2026-10-01 - Select Board

00:02I see.

02:50I'll stand

04:10Ice pumpkin latte.

04:27Test one, two. Testing one, two.

04:31Test one, two.

04:45Testing one, two. Test one, two.

04:51>> Testing one, two.

08:43Awesome.

09:29Thank you.

18:22We want to give folks a couple extra

18:24minutes in case they did go to the fire

18:26location.

18:32Yeah.

19:32Oh yeah.

20:34station.

21:00Yeah.

22:28Good evening. Oh, there we go. Thank

22:31you, gentlemen. Uh, good evening. I

22:34bring to order this meeting of the

22:35select board here at

22:38Mil Pond Auditorium. It being 6:15.

22:42Um, if you would all be so willing and

22:45able to rise for the pledge of

22:47>> allegiance.

22:50Algiance to the flag of the United

22:53States of America and to the republic

22:56for which it stands, one nation under

22:59God, indivisible, with liberty and

23:02justice for all.

23:14Yes. Yes.

23:18>> Um, first of all, thank you to the

23:21Westboro schools for this uh late change

23:24and supporting this and to uh our

23:27award-winning Westboro TV for uh

23:29broadcasting this, broadcasting this for

23:31everybody who couldn't be here this

23:33evening.

23:37So, uh, in reviewing our agenda tonight,

23:40I will want to start our our fifth

23:42member of our board. Uh, select board

23:44member Shelby Marshall should be here

23:46shortly. Uh, she had a previously

23:48scheduled family medical appointment.

23:54We will move into public comment, which

23:56will be based on our open forum rules,

23:58limiting individuals to three minutes uh

24:02for their comments.

24:04Um, before that, I would just like to

24:06provide a quick review of sort of where

24:08we are as of this point. If you emailed

24:12the select board at some point prior to

24:15today, you should have received a

24:18response with this with the details that

24:21I'm about to provide. But I'm sure that

24:24not everybody received that. So, we'll

24:26just level set here at the beginning of

24:28the meeting.

24:34Okay.

24:38Okay.

24:40Here's an update on where the review

24:42process currently stands.

24:45Federal approval. The Federal Aviation

24:48Administration. The FAA has authority

24:51over the National Airspace and is

24:53responsible for the Federal Aviation

24:55Approvals required for commercial drone

24:57operations. The FAA has promulgated

25:01various regulations and noise

25:03certification standards that provide

25:05oversight of the operation of unmanned

25:07aircraft including drones such as the

25:10one Amazon proposes using for its

25:13primary service. Certain local

25:15regulations including land use approvals

25:18however remain within the jurisdiction

25:20of the town. Amazon is now seeking the

25:24sightspecific FAA approvals and

25:26authorizations necessary to operate

25:29Prime Air from 64 OD Street in Westboro.

25:33On September 28th, 2026, Massachusetts

25:37joined 14 other states in Harris County,

25:39Texas, and filing a lawsuit challenging

25:42the FAA's na nationwide environmental

25:45review for expanded commercial drone

25:48package delivery operations.

25:51The lawsuit challenges the FAA's final

25:53programmatic environment

25:56finding of no significant impact.

26:00The town is continuing to monitor this

26:03lawsuit and its potential impact on

26:05Amazon's primary proposal 64 ODA street.

26:10as to local authority.

26:12In a letter dated August 26th, 2026, the

26:16Westro building commissioner, who also

26:18serves as the zoning enforcement

26:20officer, issued a zoning interpretation

26:24classifying the proposed primary

26:26operation as an accessory use to the

26:28existing fulfillment center on the same

26:31property, which is allowed as of right

26:34as a manufacturing, processing, and

26:36warehouse use pursuant to the use

26:39regulation schedule in the town zoning.

26:42bylaw. Based on that interpretation, the

26:45local land use approval required at this

26:47stage is site plan approval from the

26:50planning board. Under the town's site

26:53plan review process, the applicant is

26:55required to meet with the select board

26:57and present its proposal before the

26:59select board provides comments to the

27:01planning board.

27:04Amazon fulfilled this requirement by

27:06meeting with the select board on August

27:0818th, 2026.

27:10The select board subsequently provided

27:12comments to the planning board. On

27:15September 15th, Amazon prop presented

27:18its proposal to the planning board which

27:20opened the public hearing on the site

27:22plan application.

