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Record of Proceedings

Lenox Select Board Meeting – Wednesday, December 3, 2025

Selectboard & Town Boards — Wednesday, December 3, 2025
BodyLenox, Massachusetts
SessionSelectboard & Town Boards
DateWednesday, December 3, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 12:49

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

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:00

Wednesday, December 3rd select board meeting.

0:02

I'm filling in for Max who is away.

0:06

I have a couple of announcements.

0:09

The change of command ceremony for our incoming police chief will be on Friday at 2 p.m.

0:17

down at the public safety complex.

0:21

Everyone is welcome to attend.

0:24

I think it'll be cold, so we'll probably do it in the community room.

Unassigned speaker

0:30

And

Speaker 1

0:30

that was the plan anyway, but

Speaker 2

0:32

I'm sure.

Speaker 1

0:33

Also on Friday, I believe at 545 will be the tree lighting here in town at Lylac Park.

0:43

That's open to everybody.

0:45

You have uh Dale's tree line.

Speaker 2

0:48

We have the tree lighting Lennox Dale as December 7th, which is Sunday, 6 p.m.

0:52

at and that's at Liston Park, uh right there in Crystal Street across from the post office.

Speaker 1

0:57

Yep.

0:58

And then the final thing is that we have uh completed installation of the ice rink at the Lenox Community Center.

1:04

It's not operational yet, it should be operational soon.

1:07

There's a couple of fittings to be adjusted and whatnot, but the installation is complete, so it should be skatable this winter.

1:16

Anybody else with announcements?

1:19

Okay.

1:20

Uh anybody here to address the select board for citizens open forum.

1:26

Please

Speaker 3

1:28

depict

Speaker 1

1:29

the

Speaker 3

1:29

mic.

Speaker 1

1:29

Well, it's for their purposes.

1:31

We can hear you, obviously.

1:32

But

Speaker 4

1:33

hi, my name's Kai Semino, I'm a new resident of Lennox.

1:36

And I'm here because I've no I work for the People's Pantry in Great Barrington, and I've noticed that there's still an issue of getting food to people because of the hours that we're limited to serving.

1:49

And I know there's a pantry here in Lennox, but I was thinking that we could have something like a free library with non-perishable goods.

1:57

Um, if that's not already something I've been told that it's not currently something that's in Lennox, but Great Barrington and Stockbridge have them.

2:05

Um I haven't, it's not a fully formed thought, so I'm not sure exactly where it would be placed, but I just think somewhere a little discreet where people feel that they're not being watched and can access food at any time.

Speaker 1

2:18

Thank you.

Speaker 4

2:19

Thank

Unassigned speaker

2:20

you.

Speaker 1

2:24

Okay.

2:25

Um yeah.

2:27

Thinking you could talk to Shannon at the community center.

Speaker 2

2:31

Somebody it seems like it seems like a good idea.

2:33

We can

Speaker 5

2:34

but don't we have one in the ground?

2:36

The church up there by the uh homes road?

2:39

Yeah.

2:40

Um that's not hope.

2:41

That's another one.

Unassigned speaker

2:42

I

Speaker 5

2:42

know where you mean.

2:43

Do you know about that one?

2:45

Okay, so you know where Holmes Road is?

2:47

Yeah.

2:47

By the gas station.

2:48

If you go up there and take a right, there's a church in the back there, and I'm pretty sure they have exactly what you described.

Speaker 4

2:55

Yeah.

Speaker 5

2:56

Let's check it out.

2:57

Trinity.

Speaker 4

2:58

But there's not anything like it in downtown here, right?

Speaker 5

3:01

No, there's not.

3:02

Yeah.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████████████████████████████33%
Business Licensing█████████████████████████████29%
Procedural███████████████████19%
Food Security███████████████████19%
Summary of Proceedings

Lenox Select Board Meeting – Wednesday, December 3, 2025

The Lenox Select Board met on Wednesday, December 3, 2025. The acting chair, filling in for Max, led announcements, citizens open forum, routine approvals, a National Grid utility discussion, and the 2026 annual license renewal approvals. All votes taken were unanimous.

Announcements

  • The change of command ceremony for the incoming police chief will be Friday, December 5 at 2 p.m. at the public safety complex; everyone is welcome.
  • The town tree lighting at Lylac Park will be Friday, December 5 at 5:45 p.m. The Lenox Dale tree lighting is Sunday, December 7 at 6 p.m. at Liston Park on Crystal Street across from the post office.
  • Installation of the ice rink at the Lenox Community Center is complete, but it is not yet operational; fittings are being adjusted and it should be skatable this winter.

