Subscribe now

The Full Story

The board voted on the message the same night it reviewed the latest draft rather than waiting for its next meeting. Town Manager Michelle Leary noted that the board’s new agendas state that any discussed item can be voted on, and the board took it up that night. The motion described the document as the FY28 budget message as edited and written by Vice Chair Ellen Maher. It passed on a voice vote with no opposition voiced.

The draft merged an earlier version of the message with comments from other members. Maher, walking the board through it, said the message lists core commitments, including maintaining the town’s AAA bond rating and increasing capital funding for schools, roads and sidewalks by 2.5% each year. She also said the capital plan should become a living document kept front and center.

The central change is in what departments will be asked to submit. As explained at the meeting, each department will provide a level-service budget that includes increased costs for services and contracts and that may not fit within the levy. A second budget would include additional operating items now funded through capital. Police vehicles were the example given: Maher said the department cannot run without them and that they belong in its operating budget. She said the same argument could apply to school buses, and cited last year’s school device replacement, which went into the capital budget because the schools’ operating budget could not support it.

Not everything moves. Maher said a fire apparatus slated for three years from now would not be placed in the fire department budget at a million and a half dollars, and that the board will weigh whether borrowing for such items is better carried by capital or by operating budgets. Those decisions were left to the joint “one town, one budget” summit.

Members also discussed adding a notes section to capital request forms so requesters record why a request landed where it did, and listing projected lifespans for purchases. A speaker said the town already has asset-tagging data with life expectancies, and later said the capital budget policy’s $10,000 threshold should be raised.

Will Ashton saw a payoff for the capital side.

And I think if you get some of those smaller annual things out of it, you can use your capital stabilization fund for bigger projects to pay debt out of, instead of doing debt exclusions for other projects.
— Will Ashton, Select Board 57:42

The message also calls for funding strategies and a timeline for King Street, a budget calendar, and a comprehensive budget document with a dedicated webpage for residents to follow the process. Leary said after the vote that the webpage would be created.

The draft calendar, built by layering the schools’ tentative budget calendar over the board’s, sets joint forums on Nov. 10, Jan. 12 and March 9. The Town Manager said nothing in the schools’ calendar required an earlier annual town meeting, so it stays in May.

Read more

Subscribe now

The Full Story

Glenn Pratt, Chair of the Public Safety Facilities Committee, said architects worked room by room with the fire chief, firefighters and officers on a plan that would first upgrade mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems that are 63 years old. It would add dormitory space, training and decontamination areas, a public emergency triage area, room for community services and a larger garage so fire vehicles now kept offsite or outside can come indoors.

Construction cannot begin until police move out of the building, Pratt said, and the earliest start would be winter 2029. The work would likely stretch over five years, and the building must stay fully operational around the clock, which could bring additional costs not yet known.

The $7.5 million figure comes from estimates prepared a year ago when a full renovation was under study. The committee said it is working with Town Manager Michelle Leary and the Capital Budget Committee on a long-term plan so the project can be done in phases without a tax override, with options including free cash and annual capital budget money, and expects to return with general numbers within the next few weeks or a month. When the plan was restated for viewers as needing no override or debt exclusion, the reply was that this is the goal.

Fire Chief John Dockray told the board the station has no space to treat someone who walks in with a medical emergency away from the area where crews meet the public, write reports and answer phones.

Ellen Maher urged the committee to adjust the estimate for inflation to the expected start date, noting how 3% compounding adds up by 2029.

I would just err on the side of caution and make sure that we’re not going to have a number we can’t finance the way we want to finance it because it’s too big.
— Ellen Maher, Select Board 52:23

Members tied the fire plan to the police station. Will Ashton said it would help answer questions about other projects when the police station goes to town meeting. Paul Grady said the fire station cannot happen unless the police station passes, and urged that the plan be as fully developed as possible going into town meeting and the special election.

During the town manager’s comments segment, the board was told free cash was certified at a little over $3.3 million, leaving a free cash position of $3,078,000 after obligations in the Special Town Meeting warrant, money expected to help support long-range planning, including Elm Street.

