West Newbury Officials Assign Readers, Confirm Annex Venue for April 27 Town Meeting

Select Board · Meeting of April 16, 2026

West Newbury officials mapped out logistics and motion assignments for the April 27 Spring Annual Town Meeting at a joint session of the Select Board, Finance Committee, and town staff. Select Board Chair Wendy Reed, Town Moderator KC Swallow, Town Manager Angus Jennings, and Town Clerk Amanda Haggstrom confirmed the meeting will be held in the Annex after fire damage to the Pentucket Middle/High School auditorium left it unavailable for more than two years, with Jennings noting repairs required replacing smoke detectors, all upholstered seating, and ceiling apparatus throughout the space. The group assigned speakers article by article across the full warrant, with Town Counsel Tim Zessin advising that Article 19 — a zoning measure requiring both a two-thirds Town Meeting vote and a separate May 4 ballot vote — could be brought back to a special Town Meeting if the two votes conflict.

Zessin and Jennings also flagged seven bids opened the day of the meeting on one capital item, with three bids falling between $42,000 and $65,000 against a $100,000 article appropriation; Jennings recommended keeping the motion figure unchanged to avoid reconciliation issues. Swallow argued for restoring the Finance Committee's practice of reading article rationales aloud, saying voters — particularly first-timers — benefit from hearing the committee's reasoning directly.

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Source: the Select Board meeting of April 16, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.