27:25On September 22nd, the select board held

27:28its regular meeting and considered items

27:30related to the October special town

27:32meeting warrant. During open forum, the

27:34select board heard from many residents

27:37concern regarding their concerns about

27:39this proposal.

27:41We then decided not to close the warrant

27:44and then schedule this meeting instead.

27:48On September 23rd, Amazon then hosted a

27:51community meeting in Westboro to present

27:53the project and hear from residents.

27:56Since these meetings, the town's state

27:58legislative delegation has also heard

28:01from residents of Westboro and other

28:03potentially affected communities.

28:05Concerns raised have included noise, the

28:07frequency of flights, flight paths,

28:09operating hours, privacy, safety, drone

28:12cyber security, and environmental

28:14impacts. On September 25th, several

28:18residents submitted an appeal of the

28:20building commissioner zoning

28:21interpretation classifying the proposal

28:24as an access as an accessory use. Under

28:27the applicable zoning process, that

28:30appeal will go to the zoning board of

28:32appeals.

28:33If the ZBA determines that the building

28:36commission's interpretation is incorrect

28:38and requires modification, the applicant

28:41will need to pursue an applicable

28:43approvals required under the zoning

28:45bylaw, which would include a special

28:47permit and site plan approval through

28:49the ZBA rather than proceeding through

28:52the planning board.

28:55On September 28th, the town received

28:57notice from Amazon requesting that its

29:00planning board hearing, previously

29:01scheduled for October 6th, be continued

29:05until after the zoning board considers

29:07the zoning.

29:09The zoning board is expected to take up

29:12to the appeal in November.

29:15If the zoning board upholds the building

29:17commissioner's interpretation, the

29:19planning board would only then resume

29:21consideration of the site plan

29:23application.

29:25On se also on September 28th, state

29:28senator Michael Moore and state

29:29representative representatives Hannah

29:31Kaine and Kate Donahghue sent a letter

29:33to Amazon regarding the proposed primary

29:36operation. They asked Amazon to pause

29:39implementation of the proposal, engage

29:41in additional community dialogue before

29:43moving forward. Their letter identified

29:46questions and concerns raised by

29:48residents regarding noise, the frequency

29:50of flights, flight paths, operating

29:53hours, privacy, safety, cyber security,

29:56and environmental impacts.

29:59The town recognizes that residents have

30:02questions about this proposal, how this

30:04proposal could affect our community, and

30:06the town's various boards are committed

30:07to hearing from its residents as they

30:10consider matters that fall within their

30:11local legal authority.

30:14We encourage residents to participate in

30:16the public process, review the

30:18information presented by the applicant

30:20and attend upcoming public meetings such

30:22as the one we have here today.

30:26We will receive public comment

30:29uh that may be conserved by as we

30:31develop uh additional comments for the

30:33planning board and potentially the

30:35zoning board. If that becomes then the

30:37process the body which this process goes

30:41through. We will consider um a proposed

30:45amendment to the general bylaws this

30:47evening. Discuss next steps in

30:48communicating with the legislative

30:50delegation at the state and federal

30:52levels and then we will close the

30:55special town meeting warrant this

30:57evening.

31:00The planning board has a regularly

31:02scheduled meeting on October 6th.

31:04Because there is a open site plan review

31:09for this Amazon primary, it will be

31:11listed on that agenda, but it will be

31:14continued and and not discussed. The

31:16applicant will not be there until the

31:18zoning board process is fully

31:20adjudicated.

31:24And with that, uh, thank you to everyone

31:27for coming this evening.

31:32We will move to the public comment

31:35period. A show of hands as to those who

31:38plan to speak this evening.

31:41Okay. All right. Um, keep your comments

31:44to three minutes. I'll sort of go back

31:46and forth um and uh make sure that

31:51everybody gets an opportunity. If we

31:53could start down here with this

31:54gentleman on the right. If you could

31:57just provide your name and address.

31:58>> Yes, sir.

32:00>> Rod Jana, uh, can you hear me through

32:02the mic?

32:03>> Yeah, I can hear you. Can I

32:05>> people back there? Here.

32:06>> Okay.

