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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Lenox Select Board Regular Meeting - January 28, 2026

Selectboard & Town Boards — Wednesday, January 28, 2026

BodyLenox, Massachusetts

SessionSelectboard & Town Boards

DateWednesday, January 28, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 35:36

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

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:00

Everyone, welcome to the regular meeting of the select board for January 28th, 2026.

0:06

A few announcements from the chair.

0:08

First and foremost, we'd like to thank uh DBW, police, and fire for their amazing work during the last few days and all this wonderful smell that we're enjoying.

0:18

Also, the new town website.

0:20

We do ask everyone to be patient.

0:21

We know we're having issues with it.

0:23

Uh, we're working with the vendor to fix that.

0:25

Uh in the meantime, please continue to check the town hall bulletin board for legal postings uh for the town of Lenox meeting agendas and other other information as we continue to work through some of our issues on the website.

0:38

Um the website alerts mailing lists we'll reset with the new mail with the new website.

0:42

We are working with the vendor to reload previously registered emails to restart modifications.

Unassigned speaker

0:48

Does

Speaker 1

0:48

anyone else have anything about that?

Unassigned speaker

0:51

Oh,

Speaker 1

0:51

yes, I did it again.

0:54

CTSB is recording line, and Clarence Fanto is here from the Eagle.

0:57

Is anyone else here recorded?

Unassigned speaker

1:00

Yes.

Speaker 1

1:00

I

Speaker 2

1:01

went back.

1:01

Sure is for us too.

Speaker 1

1:03

Wonderful.

Unassigned speaker

1:04

All

Speaker 3

1:04

right.

1:05

I just have one announcement.

1:06

We were supposed to have a housing visioning session last night for our housing production plan.

1:11

But we needed to, I wish

Speaker 4

1:13

it wasn't last night, it was supposed to be Monday night.

Speaker 3

1:15

We will be rescheduling that.

1:16

Um we had a very good turnout for our Saturday session at 10 o'clock at the community center.

1:21

But we will be rescheduling the second session probably um mid to late February.

1:27

So keep an eye

Unassigned speaker

1:29

out.

Unassigned speaker

1:30

There

Speaker 1

1:30

you go.

1:31

No one else.

1:32

Great.

1:33

We're gonna move along to Citizens Open Forum where Lennox residents are welcome to address the board for up to two minutes.

1:38

We are doing another procedure update.

1:40

Um those who do wish to speak at Citizens Open Forum, we would ask you to sign in with Deanna here.

1:45

Uh and then when you're called, please state your name and address for the record and the microphone there so that those at home can know you are.

Speaker 5

1:54

Could I one other thing?

1:56

Yes, as a result from from two weeks ago, not that it was any big issue, but when we're here, this is your time to bring up anything that might be further on the agenda.

2:07

Um sometimes people are confused.

2:09

They they want to talk about something once we're down into the agenda on it, and that's not an interactive phase of the meeting.

Unassigned speaker

2:19

So

Speaker 1

2:19

with that said, is anyone here for citizens open forum?

Unassigned speaker

2:23

No,

Speaker 1

2:24

then we'll move on to approval of Minister, which we're actually going to table until the next meeting, which will take us right into the consent agenda.

2:32

Okay,

Speaker 5

2:33

Mr.

Speaker 1

2:33

Chair.

Speaker 5

2:36

Consent agenda.

2:38

First, we have a special license request for one-day all alcoholic beverages liquor license submitted by Jacqueline Dunavan for Sunday, February 8th, 2026 from 430 to 7th.

Unassigned speaker

2:49

For

Speaker 5

2:49

Trivia Night at Benford Hall located at 104 Walker Street.

2:52

Certified by Pender will be present.

2:55

We have another special license request for a one-day all-alcoholic beverages liquor license submitted by Jacqueline Dunham for Saturday, February 14th, 2026, from 7 to 10.

3:05

For Valentine's, I'm assuming partly at Benford Hall located at 104 Walker Street.

3:11

We have a facility use request for the Lennox Library Association requests use to the auditorium from August 24th to September 1st, 2026 for the annual book sale fundraiser.

3:23

And finally, we are going to be asked to ratify the town manager appointment of Rebecca Cushing Gott to the Lenox Community Center for filling the vacancy left by approval.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Transportation Safety███████████████████████████████31%

Affordable Housing███████████████████████23%

Public Engagement████████████████████20%

Procedural█████████9%

Public Safety█████████9%

Business Licensing████████8%

Summary of Proceedings

Lenox Select Board Regular Meeting - January 28, 2026

The Lenox Select Board convened on January 28, 2026, addressing town website issues, housing production plan updates, and the potential loss of a downtown dirt parking lot. Major actions included approving a new liquor license for Indra restaurant, authorizing the submission of a $1.25 million CDBG housing rehabilitation grant application, and scheduling a public hearing on proposed one-way traffic patterns to create 26 new parking spaces on Church and Housatonic Streets.

Announcements & Chair Reports

The Chair thanked DPW, Police, and Fire for their recent work managing an odor/smell issue in town.
Addressed ongoing issues with the new town website; residents are asked to check the Town Hall bulletin board for postings in the interim.
Announced the rescheduling of the second Housing Production Plan visioning session to mid-to-late February.

