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Residents press Select Board on Conservation Commission authority and water concerns
Summary
During two public-comment periods residents asked whether the Select Board would speak on a local swallow issue and raised concerns about past appointment practices, town staffing, and contaminants in the Garland Well; Chair Rob Wright repeatedly explained the Select Board has limited authority over the Conservation Commission and said the Board would not issue a statement on the swallow matter.
Several Rye residents used public comment to press the Select Board on questions of jurisdiction, appointments and water quality.
Alex Herlihy said citizens should use the public-comment periods, email the Select Board or speak with the Town Administrator if they want to raise concerns and urged timely, document-based civic engagement. "In an open society, it’s important to call out what is wrong or question authority to get the truth through research, documents and face to face conversations," he said.
Susan Shepcaro asked whether the Select Board would vote or make a statement on a local swallow issue. "The Select Board will not make a statement because it is not in their purview to make a comment," Chair Rob Wright replied, explaining that appointment processes changed on March 8 and that the Select Board’s authority over the Conservation Commission is now limited.
Other speakers raised administrative and water-quality concerns. Steven Borne asked that ZBA Notices of Decision be posted within five days and questioned recent job postings for part-time positions, and he asserted that the RCC isn’t elected until next year. Later in the meeting Borne and other residents raised PFOA concerns related to the Garland Well; Borne said the PFOAs "came from all residents across the Town" and criticized past town practices and oversight. Joe Cummins criticized project spending and suggested households could have used filters to obtain clean water; Police Chief Scott Blaisdell said the number of dog-waste tickets in 2025 was probably under ten but did not have exact figures available.
Chair Wright and other board members reiterated the limits of the Select Board’s jurisdiction and directed procedural requests for information (for example, Budget Committee requests) to the Town Administrator.