Read more

Subscribe now

The Full Story

Chair David Farrag read town counsel’s statement, posted days earlier, answering concerns that the June 2025 intermunicipal agreement with Scituate exposes Cohasset to liability tied to the harbor and the town’s wastewater treatment plant.

Counsel wrote that the town’s only new obligation was executing the conditional area management plan, or CAMP, which governs shellfishing in parts of Cohasset Harbor and requires only that the town notify the Division of Marine Fisheries of plant discharges, as existing permits already do. The agreement obliges Scituate to make aquaculture licensees hold Cohasset harmless and carry insurance, counsel wrote, and where the Massachusetts Tort Claims Act’s exemptions do not apply, liability is capped at $100,000.

Two Sewer Commissioners, Chair Bill McGowan and Paul Kierce, said the commission was never consulted on the agreements or asked to sign them. Kierce said anyone suing, whether from Scituate or the oyster farms, would pursue the plant’s contract operator and sewer ratepayers, and said Gulf River pollution far exceeds anything the plant releases, citing a past count of 12 or 13 open pipes from homes into the river.

Kierce said the commission recommended about a year and a half ago that the town gather CAMP agreements from three other towns with sewer plants on the water and was told a new draft would come to it for review. That never happened, he said. The commission is now working with the town manager and its contractor on policies and reporting needed to conform to the National Shellfish Sanitation Program, which the CAMP cites and which calls for continual compliance, not reports only after an adverse event. Who bears any added cost is unresolved, the member said.

The sharpest challenge came from Brian Host, a Gallatin, Tennessee, resident who has researched the harbor for more than 15 years and presented the forum’s history segment.

Absent a CAMP, there’s no approved growing area. Absent an approved growing area, there are no oysters. Absent oysters, there is no exposure.
— Brian Host 42:46

Host said the CAMP, signed by Cohasset in July 2025 and Scituate in April 2026, is a 2021 draft on a former governor’s letterhead, a format the Division of Marine Fisheries replaced with a standard form in 2023, and cites national shellfish regulations from 2019 that a 2023 revision superseded. Citing state tests at two Briggs Harbor stations, he reported fecal coliform scores of 71 and 80 in 2025 against a legal limit of 32, then 50 and 52, and said back-to-back failures require closure, yet the areas remain open. Host urged a current CAMP approved by the Sewer Commission and said the oyster farms may need to move to deeper water.

Tim Davis, a former Harbor Committee chair said Scituate shellfish interests sought a small farm in Briggs Harbor about six years ago, then published a chart showing 32 one-acre plots in Cohasset Harbor. Lina Goldberg asked whether the board had obtained a legal opinion of counsel before the agreement was executed. No board member answered the question on the record.

Read more

Subscribe now

The Full Story

Article 14, a citizen petition creating a surveillance technology oversight bylaw, was the only warrant article the board declined to recommend. The petition would route requests to acquire or use surveillance technology through the Select board and require an applicant to name every party the resulting data would be shared with. Member Paul Grady asked for a roll call rather than a voice vote, the chair agreed, and the motion to not recommend carried 4-1 with Will Ashton opposed.

Ashton argued for the bylaw, saying the objections raised against it did not hold up: it does not prohibit data sharing, and a department policy can be rewritten by that department at any time, while a bylaw enshrines a public process at town meeting. He asked the petitioners to accept three changes from the floor, striking significant property damage from the definition of exigent circumstances, striking the mandatory award of fees to prevailing plaintiffs, and requiring approval before a grant is accepted instead of before it is applied for.

Greg Watts called the bylaw overly prescriptive and said writing such policy belongs to the executive branch, not the legislative one. Vice Chair Ellen Maher said it was very broad and carried no language excluding the schools even though a slide deck had indicated it might, and called for a collaborative process with public safety officials to set policy and operating procedures. Grady said plainly that he did not support that kind of oversight and trusted the police.

Chair David Farrag said the bylaw would build a new administrative matrix around a police department already short officers and open it to discovery motions on the civil and criminal sides alike. He objected to the fees provision, noting that few things in Massachusetts statutory law allow an award of attorney’s fees and that a bylaw violation carries only a nominal fine.

