Published July 9, 2020
By MAUREEN DOHERTY
NORTH READING — The Select Board discussed at length Monday night, in a virtual meeting, how to go about holding the Special Town Meeting on the potential purchase of the Seven Acres Poultry Farm at 4, 12 and 14 Concord St.
The rules are different for Special Town Meetings, which in North Reading requires a quorum of 150. However, under the COVID-19 State of Emergency rules in place, the town has the option to reduce that number by as much as just 10 percent of the quorum requirement, which would be 15 registered voters.
Considering there were 49 registered voters at last week’s annual Town Meeting held in the gymnasium, which operates with an open format and no quorum requirement, it was recommended by Select Board member Stephen O’Leary that the board should aim for the maximum possible reduction.
It was clear at this stage of the pandemic and due to the different nature of the presentations anticipated for a Special Town Meeting on this topic that the board members would be looking to hold it outdoors, potentially on the football field. There was ample abutter and town-wide interest in the property when the subject was discussed last fall. There will be presentations by the current owner of the farm and/or the interested private buyer of the farm as well as the presentations representing the town’s interest in exercising its right of first refusal to buy the property, plus any discussion that would ensue among the attendees, making it a different type of meeting that the pared down June 29 Annual Town Meeting.
Given that tents are prohibited, if it rains it would have to be postponed. O’Leary pointed out that a quorum would be needed to postpone the meeting so if it rains they’d need at least 15 voters to appear at the chosen venue to continue it to specific a date, time and location.
Town Moderator John Murphy agreed with O’Leary’s point on this matter. Murphy will be making the ultimate decision as to the location, in consultation with the Select Board and the Board of Health.
Select Board Chairwoman Kate Manupelli recommended that the board review how the School Department is utilizing the football field for its planned outdoor Commencement exercises for the NRHS Class of 2020 which was recently announced for Friday, July 24, with a rain date of Saturday, July 25 (see related story).
All board members were in agreement that they should pursue a reduction in the quorum requirement and the board voted unanimously that it is their intention to take a vote on this matter, as required under the rules, at their next meeting on Monday, July 20 at 7:45 p.m. (see complete legal notice in today’s Transcript).
Once the quorum is settled, a date, time and place will also be decided. To leave it as open-ended as possible, the announced location is anywhere on the campus at 189 Park Street. However, the state rules also allow it to be held elsewhere if more feasible. Upon reviewing their schedules, board members are looking toward Saturday, August 8 in the morning, with a rain date of Saturday, August 15 for the Special Town Meeting.
The remaining two Saturdays in August would be difficult to schedule due to Early Voting for the Sept. 1 state primary.
Currently, the Special Town Meeting is on the books for Monday, July 27 at 7 p.m., after having been previously postponed from May 11 to June 8 to June 29 and then July 27. But if one thing was clear by the end of the board’s discussion, it will not be held on July 27. The town plans to mail warrants to all households as well.
