welcome to the September 15th meeting of the Lee Select Board.

0:09

Quick announcement pursuant to Mass General Law Chapter 38, Section 20.

0:14

I'm hereby informing all attendees that a video and audio recording is being made of this meeting.

0:20

First order business, the open session minutes of September 1st, 2026.

Unassigned speaker

0:26

Mr.

Speaker 2

0:26

Chairman, I'd make a motion that we approve the open session minutes of September 1st, 2026 as ready.

Speaker 1

0:32

Second.

0:36

Hearing none, all those in favor.

0:38

Aye.

0:39

It's unanimous.

0:41

Next order is public comment.

0:43

Any comment from the public.

0:50

Alright, so we have no public comment moving on to general business.

0:55

First order of general business spectrum government affairs update from Nancy Clark.

Unassigned speaker

1:02

Would you

Speaker 3

1:02

like me to come?

Speaker 1

1:03

If you could come up to the microphone, please and just identify yourselves, please.

Speaker 3

1:13

I have to do a

Speaker 4

1:15

perfect.

Speaker 3

1:26

So Nancy Clark, Director of Government Affairs for Massachusetts for Spectrum.

Unassigned speaker

1:31

And my name is

Speaker 5

1:32

John

Unassigned speaker

1:33

Hunter.

Unassigned speaker

1:33

I

Speaker 5

1:33

am the Airbnb president for field operations for what we call the Eastern New York NA.

1:39

So I manage and support field operations for the eastern part of New York State and then into the Western part of Massachusetts, the Lennox, etc.

1:52

I'm responsible for the field techs that come to your home to service and install our services.

Speaker 3

2:22

So we um asked to have a few minutes on your agenda just to provide some updates about some changes that the company has undergone given some response to some very dynamic market conditions and some changing demands from customers.

2:41

And so I'll go through a number of um of items that I have for you this evening, but I would encourage you to please interrupt me at any point and ask questions if you have one.

2:51

I'm happy to have this be more of a conversation and have me talking at you, so please uh feel free to interrupt.

Speaker 6

2:58

Um but um I just want to start with um our commitment

Speaker 3

3:03

to Western Massachusetts.

3:04

I know that we had a store location here in Lee that closed uh earlier this year due to some very unfortunate circumstances.

3:14

Um but we are absolutely committed to being in Western Massachusetts.

3:18

We have 115 employees that are located here primarily um in Pittsfield, but throughout Western Massachusetts, um we do have a store that is there in Pittsfield, and we're absolutely committed to working with any of our customers in Lee or the surrounding area who need help, um whether it be returning equipment um or getting assistance with equipment service bill-related issues.

3:44

Um I am absolutely your contact for that.

3:47

You should feel free to contact me.

3:49

I have business cards with me this evening that I'm happy to leave with you and members of the town are welcome to contact me as well as our any of our customers.

3:59

So I am available for any of those types of issues to contact me by email or by phone.

4:07

Um of the things that we um have coming up uh later this year is our network um evolution upgrade.

4:16

Um so again, this is responding to the marketplace and customer demands for increased um broadband internet speeds and capability.

4:25

Um so this upgrade is uh tentatively scheduled to start uh November 23rd of this year, and I will reach out to the town administrator to um provide a more uh timely um uh reminder about that um that work um because there will be uh we believe police details are involved and so forth.

4:47

Um and so that work will primarily happen overnight from 11 p.m.

4:51

to 7 a.m.

4:52

in the morning.

4:53

We'll be replacing nodes um outside um on the street.

5:00

And so these um this equipment upgrade will essentially uh deliver fiber to the permissible services, the ability to provide 100 gigabit per second speeds and upgrade upgrades to support new technologies like augmented reality, machine learning AI, and gaming that people are using that require these higher upload and download speeds in order for them to be able to operate efficiently.

5:28

Upon completion of the actual construction work for that upgrade, um all existing spectrum customers will be automatically upgraded to the higher symmetrical speeds, they won't have to do anything in order to receive those speeds.

5:41

Um, and we will notify them at the end of the construction period that they are receiving those upgraded speeds.

5:49

Um

Speaker 1

5:50

will it uh entail changing equipment in the house or anything like that?

Speaker 3

5:55

So some nodes inside the home do have to be updated, and so in those circumstances where it does will have to be done, they will be done during the daytime.

6:05

Um the customers will be notified and there will be an appointment set up so that um the homeowner knows that somebody's gonna be coming out to their home.

