The Town of Lakeville Open Space Committee on Aug. 7 approved the text for a land-conservation outreach letter and confirmed a planned mailing to about 224 property owners aimed at Chapter 61 and other conservation options.

Committee Chair David Slonas said town-hall staff will print letters, apply labels and stuff envelopes, and will take the finished mailing to the post office, leaving the committee responsible only for finalizing the letter and DCR-supplied event details. "The town hall staff is actually going to apply the labels to the envelopes for us and, print the copies of the letter and actually stuff the envelopes," Slonas said.

Committee members said they reduced an initially larger list by removing parcels unlikely to qualify, then kept parcels between 5 and 6 acres where open land might still meet Chapter 61B criteria. Joan (last name not provided), who has been compiling property records for the committee, said the final list is "224," a manageable number that town staff can handle for printing and postage.

Why it matters: The mailing is the committee's first major outreach under the newly completed 2025 Open Space Plan. It aims to inform owners about Chapter 61 programs, conservation options and upcoming DCR (Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation) webinars and local events that explain eligibility and next steps.

Details and logistics: The committee asked the DCR contact to supply webinar and event text to be inserted into the letter; committee staff will not alter that language. The group also expects 50–75 print pamphlets (DCR's "Protecting Your Legacy" and Chapter 61 materials) to be dropped off at town hall and split with the library for public pickup.

Posting and publicity: In addition to the targeted mailing, the committee will post one-page notices at the town hall, senior center and library and submit an article for the town newsletter; members discussed refining the poster to be more eye-catching. The committee also plans to request inclusion in the local Masquac/Masket (local newspaper) as an article rather than an advertisement.

Schedule: Committee members agreed to hold the mailing until early September to align with event registration windows and newsletter deadlines. The committee asked members to prepare any suggested poster designs before the Sept. 4 meeting and said Colleen Leeb, the new administrative assistant for the select board and town administrator, will coordinate postings and newsletter submissions.

Public events and staffing: DCR is running a regional event in Middleborough that typically opens registration to neighboring towns after local residents register. The Forest/DCR contact estimated roughly 60 openings would be available to surrounding towns. Committee members noted the DCR event falls on the same day as Lakeville's arts and music festival (Oct. 4) and discussed staffing priorities; Chair Slonas said he planned to attend the DCR event if space permits.

Next steps: The committee will finalize the letter text (incorporating one editorial change and DCR-provided event details), hand the final file to town hall for printing, and confirm poster wording and newsletter submissions before the September mailing.