32:08>> Rod Jane, 17 Piccadilly Way, Westboro,

32:11Massachusetts. Thank you for allowing us

32:13the opportunity tonight. Uh when I spoke

32:16before the board of selectment two weeks

32:17ago, I was unaware that a letter had

32:20been sent by the building commissioner

32:21to the planning board which determined

32:24that the drone operation at the Amazon

32:27site was an accessory use of their

32:29distribution center warehouse site and

32:32therefore essentially an already

32:34approved use at the site.

32:37For those unaware, an accessessory use,

32:40a quote, accessessory use is defined in

32:42the Westboro zoning bylaws as use that

32:45constitutes only an incidental or

32:48insubstantial part of the total activity

32:50that takes place on a lot and is

32:52commonly associated with an inte

32:55commonly associated with integrally

32:58related to its principal use.

33:00And of course, the thought that this is

33:02an accessory use is preposterous.

33:05To be clear, drone deliveries are not

33:08customarily associated with warehouse

33:10distribution centers. Amazon itself

33:13stated it was the first operation of its

33:15type ever done in the history of

33:16Massachusetts. So it is clearly not

33:19customarily associated with distribution

33:22centers.

33:24Secondly, the thought that a heavy 80 lb

33:275 foot x 5 foot x5 foot vehicle flying

33:30over our rooftops at 70 mph and

33:33descending noisily down to 13 ft above

33:36our neighbors residential property and

33:39dropping packages onto the ground from

33:41there and then taking off again is quote

33:44incidental and insubstantial close quote

33:47defies common sense. It is an extremely

33:50noisy operation and a massive

33:52encroachment on residential privacy and

33:55property rights.

33:57Therefore, on Friday, September 25th,

34:00and we learned of this on only a day

34:02before that, we had 24hour uh time frame

34:05to do it. We drafted a letter and

34:08submitted it as a formal appeal signed

34:10by 25 residents of the town of Westboro.

34:15My understanding, as Sean mentioned, was

34:17that the ZVA will be hearing that

34:19appeal. I believe it's currently

34:21scheduled for November 2nd, but please

34:22stay tuned. I'm not sure that that's a

34:24final date. Uh, but it will be in

34:26November according to my understanding.

34:28Uh, we hope that people show up. Um, and

34:31it will be a full public hearing is my

34:34understanding.

34:36Um

34:38this to the select board I would ask

34:40tonight that you provide on the town

34:43meeting warrant the opportunity for town

34:46meeting to vote on a temporary moratorum

34:51of one year

34:53while thoughtful zoning restrictions

34:57broadly supported by the community have

34:59been developed and adopted.

35:02and we ask you please to speak out on

35:05the appeal to the ZBA.

35:08We believe over 90% of the town support

35:11this opposition and we're asking this

35:15board to stand up and fight on behalf of

35:18that 90% of the town.

35:22We should have eyes wide open and be

35:24forewarned that 1,000 roundtrip flights

35:26being proposed by Amazon are just the

35:28beginning. If we allow this now, next

35:30will be Walmart, then Uber Eats, flying

35:33everybody's dinner to them, and the

35:34number of flights will become 10,000,

35:36and the radius will go from seven miles

35:38to 20 miles. And we will have no

35:40recourse because we will have recklessly

35:42allowed them to build a launching site

35:44in Westboro this year. Once we allow the

35:47launching pad site, the future

35:49jurisdiction will likely lie with the

35:51FAA and out of our hands. Select board,

35:55please do the right thing for your

35:57town's people. We believe more than 90%

36:00of the town, and we have a lot of polls,

36:02are passionately opposed to this. Please

36:04don't let this happen to our beautiful

36:06town.

36:13[applause]

36:20[applause]

36:31Good evening. Can you hear me?

36:33>> Yes.

36:33>> Yeah. I am Fman. I live on 29 Chestnut

36:37Street.

36:39>> Can somebody help perhaps?

36:47>> Okay, this is better, right? Okay. Well,

36:50good evening members of the select board

36:52and my fellow um

36:54>> sorry, can you just pull in front of the

36:56microphone?

36:56>> Okay. Okay. Good evening members of the

37:00select board and residents of

37:02Westboroough. Thank you for giving me

37:04the opportunity to speak tonight.