Farrag said the petitioners were well intentioned, but that most of the bylaw’s contents came from a group with an agenda of its own, and that he would not recommend it in its current form.

The board recommended every other article it took up, and voted to close, sign and publish the warrant. Article 3, capital improvements, was recommended once the board settled its last open item, a new town telephone system at $232,051. The three zoning articles, amending the definitions section, the division into districts and the table of dimensional regulations, each arrived with recommendations from the advisory committee and the planning board.

Read more

Subscribe now

The Full Story

Ron Menard and Daniel Kelly from the Technology Department asked for $232,000 from capital stabilization for a cloud-based unified communications system. The on-premise Mitel PBX serving town buildings was installed in 2016 and was expected to be supported through fiscal 2029. The manufacturer pulled that date in, first to 2027 and then to 2026.

“Then they really ripped the rug out from underneath us and end of life the system at 2026,” Menard said.

Replacement parts now arrive refurbished or used, and the deputy chief information officer said even that equipment sometimes fails to start.

“In the last two months, we’ve had a couple of middle of the night calls to the Police and Fire Department to require me to come back in and get things up and working.” Dan Kelly, Assitant CIO [1:10:32]

The $232,000 is a one-time cost covering new handsets, replacement of 11-year-old network switches and rewiring of buildings that still carry telephone cable installed decades ago. The service agreement for the new platform runs $76,000 a year, against roughly $58,000 the town pays now. Member Greg Watts put the added operating expense at $20,000 a year. Menard said the real increase is smaller because $2,655 of the annual recurring total covers network switching rather than phone service, and that the IT operating budget would absorb the difference.

Staff screened five products against the Gartner Magic Quadrant and state procurement contracts and brought two finalists: RingCentral, offered through Ayotte Technologies, and Elevate, sold by the town’s current telephony provider, Harbor Networks. Staff gave the edge to RingCentral. Asked why Microsoft was set aside when the town already runs Microsoft products, the chief information officer said the town never received a quote from Microsoft or Cisco and called premium vendors hard to pin down on price and support. Staff also found $20,000 to $24,000 in state and federal pass-through fees built into these systems, and said vendors varied in disclosing them.

The board did not vote. Chair David Farrag said the Advisory Committee, which takes the request up the next evening, should weigh in first.

From the Water Department the board recommended $8 million in borrowing for lagoon construction and $2 million for a water treatment plant pilot plan, which the Water Commission had backed 2-1, along with a $300,000 transfer from water retained earnings to finish the 3A water main replacement. It recommended returning $400,000 left from the Osgood school roof project to the school capital stabilization fund; the article that would draw $2 million back out for the Cohasset Middle High School feasibility study also waits on the Advisory Committee. Members recommended $280,000 in free cash appropriations, including $150,000 to begin engineering three parking lots the public works department calls critical and $98,764 toward the amortized snow and ice deficit.

Read more

Subscribe now

The Full Story

The savings are real but modest, and the board was told plainly why.

HKT Architects walked through five weeks of committee work at 35 King Street: the police garage held at three bays, rear parking retained, the fire substation shell eliminated, office and interview space reduced. The building drops from 23,610 square feet to 19,246, roughly a fifth smaller, while keeping all 47 parking spaces. The ask falls from $21,783,000 to $20,900,000.

But the cost has only reduced slightly to $25.87 million — because the year spent redesigning cost almost what the square footage saved. A consultant told the board that of every dollar of increase, roughly a third each goes to design fees, inflation and escalation, and that the same option pursued in May would have come in around $2.5 million cheaper. “We’ll delay the year, cut the building down 20%, save a million dollars,” committee chair Glenn Pratt summarized.

The board approved the scope change 5-0, voted 5-0 to place the article on the October 26 warrant, and then spent its sharpest political discussion of the night not on the building but on when to vote on it.

Gregory Watts pushed hard for a standalone December election over adding it to the November 3 state ballot.

“You never pass with your ballot down that far to add a third page in a separate ballot for this thing. I think while you’ll have more turnout, you won’t have folks as focused and engaged.” — Gregory Watts

He argued the project had already suffered from ballot position once. The board set December 5, again 5-0.