Speaker 5

6:12

So inside the home itself, you were asking.

6:15

Yes.

6:16

Yes, there are some modems that um have it out in the field that they're dated, they won't work with the new technology and we have to go swap them out.

6:23

It's at no charge to the customer.

6:25

We uh we can identify where those pieces of equipment are, where those modems are.

6:30

We proactively outreach to those customers and we set up appointments that's convenient to them.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Technology and Innovation█████████████████████████████████████████████52%

Procedural██████████████16%

Public Engagement██████████11%

Community Engagement████████9%

Engineering And Infrastructure████5%

Public Safety███4%

Environmental Protection███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Lee Select Board Meeting - September 15, 2026

The Lee Select Board held its regular meeting on September 15, 2026, at 4:00 PM. Key agenda items included an update from Spectrum on network upgrades and community programs, approval of an easement for NSTAR/Eversource, signing of the special town meeting warrant for October 1, 2026, approval of a one-day liquor license for the Taste of Lee, and a gas permit for 40 Fox Run. The board also discussed upcoming Founders Day weekend events and changes to the MPO delegation.

Consent Calendar

Minutes: Unanimously approved the open session minutes of September 1, 2026.
Easement: Unanimously approved an easement to NSTAR Electric Company (Eversource Energy) for 35 and 39 Railroad Street, covering approximately two square feet for a conduit.
One-Day Wine & Malt License: Unanimously approved a one-day wine and malt license for The Locker Room to serve alcohol at the Taste of Lee on Friday, September 18, 2026, at the Lee Library parking lot.
Gas Permit: Unanimously approved a Berkshire Gas permit for a new gas service at 40 Fox Run, which does not disrupt any public way.

Public Comments & Testimony

None.

Discussion Items

Spectrum Government Affairs Update

Nancy Clark, Director of Government Affairs for Massachusetts for Spectrum, and John Hunter, Area Vice President for Field Operations, presented on recent company changes and upcoming network upgrades. Key points:

Network Evolution Upgrade: Scheduled to begin November 23, 2026, overnight (11 PM to 7 AM). The upgrade will replace nodes to enable 100 Gbps symmetrical speeds and support emerging technologies. Existing customers will be automatically upgraded at no charge upon completion, though some modems may need swapping (at no cost).
Low-Income Program: Spectrum Internet Assist offers 100 Mbps internet for $25/month (no data caps, no contracts) plus a free modem and complimentary Amazon Prime (valued at $139/year). Income-qualified.
Bundling Savings: A new internet and phone bundle guarantees $1,000 savings in the first year when switching from competitors.
Mobile Service: Spectrum Mobile customers can use the internet speeds of any Spectrum Wi-Fi hotspot they visit at no charge, including in other homes.
Community Outreach: Spectrum seeks local nonprofit partners for sponsorships, digital education grants, and support. Contact Nancy Clark for details.
Board Feedback:
- Board member Gordon expressed frustration with frequent price increases every few months and the need to call in to get promotional rates restored. The representatives acknowledged this and said such frequency is unusual.
- Board member Chuck criticized the TV remote (unfriendly, complicated), ad volume increases during commercials, and the lack of a local customer service center after the Lee store closure. He also inquired about nonprofit cable services and the inability to watch Patriots games (due to being in the Albany market). Spectrum noted a new remote expected Q1 2027 and that ad volume issues are content-based. They acknowledged the loss of the Lee store impacted Southern Berkshire.
- Board member also complained about poor mobile coverage in Lee (SOS signal) due to terrain and reliance on Verizon; Spectrum is testing small cell technology in other regions but deployment is likely 2+ years away.
Patriots Games: Board members asked why they cannot get Patriots games on channel 3 (Hartford) or other channels. Spectrum explained it is a market zoning issue beyond their control but promised to get an answer.

Special Town Meeting Warrant

The board reviewed and approved the warrant for a Special Town Meeting to be held on Thursday, October 1, 2026, at 6 PM at the Lee Middle High School Auditorium. The warrant contains four articles:

Article 1: $8,500 reimbursement to a homeowner for incorrectly repaired private sewer main damage (caused by a previous town contractor now out of business). Finance committee recommended approval.
Article 2: Capital item for a tire repair machine for the new fleet mechanic position (in-house servicing for police, DPW, Council on Aging vehicles).
Article 3: Amendments to general bylaws Chapters 248 and 235 (water, sewer, water supply conservation).
Article 4: Zoning amendment consolidating and updating solar, wind, and adding battery energy storage system (BEST) regulations. Town Planner Brooke explained that the changes are necessary because state law now permits battery storage as a protected use; the town cannot prohibit it, so they are creating regulations to control siting and standards. The current bylaw regulates by acreage; the new version uses megawatt-hours to align with state DOER regulations. The amendment combines three existing sections into one. Board member emphasized this is regulatory, not promotional. There is no article for 88 West Park Street property acquisition, as negotiations are ongoing; it may appear at a February special town meeting.