37:07Um, I am here because I'm deeply

37:09concerned about the security

37:11implications of introducing large-scale

37:14commercial drone operations over our

37:16community with the potential up to 1,000

37:20deliveries a day within 7 and a half

37:22miles radius. I would like to draw

37:25attention to what happens when

37:27legitimate commercial drones become so

37:29common in ubiquitous that a rug drone

37:33would potentially hide among them. This

37:36is a fundamentally different security

37:38problem than simply preventing

37:40collisions between two aircrafts. A

37:43person with malicious intent could

37:45potentially use a drone to threaten and

37:48or harm people, interfere with emergency

37:51operations, conduct unauthorized

37:53surveillance, or damage property. I

37:56support technological progress.

37:58Technology should enhance our lives and

38:01make our communities better. But we

38:03should not accept progress at the cost

38:06of creating new risks that could

38:08jeopardize our security, our privacy,

38:11and our way of life. So, I reviewed the

38:14FAA information about how drones are

38:17identified and how law enforcement can

38:20obtain information about them. The FAA

38:23has a system called Discover that allows

38:26authorized law enforcement to obtain

38:29available FAA information about drone

38:33when its remote ID is available. But the

38:37FAA makes it clear that Discovery itself

38:40does not detect or track drones and does

38:44not provide a complete real-time picture

38:47of drone activity. The information I

38:50have found does not indicate that anyone

38:52is assigned to continuously monitor all

38:55the drones operating over a community

38:58and distinguish legitimate commercial

39:00drones from unauthorized ones. That

39:03raises some basic but fundamental

39:05questions. Who detects the wrong drone?

39:09Who identifies it? Who determines where

39:12it's a security threat? And who has the

39:14equipment and authority to intervene?

39:16The question to our community is is

39:19this. Does Westboro currently have the

39:22personnel, equipment, and procedures

39:25necessary to respond to an unauthorized

39:28or potentially malicious drone operating

39:31among a large number of legitimate

39:33commercial drones. We should ask whether

39:37the benefits of this technology justify

39:40the additional security risk created by

39:42making large numbers of commercial

39:45drones a routine presence in our skies,

39:48particularly if that environment could

39:51allow a rock operator to conceal a

39:54malicious drone among legitimate ones.

39:57If additional monitoring equipment

40:00personnel and emergency response cap

40:03capabilities are necessary, who will

40:05provide them and who will pay for them?

40:08Ultimately, will the benefits of drone

40:10delivery justify the full cost of the

40:13safeguards needed to make it safe?

40:16Before we open our skies to largecale

40:19commercial drone activity, I believe we

40:21should ask first ask a simple question.

40:24Are we prepared for what could happen if

40:27this technology is deliberately misused?

40:30Thank you for your attention. Thank you.

40:37[applause]

40:42Thank you very much.

40:45Alan Edenberg, 8 Nash Street. Um, my

40:48issue that I'm going to raise is

40:50different from some of the others you're

40:51going to hear tonight. It's actually

40:52about the noise level. understanding

40:54that the FAA controls the rules on uh

40:57the noise of aircraft in flight and FAA

41:01regulations do dictate that local

41:03municipalities cannot enact noise

41:05ordinances or bylaws that target the

41:08noise created by aircraft. However, we

41:12do have an existing zoning bylaw. Um,

41:14it's 8.3A

41:17in our environmental control section

41:19that says in the industrial zone of

41:21which 64 OD street is zoned, noise from

41:24that property cannot exceed

41:27um the level that could be heard by a

41:29human without assistance beyond 400 ft.

41:33And so that means about 20 dB at 400 ft.

41:37Today, given today's weather conditions,

41:40a drone, the noise of a drone taking off

41:42at 64 Oda Street would have been audible

41:45to the human ear at distances between

41:48980 and 3,700 ft. At this point, I

41:53believe it is impossible for Amazon to

41:56lift off, and that's using their noise

41:58levels, by the way, not the ones from

42:00Axios, who hired an independent sound

42:02engineer, and said they're actually much

42:03noisier. I believe it's impossible for

42:06those drones to adhere to our current

42:09zoning bylaws. So, I'm asking the select

42:12board to take two actions given your

42:14role and responsibility of this. One,

42:16whether it's the zoning board of appeals

42:17or the planning board to formally

42:19request as part of your comment that the

42:22planning board use its legal authority

42:24to hire an independent audio engineer to

42:28conduct tests at the site using the

42:31actual drones that we'll be flying at

42:33Amazon's expense.