The surveillance bylaw drew no vote at all. A citizen’s petition modeled on the ACLU’s Community Control Over Police Surveillance framework would require town approval before any agency funds, acquires or uses technologies including automatic license plate readers, facial recognition, gunshot detection and predictive policing software. Sarah Reeves of Beechwood Street, presenting, noted Cohasset already operates four Flock Safety ALPRs and said the petition offers an unusually long runway — 180 days to file disclosures, with a possible 90-day extension.

Police Chief William Quigley asked the board to reject it.

“What documented misuse of police technology in Cohasset are we trying to correct? If there’s a problem, let’s address it. If our policies need improvement, let’s improve them.” — Chief William Quigley

Read more

Subscribe now

The Full Story

Gathering in the Middle-High School Learning Commons on August 26 and September 2, the Cohasset School Committee moved quickly across infrastructure, fiscal administration, student services, and operational policy to align district programs before the return of students.

Superintendent Dr. Sarah Shannon reported on August 26 that the major roof replacement project at the Joseph Osgood Elementary School is nearing full completion substantially under original cost projections. The project, estimated at $2,687,147, did not require significant contingency reserves. With the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) reimbursing 32.46% (up to $872,515), town officials plan to vote at the October 26 Special Town Meeting to direct reimbursed funds back into the Special Purpose School Capital Stabilization Fund.

Replenishing that stabilization reserve ensures Cohasset can present a warrant article allocating up to $2 million—on a not-to-exceed basis—to fund the MSBA Core Program Feasibility Study for the secondary campus (Cohasset Middle-High School) without requesting outside borrowing or fresh tax levies. The district expects the study itself will land between $1.5 million and $2 million, benefiting from the repurposing of data collected during a previous municipal study. Committee member Craig MacLellan cautioned the public that the study vote is purely exploratory:

“A vote to allocate the money from the special purpose school stabilization fund to the feasibility study for the MSBA is not a vote for a new school. ... It means that we will get to conduct the very regimented, structured feasibility study required by the MSBA to further explore the feasibility of that school.” — Craig MacLellan

The district also capitalized on an unexpected windfall in fleet operations. School officials announced they had successfully exited an electric bus lease, retained clear title to the vehicle at zero net acquisition cost, and finalized a direct trade approved by the Capital Planning Board for a brand-new 2027 Bluebird diesel bus backed by a five-year warranty. The transaction expands Cohasset’s bus fleet to 12 vehicles, preventing disrupted double-routes when vehicles require maintenance and curbing athletic charter expenses.

To steer financial reporting following administrative transitions, the Committee voted unanimously on August 26 to appoint Patricia “Trish” Boyer as Interim Director of Finance and Operations. Boyer, a veteran school business administrator with past leadership roles in Holbrook and Brockton, will work three days per week. By September 2, Boyer reported she was already 60% to 70% finished with the district’s mandatory state End-of-Year Financial Report (EOYR) due September 30 to DESE, protecting Cohasset’s Chapter 70 state aid against penalties while preparing modernized, readable monthly reporting packages for committee oversight.

Operational restructuring also centered on the Cohasset Public Schools (CPS) Before and After School Program, transitioned from the town Recreation Department into an in-house district pilot led by Director Brett Youmans. Because state licensing standards strictly mandate a 1:13 adult-to-child ratio, the program could no longer support open, unregistered daily drop-in care. To address family scheduling pressures, administrators created five periodic care slots per session (AM and PM daily), booked on a weekly first-come, first-served basis via online forms filed the prior Thursday. Across both meetings, the School Committee debated and formally adopted the comprehensive Before and After School Family Handbook, establishing attendance policies, aligning behavioral standards with school building rules, and setting rates ($20 morning, $30 afternoon, and $40 half-day care).

Read more

Subscribe now

The Full Story

In an unscheduled discussion prompted by a tight 30-day contractual notice window expiring September 27, Chair David Farrag alerted board members that Cohasset’s existing agreement with Flock Safety would automatically renew for another two years if notice was not served immediately.

