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Charlton Select Board approves licenses, hires and a $266,850 maintenance contract; closes May town‑meeting warrant
Summary
At its Feb. 24 meeting the Charlton Select Board approved personnel appointments, accepted a special police resignation, approved a special‑event alcohol license, designated library positions for a digital‑equity grant, awarded a three‑year grounds‑maintenance contract for about $266,850, and voted to close the May annual town meeting warrant listing multiple bylaw and zoning articles including a citizen petition on the stretch energy code.
The Charlton Select Board on Feb. 24 approved a slate of routine but material town actions, including personnel moves, a special‑event alcohol license, a three‑year grounds‑maintenance contract estimated at $266,850, and the formal closing of the draft warrant for the May annual town meeting.
Why it matters: The contract award and several warrant articles (including proposed changes to vehicle/handicap parking fines, zoning and large‑scale solar/energy‑storage definitions, setback changes, and a citizen petition to consider revoking the stretch energy code) shape near‑term town spending, permitting and potential bylaw changes that will be before voters in May.
Personnel and licenses: The board unanimously promoted an existing cemetery laborer to highway laborer, voted to appoint William Harvey as cemetery laborer pending CORI/background and a pre‑employment physical, and modified Judith Butler’s activities council appointment from full member to alternate through 06/30/2027. The board also accepted with regret the resignation of special police officer Pat Cackley, who has taken a full‑time position in the neighboring town referenced in the packet.
Digital equity and special‑event license: Andrew (staff member) relayed a request from Library Director Betsy Perry to designate certain library positions — including director, assistant director, head of youth services, youth services assistant, technical services associate, patron services associate and digital skills instructor — as special municipal employees so they can serve as paid digital skills instructors outside normal hours under the terms of a digital equity grant; the board unanimously approved the designation. The board also approved a special alcoholic beverage license (wine and malt beverage) for Saint Joseph’s Church / Mary Martha Guild for an upcoming meat‑raffle event; per town policy the license will cover the day before, day of, and day after the event.
Contract award and finances: Andrew said DPW Superintendent Nick Peel reviewed three bids for recreational grounds maintenance, mowing and snow/ice removal and recommended awarding the three‑year contract to BCB Lawn Services of Charlton for an estimated $266,850. "After review of the bids by DPW superintendent Nick Peel, the recommendation is to award the bid to BCB Lawn Services out of Charlton, Mass for an estimated contract value of $266,850," Andrew said; the board approved the award unanimously.
Warrant closing and notable articles: The board reviewed and voted to close the draft May annual town meeting warrant. Andrew read the articles the board will place on the warrant, which include budgets (town, water and sewer enterprise funds), capital items and contracts, revolving funds, acceptance of an easement on Stevens Park Road, cemetery perpetual care funds, amendments to bylaws and zoning sections (including proposed changes to parking fines and definitions for large‑scale solar and energy storage), and a citizen petition to consider revoking the stretch energy code. The board did not take final votes on individual warrant articles at this session; closing the warrant moves the set of articles forward to warrant publication and voter consideration at Town Meeting.
Other items and next steps: Andrew updated the board on construction progress at the new fire station (interior trades and MEP work active; exterior trades resuming as weather permits) and noted the town is assessing any schedule impacts from a cold, snowy winter. The housing production plan steering committee will host two community forums (March 25 at 6:00 p.m. at the library and March 31 at 10:00 a.m. at the Charlton Senior Center). The board set its next regular meeting for March 24, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. and announced it would go into executive session under MGL c.30A §21(a)(2) to discuss strategy for negotiations with nonunion personnel and the town administrator contract; roll call was being initiated near the end of the transcript.
What it does not say: The meeting record states the votes were unanimous but does not provide a count of board members voting in each instance; any vote tallies beyond the transcript’s description are not specified.
