Select Board approves Surf Drive grant application, adopts AI policy and signs off on routine licenses

At its June 8 meeting the Falmouth Select Board approved several administrative and project items: it authorized the Coastal Resilience Division to apply for a $350,000 National Fish & Wildlife Foundation grant (with a $30,000 town match) for Surf Drive targeted nourishment design and permitting; adopted a municipal artificial-intelligence policy requiring staff review and prominent disclosure when AI is used in public documents; and approved routine consent-agenda items including special one-day liquor licenses for the College Light Opera Company.

Josh Wrigley, the town’s coastal resilience specialist, described the Surf Drive grant as funding for design and permitting of a targeted nourishment alternative that had been recommended in a 2025 feasibility study. Wrigley said the grant would fund design/permitting work toward a larger estimated construction program (town conceptual figures have included a $1.2 million construction estimate for fuller nourishment). The board voted to sign a letter of commitment and authorize the grant application.

On the AI policy, Select Board members suggested clarifying reviewer accountability and requiring a ‘prominently displayed’ disclosure on AI-assisted content. "Any town staff member who uses AI to generate content must review the generated content and is accountable for the content," one member said during debate; the board adopted the policy with the proposed edits.

The board also considered public hearings and routine licenses: a license amendment for Holly Park (Dean’s Market) transferring management to Brian (transfer approved), and acceptance of several other consent items.

Provenance: These items appear in the meeting’s consent agenda and administrative orders and were voted on during the June 8 session.