Chair Farrag raised procedural and legal concerns under Chapter 30B, the Commonwealth’s Uniform Procurement Act, noting that aggregate annual multi-year leases across the town’s four cameras total roughly $12,000 per year ($6,000 per pair). Farrag pointed out that contracts featuring automatic renewal clauses can create statutory conflicts and prevent municipalities from seeking competitive pricing or necessary adjustments.

Select Board member Ellen Maher questioned the public safety and contractual impacts of walking away or altering camera locations, noting two units operate along Route 3A, one at Beechwood and Doane Street, and another at Nichols Road and Atlantic Avenue. Maher emphasized that while neighborhood placements draw scrutiny, highway cameras have proven investigative value. Board member Gregory Watts reiterated the importance of public safety, underscoring deference to the Police Chief, whose correspondence noted the technology helped solve 12 local crimes in the past year, including motor vehicle thefts and a sexual assault.

“If you put them on notice, you can negotiate within it and then you could renew it because we have to cure the defect no matter what.” [01:39:21] — David Farrag, Chair

Board member William Ashton crafted the final motion directing the Town Manager to terminate the existing agreement with the express intent to renegotiate. Board members emphasized to the public that terminating the contract does not eliminate automated license plate readers from Cohasset, but ensures procurement compliance and gives the town leverage.

Read more

Subscribe now

The Full Story

Town Manager Michelle Leary delivered key updates on the Town Hall restoration project during board comments. The $500,000 decarbonization grant, secured through the efforts of town personnel including Brian Joyce and Nick Berardi, will offset costs for the building’s new HVAC system.

The project remains on track, with window procurement underway and detailed design documents completed and sent for cost estimation. Cost estimates are expected by late August, with public bidding planned for November or December. To accommodate construction, the Town Clerk’s office will begin relocating to 135 King Street in early October 2026 to ensure uninterrupted preparation for state and municipal elections.

Read more

Subscribe now

The Full Story

Paula Claridge of HKT Architects and members of the Public Safety Facilities Committee presented a detailed analysis evaluating whether the existing Elm Street site could accommodate both the police and fire departments under a single roof.

The original programmatic needs established in 2024 called for 15,107 square feet for the police department and 16,810 square feet for the fire department. Even after programmatic space reductions were made—bringing police requirements down to 13,205 square feet and fire requirements down to 14,450 square feet—the combined single-story footprint requirement of 30,108 square feet vastly exceeds what the site can support.

The site analysis detailed numerous physical, logistical, and legal constraints at Elm Street:

• Site Deficit: Maximum expansion on the site yields only 17,488 square feet, leaving a 13,120-square-foot deficit. Building out to that maximum would require extending past property lines and intruding on neighboring housing.

• Zoning & Setbacks: The existing building is a pre-existing non-conforming structure sitting in an RV residential zone. Setback restrictions (30 feet in front, 20 feet on sides/rear) and maximum lot coverage rules severely limit outward expansion.

• Vertical Expansion Barriers: Expanding to a second story would necessitate adding elevators, fire escape stairwells, and major structural reinforcement to replace existing wood framing over basements. Architects noted the process would essentially require total demolition.

• Environmental & Infrastructure Issues: Both existing basements experience regular groundwater flooding. Additionally, apparatus bay floor drains currently discharge to surface drainage in violation of modern codes, soil lead contamination exists on the northwest corner, and town sewer capacity for an expanded footprint remains unverified.

• Temporary Relocation Costs: Demolishing and rebuilding on-site would require temporarily relocating both operational departments for two years, with estimated temporary facility costs ranging from $3.8 million to $4.5 million for fire alone.

A broader review of 151 municipal and commercial parcels along the Route 3A corridor determined that nearly all are constrained by wetlands, open space restrictions, or residential zoning, leaving 135 King Street as the only viable town-owned parcel for public safety development.

Following the presentation, the Select Board voted 5-0 to direct the Public Safety Facilities Committee to focus on 135 King Street as the location for public safety needs and cease exploring Elm Street for a co-located facility.

Read more

Subscribe now

The Full Story

Superintendent Dr. Sarah Shannon announced that Keree Simmons, who assumed the role of Director of Finance and Operations on July 1, submitted his resignation on Thursday evening. The district has already posted the opening for an interim director and is consulting with retired finance officials to fill the position for the remainder of the school year. Shannon noted that bringing on an experienced interim administrator could provide stability during a pivotal financial planning period.