42:35Realizing of course that the FAA would

42:37have to provide test flight permit and

42:39there's a whole process for that that

42:40Amazon would have to go through and I

42:42realize that that is a big to-do and

42:46secondly I would ask the select board to

42:48pursue a universal source independent

42:52zoning bylaw from the select board is a

42:55town bylaw as oo I'm sorry town bylaw

42:58not a zoning bylaw modeled on Cambridge

43:01and I do realize that city ordinances

43:04are handled legally at the state level

43:06differently than town bylaws. However, I

43:08will point out that the noise ordinance

43:10in Cambridge has never been successfully

43:13challenged in court. Um, even though

43:16there have been lawsuits by businesses

43:18and residents against that bylaw, it is

43:20it's withheld the test of time and legal

43:23scrutiny. And it's a good model because

43:26it sets noise levels regardless of

43:28source. So, it doesn't violate FAA

43:30regulations on targeting aircraft. and

43:32it sets levels for daytime, weekday use,

43:35and off hours use by the type of zoning

43:38that exists throughout the community.

43:41Um, and so I believe that is a way not

43:43only to address um takeoffs and landings

43:47on Oda Street and the impact that would

43:48have on the neighbors where it would

43:50definitely be audible beyond our

43:51existing allowable range, but it would

43:54also address overflights and other use

43:57of zones and other noise making entities

44:00throughout the community. Thank you.

44:05[applause]

44:06>> Thank you. [cheering] Yes, sir.

44:11[applause]

44:13>> Good evening. Dan Klein, 177 Ruggle

44:16Street. For me, this comes down to

44:18quality of life, but also something just

44:20as important. Whether residents have a

44:23meaningful voice before a major change

44:25to our community becomes established.

44:28Over.

44:30[applause]

44:32Over the last several weeks, we've had

44:34legitimate concerns about noise, safety,

44:36privacy, environmental effects, property

44:38impacts, emergency response, and

44:40repeated low-flying commercial

44:41operations. Others will speak to many of

44:44those issues tonight. What I want to

44:46focus on are what Westbro can do about

44:48it. We have repeatedly heard the FAA

44:51controls the airspace and the town's

44:53authority may therefore be limited. That

44:56may be true in some areas, but limited

44:58authority is not the same as no

44:59authority. Massachusetts and other

45:01states have challenged the FAA's

45:03nationwide environmental review of

45:05commercial drone delivery, raising

45:07questions about whether these operations

45:09require more specific consideration of

45:12lo local impacts. Westboro does not need

45:15to resolve federal issues tonight. What

45:17the town can do is make sure we fully

45:20understand fully understands and uses

45:23the authority it has. Does that mean

45:25carefully examining zoning, land use,

45:27noise, public safety, environmental

45:29impacts, operating conditions, and any

45:32other authority where local other areas

45:34where local authority may apply. It also

45:37means requiring as much transparency as

45:40possible about the proposed operation,

45:42including its scales, routes, hours,

45:45safeguards, and likely impacts to

45:47surrounding neighborhoods. And most

45:49importantly, it means making sure

45:50residents have a meaningful opportunity

45:52to participate before decisions become

45:55difficult to reverse. I support bringing

45:57in an appropriate I support bringing an

46:00appropriate protective bylaw or

46:02temporary moratorum concerning high

46:05volume commercial drone operations

46:07before town meeting so that these issues

46:09can be fully examined and residents can

46:11participate in that decision. I am

46:14asking the town to use every tool it has

46:17deliberately and thoughtfully before

46:18this operation becomes an established

46:21fact of life in Westboro.

46:26[cheering]

46:27[applause]

46:32Good morning, Brad. Aragon, 2100's road.

46:35Um, the idea that having a commercial

46:38drone service is an accessory use of a

46:42fulfillment center that uses trucks and

46:44and such along major commercial

46:46arteries. It seems to me to be

46:48ridiculous. It's complete different use

46:50of that. And yeah, I I want to just

46:53support the idea of t of the uh appeal

46:56board looking at that and turning that

46:58over. I think that that's ridiculous to

47:00even consider that turning this into a

47:02commercial airport. I think that's uh

47:04ludicrous. And I'm also supporting the

47:06idea of a bylaw that prohibits uh

47:10commercial drones in Westboro.

