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Resident raises FOIA and HUD‑grant concerns over Old Cross Veil Fire Station
Summary
A Charlestown resident told the council she filed FOIA requests and complaints alleging missing minutes and questionable HUD‑grant support documents tied to the Old Cross Veil Fire Station; the council said the fire district—not the town—should address records and noted the town did not accept the property.
At the Oct. 15 Charlestown Town Council meeting, resident Sandra Pachelski told the council she has filed Freedom of Information Act requests and complaints with HUD and the state attorney general over the handling of the Old Cross Veil Fire Station by the Charlestown Fire District.
Pachelski said a subcommittee appointed in September 2011 never met publicly and that a public meeting on Oct. 20, 2021, did not result in community notice or accurate minutes. She said the fire district then voted on Nov. 2021 to transfer the property to the town and applied for a HUD grant to create a volunteer firefighter memorial park. Pachelski questioned whether letters of support included in the HUD application reflected genuine public meetings or participation, saying "the letters of support are questionable" and that portions of the application appeared copied word‑for‑word.
Council members and staff responded that the Charlestown Fire District is a separate taxing entity and that the town does not own the Old Cross Veil property. The council president said the district should speak for itself, and councilors suggested Pachelski pursue the district’s meetings and the pending FOIA and attorney‑general filings. Pachelski said she will continue to seek amended minutes and pursue administrative remedies.
The record shows Pachelski has filed complaints with HUD and the attorney general’s office and that she requested minutes that were not available on public portals. The council asked that the fire district address the record at its meetings; town staff clarified that the council supported a HUD application related to a firefighters’ memorial park but did not take ownership of the property.
Because the allegations concern records held by the Charlestown Fire District and involve pending FOIA and attorney‑general reviews, the council took no direct enforcement action at the meeting.