In the interim, central office administrators are collaborating with Town Manager Michelle Leary and Town Accountant Beth Moseley to manage financial operations, including bill processing and administrative approvals.

“I have posted for an interim director of finance and operations. We have been in some conversation with some retired directors... I think it might bring some stability to the position and bring experience to the position in a year where we have several really big budget related items.“ — Dr. Sarah Shannon

Committee members expressed concern over the timing of the departure, particularly regarding potential logistics and transportation challenges as schools reopen. Member Craig MacLellan extended an apology to the community, noting that while the district underwent a thorough hiring process, a three-week tenure was an unexpected setback. Committee Chair Corey Evans reaffirmed that the leadership transition will not derail long-term strategic initiatives, including multi-year fiscal planning and facility upkeep.

Read more

Subscribe now

The Full Story

The issue boiled over following a chaotic summer weekend that forced the Sandy Beach Association to request a temporary closure of the lot. Police Chief William Quigley reported that the missing lines have dissolved the lot into a free-for-all, presenting a critical roadblock for emergency services.

“Vehicles are just parking... anywhere,” Chief Quigley stated. “Although you can get a car through there, you can’t get the engine through, you definitely can’t get the ambulance out in a hurry.”

The structural integrity of the lot added another layer of environmental anxiety. Select Board Chair David Farrag noted that unsealed cracks in the asphalt create an open invitation for protected piping plovers to nest. If the shorebirds claim the lot, major swathes of the town’s most sought-after parking zone would legally face mandatory shutdowns.

Read more

Subscribe now

The Full Story

The meeting opened with high praise and presentations for Dr. Leslie Scollins and Susan Owen, who collectively guided central office administration through severe municipal headwinds, deep pandemic-era adaptations, and two superintendent transitions. Committee members commended Owen’s fiscal discipline and resilient optimism in navigating countless budget cycles, alongside her pivotal work in upgrading the district’s top-tier food service program. Dr. Scollins was celebrated for her steady academic stewardship—ranging from elementary literacy programming to mentoring and retaining incoming instructional talent.

“Between Leslie, Pat, and I, we really did try and figure things out as we went along... It’s been phenomenal for me to watch what’s happened just in the six years I’ve been here. The leadership team, the staff, the bus drivers—they all put their heart so much into their jobs.” — Susan Owen, Retiring Director of Finance and Operations

Shifting to operations, the committee heard an extensive presentation from Alternative Energy Committee representative Doran Hole regarding proposed rooftop solar arrays at the Deer Hill and Joseph Osgood elementary schools. Hole reported that only a single bid was received from local partner Palmer Capital. Crucially, because the developer did not pursue a safe-harboring strategy ahead of a July 4th federal investment tax credit sunset, Hole noted there is no longer a rush to sign a binding document. The proposal, which estimates an impressive 25% utility bill savings (approximately $50,000 annually), will remain under advisement through the summer while National Grid addresses regional substation grid congestion and the town aligns the solar rollout with scheduled roof reconstructions.

Read more

Subscribe now

The Full Story

The meeting opened with a highly charged public comment period as citizens and local committee heads crowded the Willcutt Commons to defend the town’s natural landscape. Under the terms of a 2022 Special Town Meeting vote, the Select Board had previously signed a lease with telecommunications vendors to build a cell tower inside Wheelwright Park to resolve hazardous communication dead zones in the north side of town.

However, residents argued that the technology was invasive. Resident Barbara Wrenn suggested replacing the planned 17-story tower with modern “small cell antennas” along telephone poles. This proposal was later deemed cost-prohibitive by then-Assistant Town Manager Michelle Leary, who stated that vendors estimated it would require 60 distinct nodes costing $2.5 million per carrier to capture the same geographical radius.