47:13[applause]

47:16Uh

47:23Stephanie Stley.

47:27Stephanie Stley, 30 Fisher Street. West

47:29Bro is my hometown and I love it here. I

47:32live about a mile from the Amazon

47:33facility. I'm also a mom of two young

47:35children and a full-time realtor at

47:37Keller Williams Pinnacle Metro West in

47:38West Bro. And I can speak about our

47:40property values if this comes to

47:41fruition. These towns, especially West

47:44Bro in my opinion, have a suburban

47:45market appeal that is highly desirable

47:47to buyers. Westbrow's high real estate

47:49values are driven by its quiet

47:51residential character, and my buyers

47:53tell me all the time they love the

47:54strong community and family appeal. We

47:57are a town of turquoise tables and

47:58porchfests and block parties.

48:01Transforming suburban skies into an

48:03automated delivery corridor will

48:04absolutely lower neighborhood

48:06desiraability. Economic [applause]

48:13Economic obsolescence is a term for the

48:16loss of value in an asset or property

48:18caused by external forces outside of our

48:20control. This can be caused by things

48:22like new nearby highways or landfills,

48:24power lines, or a change in aircraft

48:26flight patterns. Because the Amazon

48:29Prime program is new, we do lack some

48:31data. However, research on airports and

48:33changed flight patterns shows homes

48:35positioned directly under low altitude

48:37flight paths can suffer a value

48:38reduction of 5 to 10% or more. I was

48:42also surprised to learn that in real

48:43estate and property assessment, the

48:45specific technical term for a reduction

48:47in home value caused by drone operations

48:49is the drone disturbance deduction or a

48:51drone nuisance discount. And in places

48:53where Amazon Prime is actively

48:55expanding, such as Texas, unhappy

48:57residents are now calling this hit to

48:59their property values the hover tax. In

49:02this case of drones, it's largely about

49:04sound. But what about additional privacy

49:05and visual intrusion concerns for

49:07property owners as well? Do we really

49:09feel comfortable going outside in our

49:11bathing suits and things like that when

49:13there are drones flying overhead?

49:17[applause]

49:17>> I think of my own home. I love going

49:20outside early in the morning and

49:21drinking my coffee. I spend the majority

49:23of my summertime in my yard with my

49:24kids. Our yard is an extension of our

49:27living space. We eat meals at our

49:29turquoise table in the front yard and

49:30read books on the lawn and have

49:32community events at my house.

49:35And I will never be able to enjoy my

49:36home with my family in the same way

49:38again if this happens. And I would

49:40understand why a buyer wouldn't want

49:42something like that either if they were

49:43to buy my house or any of the houses

49:45that will be affected by this.

49:47Checking on Facebook, I saw a realtor

49:49posting about disclosure concerns for

49:51properties with drones in her Texas

49:52community. And in the comments, her

49:54contacts voiced their concerns and spoke

49:56loud and clear that they would never

49:57want to live in a town where they were

49:59Amazon drones.

50:01I am deeply concerned about this issue.

50:03You obviously can all see, and I intend

50:04to push back on this with everything I

50:06have, and I ask you all to please do the

50:08same. Thank you. [applause]

50:11[cheering]

50:16>> Yes.

50:17>> [applause]

50:24>> Thank you for the opportunity.

50:26Good evening. I'm James B. I live at 14

50:30Asabet Drive, exactly a mile as the

50:33crow, not the drone, as the crow flies

50:37from Amazon's proposed launch site. I

50:40strongly oppose the operation of

50:42commercial drone delivery programs,

50:44including Amazon Prime Air in Westboro.

50:51I implore the select board to take a

50:53similarly clear, staunch stance against

50:56this invasion of our skies, our peace,

50:58and our community.

51:00Others tonight are commenting on legal

51:02issues, noise pollution, privacy

51:05concerns, safety issues. The list goes

51:08on.

51:09for good reason. These are all valid

51:11issues. I'd like to keep things simple,

51:14appeal to your common sense, and speak

51:17to you as a concerned neighbor. We moved

51:19to this town in 2002 for its bucolic

51:22setting, strong schools, and kind

51:25people. We purposefully chose to live

51:27adjacent to Mil Pond, where we hike,

51:29kayak, fish, and enjoy the wildlife and

51:32our proximity to nature in peace.