Key Outcomes

Approved minutes of September 1, 2026 (unanimous).
Approved easement to NSTAR/Eversource (unanimous).
Approved one-day wine and malt license for The Locker Room (unanimous).
Approved Berkshire Gas permit for 40 Fox Run (unanimous).
Signed the special town meeting warrant for October 1, 2026 (unanimous).
Board member Sean confirmed his new role as MPO delegate.
Town Administrator provided details on Founders Day weekend (Sept. 18-20): Main Street closure Friday evening for Taste of Lee (vendors, music, fireworks at 8 PM), parade Saturday at 10 AM, and car show. Cancellations will be posted on the town website.
Next regular meeting: October 6, 2026, at 7 PM.
Motion to adjourn carried unanimously.

Meeting Transcript

Call the meeting to order. Welcome to the September 15th meeting of the Lee Select Board. Quick announcement pursuant to Mass General Law Chapter 38, Section 20. I'm hereby informing all attendees that a video and audio recording is being made of this meeting. First order business, the open session minutes of September 1st, 2026. Mr. Chairman, I'd make a motion that we approve the open session minutes of September 1st, 2026 as ready. Second. Hearing none, all those in favor. Aye. It's unanimous. Next order is public comment. Any comment from the public. Alright, so we have no public comment moving on to general business. First order of general business spectrum government affairs update from Nancy Clark. Would you like me to come? If you could come up to the microphone, please and just identify yourselves, please. I have to do a perfect. So Nancy Clark, Director of Government Affairs for Massachusetts for Spectrum. And my name is John Hunter. I am the Airbnb president for field operations for what we call the Eastern New York NA. So I manage and support field operations for the eastern part of New York State and then into the Western part of Massachusetts, the Lennox, etc. I'm responsible for the field techs that come to your home to service and install our services. So we um asked to have a few minutes on your agenda just to provide some updates about some changes that the company has undergone given some response to some very dynamic market conditions and some changing demands from customers. And so I'll go through a number of um of items that I have for you this evening, but I would encourage you to please interrupt me at any point and ask questions if you have one. I'm happy to have this be more of a conversation and have me talking at you, so please uh feel free to interrupt. Um but um I just want to start with um our commitment to Western Massachusetts. I know that we had a store location here in Lee that closed uh earlier this year due to some very unfortunate circumstances. Um but we are absolutely committed to being in Western Massachusetts. We have 115 employees that are located here primarily um in Pittsfield, but throughout Western Massachusetts, um we do have a store that is there in Pittsfield, and we're absolutely committed to working with any of our customers in Lee or the surrounding area who need help, um whether it be returning equipment um or getting assistance with equipment service bill-related issues. Um I am absolutely your contact for that. You should feel free to contact me. I have business cards with me this evening that I'm happy to leave with you and members of the town are welcome to contact me as well as our any of our customers. So I am available for any of those types of issues to contact me by email or by phone. Um of the things that we um have coming up uh later this year is our network um evolution upgrade. Um so again, this is responding to the marketplace and customer demands for increased um broadband internet speeds and capability. Um so this upgrade is uh tentatively scheduled to start uh November 23rd of this year, and I will reach out to the town administrator to um provide a more uh timely um uh reminder about that um that work um because there will be uh we believe police details are involved and so forth. Um and so that work will primarily happen overnight from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. in the morning. We'll be replacing nodes um outside um on the street. And so these um this equipment upgrade will essentially uh deliver fiber to the permissible services, the ability to provide 100 gigabit per second speeds and upgrade upgrades to support new technologies like augmented reality, machine learning AI, and gaming that people are using that require these higher upload and download speeds in order for them to be able to operate efficiently. Upon completion of the actual construction work for that upgrade, um all existing spectrum customers will be automatically upgraded to the higher symmetrical speeds, they won't have to do anything in order to receive those speeds. Um, and we will notify them at the end of the construction period that they are receiving those upgraded speeds.

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