The legal complexities deepened as Select Board Chair David Farrag highlighted details from a freshly released Town Counsel opinion dated June 1, 2026. Farrag emphasized that the original 2022 Town Meeting explicitly authorized the Select Board to lease the Wheelwright Park land, creating vested legal rights for the carriers. He warned that breaking the contract outright could prompt a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the town, potentially tripling the damages under Chapter 93A. Farrag also criticized the Open Space and Recreation Committee for a Facebook post that accused the Select Board of “hoping Cohasset citizens forgot” the May vote, calling the message “outrageous” and “unbecoming.”

Read more

Subscribe now

The Full Story

The debate over cellular connectivity in Cohasset took center stage as a succession of residents used the public comment session to challenge the town’s ongoing contract with Wireless Edge. Opponents targeted the location, legal validity, and technological necessity of the planned monopole in the protected municipal park.

Fred Zotos, a resident of Old Coach Road with an electrical engineering background, argued that the large tower approach is fundamentally outdated. Zotos pointed to a newly active 5G small cell antenna system functioning at the junction of Forest Avenue and Jerusalem Road, right across from Rocky Beach. He stated that the telephone poles and fiber infrastructure required to string similar small cells along the entirety of Jerusalem Road are already in place, making the massive monopole unnecessary.

The Open Space and Recreation Committee firmly aligned with the opposition. Committee Chair Ginny LeClair re-emphasized that town meeting voters previously expressed their clear desire to protect the land, noting a past citizens’ petition vote of 199 to 30 in favor of pursuing alternative locations. LeClair rejected claims that original trust restrictions had expired over time, asserting that the town holds the property strictly as a trustee under the express terms of the Wheelwright family’s will. She stated that Article 97 of the state constitution does not allow the town to circumvent a charitable trust without specific court authorization or legislative intervention joined by the Massachusetts Attorney General.

Read more

Subscribe now

The Full Story

The meeting opened with a reorganization following the town’s annual election. Lance Dial, who served in the leadership role for two years, declined to seek another term as chair due to professional time constraints. Committee member Corey Evans was nominated and elected as the new Chair in a 3-1 vote, with one abstention. Craig MacLellan was subsequently chosen to serve as Vice Chair, and Lance Dial was unanimously re-elected as Secretary after new member Danielle Ziady opted to first get her “sea legs” on the board.

Superintendent Dr. Sarah Shannon introduced the evening’s primary structural milestone: the formalization of the MSBA School Building Committee roster. Currently navigating the “eligibility phase” (Phase 1), Cohasset was required to submit its finalized committee composition to the state by June 1st. The sprawling committee merges stakeholders from town governance, school leadership, and private industry. Key members include Town Manager Michelle Leary, Select Board member Will Ashton, School Committee representative Craig MacLellan, and Facilities Director Nick Berardi. Notably, the MSBA has introduced a new mandate requiring active student voices; Cohasset’s panel will feature five local middle and high school students.

Read more

Subscribe now

The Full Story

The Select Board pushed forward on the long-debated Town Hall renovation project, acknowledging that keeping staff inside the municipal building during the heaviest phases of construction is completely unfeasible. Interim Town Manager Michelle Leary revealed that while staff can remain in place during the window replacements scheduled for this summer, they must completely move out before massive demolition and HVAC system overhauls commence.

The logistics are proving to be a jigsaw puzzle for municipal leaders. The town previously considered utilizing the municipal-owned property at 135 King Street as a singular hub, but structural limitations have restricted that plan. The building’s second floor is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), making it a “waste of space” for public operations unless the town infuses unbudgeted capital into accessibility upgrades. Furthermore, using 135 King Street for the next two years would directly paralyze planning for the long-delayed Public Safety Building project if that site is ultimately selected for the police and fire facility.

As a result, town operations will be scattered. Leary noted that “there is not one perfect site where all staff members can be housed, so we will be split between buildings.” To mitigate chaos for residents, the administration plans to cluster the finance departments together so that tax collection and financial processing remain centralized.