51:36We relish the serenity and high quality

51:39of living Westboro provides.

51:41Amazon plans 1,000 flights a day. Really

51:442,000 as each flight is there and back

51:47with nothing to stop them from

51:49materially increasing this number later.

51:51That's 2,000 noisy flights a day at low

51:55altitudes over our homes, schools,

51:59ponds, fields, children, and pets before

52:03any other companies like Lowe's, Target,

52:05or Walmart start their own drone

52:07delivery service.

52:09Who are we kidding? The question before

52:12this town's representatives is not about

52:14an acceptable noise ordinance or whether

52:17building an airport that operates from

52:19sun up to sun down is a quote

52:21incidental, insubstantial accessory use.

52:24What a joke. Let's call the question

52:27before us what it really is. Do we want

52:29to fundamentally change what it means to

52:32live in Westboro?

52:35>> Do we want to create a lowaltitude

52:37highway in the sky?

52:39>> No. Do we want hundreds, potentially

52:41thousands of commercial drone flights

52:43per day?

52:44>> No.

52:45>> Do we want the value of our homes to

52:47decrease due to a so-called hover tax?

52:50>> Do we want to set a precedent that will

52:52allow other businesses to geometrically

52:54compound the problems of commercial

52:56drone delivery?

52:57>> No.

52:58>> The simple answer to all these questions

53:00is

53:01>> no.

53:03>> We do not want this.

53:06And

53:07Respectfully, [applause]

53:15select board, we need your help to

53:17prevent it. I urge the select board to

53:19add to the warrant a bylaw that will

53:21prohibit or severely restrict the

53:23operation of commercial unmanned

53:25aircraft, i.e. drones, in our town. Let

53:28the members of the town decide whether

53:30or not we want a highway in our skies.

53:33Thank you very much. [cheering]

53:36[applause]

53:41>> [applause]

53:46[applause]

53:50>> Sarah Connor's Fort Perkins Drive. Well,

53:52that's a tough act to follow. Uh, but

53:55let me try. I too love this town. I was

53:59born and raised here and so is my

54:01mother. My roots in Westboro run deep,

54:04which is why I am so concerned about the

54:06impact this proposal could have on our

54:09community and our neighboring towns. I

54:12share many of the important concerns

54:13already raised this evening and I intend

54:16to echo one that we just heard and it's

54:18one um somebody like me who will be

54:21directly affected. I live off of the

54:24dead end side of Fischer Street right

54:26near Otis. Um, the Amazon facility is

54:30almost in my backyard and if this

54:32program moves forward, my neighborhood

54:34will likely experience some of the

54:36highest levels of drone activity. This

54:39raises serious questions about noise,

54:41safety, privacy, and property values.

54:44And for so many of us, our homes are our

54:47largest investment. And it's reasonable

54:49to ask what a constant presence of

54:51low-flying drones would mean for the

54:54desiraability and value of homes in this

54:56area. And we just heard some real data

54:58that it's a real thing and it's going to

55:00impact those values. What will

55:02prospective buyers think when they see

55:05and hear drones routinely flying over

55:07the neighborhood? I am a regular Amazon

55:10customer and I appreciate the service

55:12they provide. I also understand the

55:15appeal of faster delivery, but

55:17convenience for customers and

55:19significant operational benefits for

55:22Amazon should not come at the expense of

55:24the people who live here, especially

55:27those who live closest to the facility.

55:30[applause]

55:34[applause]

55:36Before regular drone traffic becomes

55:38part of our neighborhoods, we should

55:39fully understand what it means for the

55:41people who live beneath the flight

55:43paths. The potential negative impacts to

55:46our neighborhoods are significant and

55:48deserve careful consideration before

55:51this moves forward and not after.

55:53Because the impact of this proposal

55:55extends beyond the immediate area and

55:57throughout our community, I believe the

56:00decision should be brought before town

56:02meeting. All Westbrook residents deserve

56:04a voice in a decision that may have

56:06lasting implications on our town.

