Board of Selectmen Meeting 7/13/26

The Freetown Board of Selectmen met on Monday, July 13, 2026. The board opened the meeting by recognizing Council on Aging Director Rebecca Friars for her selection as a Commonwealth Heroine for Bristol County and commending town departments and committees for the successful recent fireworks and parade. Among routine actions, the board approved a one-day liquor license for the Thomas Chew Boys and Girls Club, authorized the town administrator to declare surplus on town-owned items valued under $1,000, accepted a $50 donation to the Council on Aging from Susan Seamo, approved the annual dog warrant, and authorized several end-of-year departmental budget transfers.

The board held detailed discussions on multiple infrastructure and capital items. Town Administrator Deborah Petty briefed the board on a MassDOT project slated for July 2028 to replace the North Main Street Bridge, which raised significant public safety concerns due to a proposed full two-year road closure; town officials plan to advocate for phased, one-lane closures instead. The board also reviewed capital requests submitted by the Freetown-Lakeville Regional School District, including a proposed $13 million high school roof replacement and elementary school window/door upgrades. For current work, the board awarded the Freetown Elementary School roof recoding contract to Leading Way Construction Inc. in the amount of $456,600 and authorized Town Administrator Petty to execute the agreement.

Representatives from youth sports organizations, including Glenn Gonsalves of Freelake Softball, joined the board to discuss ball field license agreements and requests to expand softball use into an unused baseball field at the complex. Due to potential overlaps with football and soccer uses and ongoing plans for park remodeling and parking adjustments, the board asked the league to submit a preliminary site layout plan before making a formal decision later in the year. The board concluded the meeting by updating multiple committee appointments and resignations, and voting to increase the filming and editing rate for municipal meetings to $175 each.

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