“We’ve looked at several places... we really need direction as to can we enter into a lease as soon as August to start moving the operations over during the summer months... because come September, we’re going to start with the clerk’s office with their early elections.” — Interim Town Manager Michelle Leary [23:22]

Read more

Subscribe now

The Full Story

The Select Board kicked off its new term with an immediate reorganization. Outgoing Chairperson Ellen Maher, who served in the leadership role for the past two years, was thanked for her extensive dedication before the board voted unanimously to appoint David Farrag as Chair. Following the transition, the board selected Maher to serve as Vice Chair and named newly elected member Will Ashton as the board’s Clerk. Alongside Ashton, who joins the board for a three-year term, Greg Watts was also officially welcomed to fill a remaining two-year seat.

The atmospheric shift quickly transitioned into solemn urgency during the public comment period. Chase Colasurdo, a Cohasset police officer and President of the United Federation of Police Officers Cohasset Police Local 143, stood before the board to outline the worsening conditions at the current 62 Elm Street headquarters. While noting the union’s deep respect for the democratic process, Officer Colasurdo detailed severe facility challenges including failing equipment, lack of storage, gun locker issues, sewage backups, mold concerns, and general structural deterioration. To emphasize the stakes of daily operations, Officer Colasurdo highlighted an incident from the previous evening where five Cohasset officers successfully used patience and de-escalation tactics to disarm an individual experiencing a severe mental health crisis carrying a knife, resolving the situation without injuries.

“This outcome has been difficult for the members of my union, but our resolve is strong. We know this community cares deeply about its police officers and we respectfully ask for your continued support as we work together towards a lasting solution.” [07:04] — Officer Colasurdo, Union President

Read more

Subscribe now

The Full Story

The meeting opened with a public hearing dedicated to the state’s school choice program. Superintendent Dr. Sarah Shannon strongly recommended that the district opt out of the program, clarifying a common public misconception regarding the financial impact of school choice in Massachusetts. Under state regulations, a sending town pays a flat rate of only $5,000 per student to the receiving district, whereas Cohasset’s actual per-pupil expenditure sits at approximately $22,000. Dr. Shannon noted that following recent, tight budget cycles that aligned staffing directly to enrollment, the district lacks the structural “wiggle room” or physical space to absorb outside students without risking added service strains.

“In Massachusetts, there’s a belief that if we become a school choice district that we bring in a full per-pupil expenditure for every child who chooses to come to Cohasset, which is not actually how school choice works. For every student who enrolled, we would only get about $5,000 per student. The regular per-pupil expenditure per Cohasset student is approximately $22,000.” [01:34] — Dr. Sarah Shannon, Superintendent

Committee members raised questions regarding whether the district could establish strict parameters or caps by grade level. Dr. Shannon confirmed that while grade-level caps can be set, the district surrenders all discretion over individual admissions. State law mandates a completely blind lottery, meaning the town cannot review academic, disciplinary, attendance, IEP, or 504 data, leaving Cohasset vulnerable to unforeseen special education costs that far exceed the $5,000 flat state reimbursement. Committee member Corey Evans also raised a demographic concern, highlighting a stark gender imbalance in an existing primary grade where boys significantly outnumber girls, and noted that state rules prohibit balancing classrooms by gender. Given these variable cost factors and operational risks, the committee formally closed the hearing and voted later in the evening to opt out of school choice.

Read more

Subscribe now

The Full Story

The most watched item on the 2026 ballot, Question #1, failed to garner the necessary support to move forward with the design and construction of a new municipal and public safety building. The proposal sought to exempt the town from the provisions of Proposition 2 ½ to pay for bonds related to the 135 King Street project. Despite significant advocacy from town safety officials in the months leading up to the vote, the “No” votes totaled 900, outpacing the 715 “Yes” votes cast by residents.

In the race for the Select Board, three candidates vied for two three-year seats. Ellen M. Maher led the field with 942 votes, followed by William A. Ashton with 901 votes. Ashton, who served on the Public Safety Facilities Committee, had previously voiced concerns regarding the scale and “definitive need” of the King Street project during public meetings. A write-in campaign for Corey Evans netted 637 votes, though it was not enough to overcome the two leading candidates.

For the two-year unexpired Select Board seat, Gregory Watts defeated Carol A. Bestick and Jennifer Lea Chu with a tally of 690 to 223 and 604 respectively.

Jennifer Lesky was re-elected to the school committee over challenger Victoria Lattanzi by a vote of 747 to 726.

Read more