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Friday, October 30, 2026 Essex County, Massachusetts · Change town
Government · Select Board

Select Board votes to evict Scout Barn tenant

Wenham Select Board voted to evict the Iron Rail Scout Barn's second-floor tenant with 90 days' notice, opening a path to close the aging building within two years.

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Select Board · Meeting of October 6, 2026

Wenham Select Board voted to evict the Iron Rail Scout Barn's second-floor tenant with 90 days' notice, opening a path to close the aging building within two years. Vice Chair Peter Clay said he now favors selling, rather than leasing, the commercial Site 1 parcel, reversing his earlier working-group position, after the Iron Rail Gymnastics Academy said it couldn't finance improvements on leased land. Troop 28 committee chair Stephanie Wachtell asked for flexibility, warning "immediate vacancy would really disrupt our programming." The board also unanimously signed the state election warrant for the November 3 election, amended its notary policy to bar free service for for-profit business use, and adopted its FY27 goals.

Town Administrator Steve Poulos pegged a full building renovation at $6 million against roughly $110,000 in current annual income — a $332,000-a-year gap if the town keeps the status quo.

In the full story:

  • Who Was There
  • Organizations And Documents Referenced
  • The complete report — 2,822 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of October 6, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

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