Consent Calendar

  • The board unanimously approved the minutes from the November 19, 2025 meeting.
  • A late-added one-day malt beverage license for Wham Theater (Aaron Patrick) was approved unanimously for Sunday, December 14, 3:30-6:30 p.m. at Venford Hall, 104 Walker Street, for a post-performance reception. The paperwork was complete and a certified bartender will be present.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Kai Semino, a new Lenox resident who works for the People's Pantry in Great Barrington, proposed a free-library-style pantry with non-perishable goods, located discreetly so people can access food at any time. She noted Great Barrington and Stockbridge have such pantries and said her idea is not fully formed. Board members mentioned an existing church food collection/pantry near Holmes Road, noted there is no downtown equivalent, and encouraged her to research locations and keep the town office informed.

Discussion Items

  • National Grid handhole at 9 Cliffwood Street: Donald Bagart, National Grid manager engineer, explained the proposal to install a handhole in front of the property as a demarcation point between company and customer service. The nearest transformer is two properties away on the same side of the road. A board member raised town official Bill's concern that the pavement is only about two years old and the town generally has a five-to-seven-year moratorium on cutting such pavement. Directional boring was suggested as an alternative to open trenching. Bagart said he would consult the civil contractor and arrange a conversation with Bill, then return to the board with a plan. No motion or vote was taken.
  • 2026 annual local and liquor license renewals: Deanna presented the renewal list, which was posted online and on the downstairs bulletin board and included dealerships, innholders, taxis, victualers, entertainment, liquor-on-premises, hotel, club, and package store licenses. Whistler's Inn requested a change to a seasonal license and therefore will not renew annually now; it will renew in February as a seasonal. Other applicants with outstanding issues were marked with an asterisk. The board noted Mazio's is new and that the town has more licenses than last year. A motion to approve the renewals as presented, conditioned on interdepartmental approval, passed unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved November 19, 2025 minutes and the one-day malt license for Wham Theater.
  • Directed National Grid to work with Bill and its civil contractor to explore alternatives, including directional boring, and return with a plan.
  • Approved the 2026 annual local and liquor license renewals as presented, conditioned on interdepartmental approval.
  • The next regular select board meeting is scheduled for December 17, 2025.

Meeting Transcript

Wednesday, December 3rd select board meeting. I'm filling in for Max who is away. I have a couple of announcements. The change of command ceremony for our incoming police chief will be on Friday at 2 p.m. down at the public safety complex. Everyone is welcome to attend. I think it'll be cold, so we'll probably do it in the community room. And that was the plan anyway, but I'm sure. Also on Friday, I believe at 545 will be the tree lighting here in town at Lylac Park. That's open to everybody. You have uh Dale's tree line. We have the tree lighting Lennox Dale as December 7th, which is Sunday, 6 p.m. at and that's at Liston Park, uh right there in Crystal Street across from the post office. Yep. And then the final thing is that we have uh completed installation of the ice rink at the Lenox Community Center. It's not operational yet, it should be operational soon. There's a couple of fittings to be adjusted and whatnot, but the installation is complete, so it should be skatable this winter. Anybody else with announcements? Okay. Uh anybody here to address the select board for citizens open forum. Please depict the mic. Well, it's for their purposes. We can hear you, obviously. But hi, my name's Kai Semino, I'm a new resident of Lennox. And I'm here because I've no I work for the People's Pantry in Great Barrington, and I've noticed that there's still an issue of getting food to people because of the hours that we're limited to serving. And I know there's a pantry here in Lennox, but I was thinking that we could have something like a free library with non-perishable goods. Um, if that's not already something I've been told that it's not currently something that's in Lennox, but Great Barrington and Stockbridge have them. Um I haven't, it's not a fully formed thought, so I'm not sure exactly where it would be placed, but I just think somewhere a little discreet where people feel that they're not being watched and can access food at any time. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Um yeah. Thinking you could talk to Shannon at the community center. Somebody it seems like it seems like a good idea. We can but don't we have one in the ground? The church up there by the uh homes road? Yeah. Um that's not hope. That's another one. I know where you mean. Do you know about that one?

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