Consent Calendar

Approved a special one-day all-alcoholic beverages license for Jacqueline Dunavan for a Trivia Night at Benford Hall on February 8, 2026.
Approved a special one-day all-alcoholic beverages license for Jacqueline Dunavan for a Valentine's event at Benford Hall on February 14, 2026.
Approved a facility use request from the Lenox Library Association for the auditorium from August 24 to September 1, 2026, for their annual book sale.
Ratified the appointment of Rebecca Cushing Gott to the Lenox Community Center Board.

Public Comments & Testimony

Citizens Open Forum: No residents signed up to speak.

Public Hearing: New Annual Liquor License – Indra

The Board continued and closed the public hearing for a new all-alcoholic restaurant license for PoChan Provisions, LLC, doing business as Indra, at 242 Pittsfield Road. Manager/owner Sophia Chrisfinette addressed the Board.
Board members expressed strong support for the business, noting the application process had been lengthy but praising the restaurant's food and atmosphere.
Outcome: The Board voted unanimously to approve the petition for the new liquor license.

Public Hearing: FY26 Regional CDBG Housing Rehabilitation Grant

Grant administrator Cassie presented the application for the next round of the Community Development Block Grant program, a partnership between Lenox and Sandisfield.
Program details: The program provides 0% interest, 15-year deferred forgivable loans for health and safety-related home repairs (roofs, windows, septic, lead abatement).
Statistics: The current program cycle has assisted 11 units (8 in Lenox, 3 in Lee). There are currently 73 pre-applications from Lenox residents on the waitlist. The FY26 application requests $1.25 million, estimated to serve approximately 13 units.
Board members praised the program, particularly the work of Berkshire Community Development's Dawn Lennon.
Outcome: The public hearing was closed, and the Board voted to authorize the Town Manager to submit the grant application and associated forms.

Discussion: Proposed Traffic Pattern Changes for Downtown Parking

Context: Following the private sale of the town's long-used dirt parking lot, the Board reviewed a proposal from DPW Superintendent to create new parking spaces through traffic pattern changes.
Proposal: The plan would establish one-way traffic flow on Church Street and a section of Housatonic Street, allowing for the addition of 26 new parallel parking spaces. The plan is intended as a two-year pilot program, as it only requires restriping and new signage.
Board Deliberation:
- Member Eddie raised concerns about snowbanks and fire vehicle access during winter months, suggesting a seasonal parking ban on one side as a potential solution.
- Members discussed the need for an enforcement and communication strategy to prevent long-term employee parking on new spaces instead of using the underutilized Berkshire Bank lot.
- The Board noted the importance of working with the Chamber of Commerce and the Police Department on enforcement and wayfinding.
Outcome: The Board voted unanimously to schedule a public hearing for a future meeting to formally amend the town's traffic regulations regarding the proposed changes.

Key Outcomes

Consent Agenda: Approved as presented.
Indra Liquor License: Approved.
CDBG Grant: Application submission authorized for FY26.
Traffic Regulations: Public hearing scheduled for next meeting to consider the proposed one-way street and parking additions.

Meeting Transcript

Everyone, welcome to the regular meeting of the select board for January 28th, 2026. A few announcements from the chair. First and foremost, we'd like to thank uh DBW, police, and fire for their amazing work during the last few days and all this wonderful smell that we're enjoying. Also, the new town website. We do ask everyone to be patient. We know we're having issues with it. Uh, we're working with the vendor to fix that. Uh in the meantime, please continue to check the town hall bulletin board for legal postings uh for the town of Lenox meeting agendas and other other information as we continue to work through some of our issues on the website. Um the website alerts mailing lists we'll reset with the new mail with the new website. We are working with the vendor to reload previously registered emails to restart modifications. Does anyone else have anything about that? Oh, yes, I did it again. CTSB is recording line, and Clarence Fanto is here from the Eagle. Is anyone else here recorded? Yes. I went back. Sure is for us too. Wonderful. All right. I just have one announcement. We were supposed to have a housing visioning session last night for our housing production plan. But we needed to, I wish it wasn't last night, it was supposed to be Monday night. We will be rescheduling that. Um we had a very good turnout for our Saturday session at 10 o'clock at the community center. But we will be rescheduling the second session probably um mid to late February. So keep an eye out. There you go. No one else. Great. We're gonna move along to Citizens Open Forum where Lennox residents are welcome to address the board for up to two minutes. We are doing another procedure update. Um those who do wish to speak at Citizens Open Forum, we would ask you to sign in with Deanna here. Uh and then when you're called, please state your name and address for the record and the microphone there so that those at home can know you are. Could I one other thing? Yes, as a result from from two weeks ago, not that it was any big issue, but when we're here, this is your time to bring up anything that might be further on the agenda. Um sometimes people are confused. They they want to talk about something once we're down into the agenda on it, and that's not an interactive phase of the meeting. So with that said, is anyone here for citizens open forum? No, then we'll move on to approval of Minister, which we're actually going to table until the next meeting, which will take us right into the consent agenda. Okay, Mr.

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