Select Board Sets Nov. 16 Special Town Meeting

Select Board · Meeting of September 8, 2026

Manchester-by-the-Sea sets November 16 special town meeting, downgrades drought status. The Select Board voted unanimously to hold a Special Town Meeting November 16, coordinated with the Town of Essex, and a Special Town Election December 10, with article deadlines set for October 19. Town Administrator Antonio Barletta said the state downgraded the town's drought status to Level 2, lifting the three-day-a-week limit on sprinkler watering.

The board reserved $64,256.73 in state snow-and-ice reimbursement funds for fiscal year 2027 and approved two National Grid utility petitions, barring Central Street work on trash pickup day. Resident Chuck Furlong pressed the board on Ocean Street, noting the town's full $100,000 study appropriation had been spent, calling a proposed one-way traffic pilot "nothing more than a head fake." DPW Director Chuck Dam said a coming structural analysis would help "determine the scope of what the intervention is going to be."

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 4,610 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of September 8, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.