Freetown Select Board Reorganizes, Approves June Warrant Articles and Infrastructure Deals

FREETOWN — April 6, 2023 — Freetown Select Board reorganizes and advances $3 million fire station rebuild to June 5 special town meeting. The board voted unanimously Thursday to retain Trevor Matthews as chair, name Carlos Lopes as Personnel Board chair, and seat Jared Zager as Parks Commission chair before working through a full slate of draft warrant articles, including two articles totaling $3 million for renovation and addition to Fire Station Three — split between roughly $2.5 million in free cash and $500,000 from stabilization funds — and a $150,000 match to seek a state library construction grant that could cover up to 55 percent of a new facility. KP Law attorney Mark Rich delivered an extended presentation on social media and public records law, warning that board members communicating in their official capacity on personal email or Facebook can create mandatory public records: "All board-related communications are subject to public disclosure." The board also approved a $30,000 environmental consulting contract with Apex Companies LLC, an owner's project manager agreement with Architectural Consulting Group for the fire station project, and voted to recommend phased rather than full closure of the Chase Road Bridge over Route 140, choosing 19 months of one-lane traffic over a 15-month full shutdown on emergency-access grounds.