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Danville board taps trust fund to treat Long Pond milfoil, approves up to $20,000 transfer
Summary
The Board of Selectmen voted to transfer up to $20,000 from the Invasive Species Control Expendable Trust Fund to restore funds moved from the operating budget and allow treatment of Long Pond; the Long Pond Association estimates this year’s treatment at $19,552.50.
The Danville Board of Selectmen voted on May 18 to transfer up to $20,000 from the Invasive Species Control Expendable Trust Fund to replace funds moved out of the operating budget and permit this year’s treatment of Long Pond. Selectman Shawn O’Neil moved the transfer and Joe Hester seconded; the motion passed unanimously.
Shawn O’Neil told the Board the trust had a balance of $64,810.08 as of April 30, 2026 and that the expendable trust was established in 2021 and renamed in 2022 to cover "all invasive species." Amy Burie of the Long Pond Association said the association’s proposed treatment for 2026 is $19,552.50, but the final cost will depend on how many acres are treated; she will forward acreage estimates to the Board when they are available. Burie also said last year’s spending was 72% less than budgeted because annual treatment has been effective.
Burie described the Association’s outreach plans — a table at Old Home Days, a planned neighborhood mailer, and neighborhood potlucks — and said the group lacks volunteers to staff weekend boat-launch checks. She warned that some species such as Japanese knotweed are "extremely difficult and expensive to treat." The Board discussed the budget trade-off between treating the pond and funding a police officer in the operating budget before approving the transfer.
The selectmen approved the transfer immediately so treatment planning can proceed; Burie will provide acreage estimates and final cost numbers to the Board once available.