56:09Ultimately, the question is not whether

56:11drone delivery is convenient. We all

56:14know it's convenient. The real question

56:16is who bears the cost of that

56:18convenience. In my view, Westboro

56:21residents should not be asked to bear

56:22the cost through reduced quality of

56:24life, diminished privacy, increased

56:27noise, or potential impacts on property

56:30values. The stakes are too high and the

56:33unanswered questions are too many. I

56:35respectfully urge the board and town

56:37officials to proceed with caution and

56:40ensure that the voices of all Westboro

56:42residents are fully heard and

56:44considered. And I thank you for your

56:46time and consideration.

56:49[applause]

56:58Um Edward Forier to Whipple Tree Lane. I

57:02too live off of the dead end uh side of

57:05Fischer Street.

57:07And I want to talk about first of all

57:10the the physical safety and then the

57:13psychological safety involved with these

57:15drones. Uh just last year, two drones

57:18crashed into a a a construction crane in

57:21Arizona and they crashed into the

57:24parking lot.

57:26Who knows when when accidents are called

57:29accidents for a reason. Accidents

57:31happen. So property damage is one thing.

57:37Loss of life is something completely

57:39different.

57:42And then uh just last month, the people

57:45in Richardson, Texas, complained about

57:48Amazon drones and filed noise

57:50complaints.

57:52Residents likened the sound to

57:54high-pitched flying lawnmowers or a

57:56persistent buzzing. The tone, a

58:00highfrequency fluctuating wine, proved

58:03significantly more noticeable in quiet

58:05residential backgrounds than flat decel

58:08metrics predict. Here are some of the

58:10quotes from the people in Richardson,

58:12Texas. It sounds like a beehive coming

58:14right above our houses.

58:17We're less than a half a mile from the

58:19facility and they're just flying

58:21non-stop all day long, seven days a

58:23week. It's just crazy.

58:26We're seeing basically drone highways.

58:28Some residents are seeing hundreds of

58:30flights a day over their house.

58:33We've actually seen hundreds of families

58:35impacted at the end of the day. The city

58:38has a responsibility to preserve the

58:40quality of life for our residents.

58:43Let's talk about the practicality of

58:45this for a second. We're going to use

58:46drones to make deliveries within a 7 and

58:4912 mile radius. What's the point?

58:53Why? So you can get the package in 2

58:55minutes rather than 20. [applause]

58:59I mean the the only practical benefit to

59:02this is firing delivery drivers.

59:06Right.

59:09So, the benefit actually goes to Mr.

59:12Bezos bottom line.

59:15>> I guess making $50 million a day, you

59:18just can't live off of $50 million a

59:20day, ladies and gentlemen. That's

59:22difficult to It's tough to make ends

59:24meet.

59:25>> So, I appreciate you and I thank you for

59:28your time.

59:30[applause]

59:36Yes,

59:44Paula Les, 7 Blake Street. First of all,

59:46let me thank all of the people who

59:47courageously spoke tonight very

59:50eloquently and very precise on their

59:54comments. I do want to comment two

59:58things. Number one, in the beginning

1:00:00part of this meeting, you announced that

1:00:03Westbro TV was going to be filming this.

1:00:06Nobody ever indicated that Amazon was

1:00:10going to be filming this. And they never

1:00:12notified any of the people speaking

1:00:15tonight who gave their names, gave their

1:00:19comments. That is a violation of their

1:00:22privacy. [cheering] And that [applause]

1:00:33>> [screaming]

1:00:34>> And that is my main thrust. I have had I

1:00:39have had drones fly over my home. I live

1:00:42in the historic part of downtown

1:00:44Westbrow in my backyard. These are party

1:00:49drones that they buy for their kids. I

1:00:52don't like being surveiled and I don't

1:00:55like the feeling of knowing that if this

1:00:57goes through, there's a camera on there

1:01:00that is being monitored and recorded. I

1:01:04don't care if it's recorded for 10

1:01:05minutes, 5 minutes, or two hours. It's

1:01:08going to be recorded and held in some

1:01:10place that they have control over.

1:01:13They're going to know if you're home.

1:01:15They can look in your windows. They can

1:01:17see if you're gardening, if you're in

1:01:19your backyard, what are you wearing? How

1:01:22many people do you have at your house?

1:01:24This is violation of personal privacy.

1:01:28Again, the privacy here is being

1:01:31violated. [applause]

1:01:35and they never announced that they were

1:01:38going to record every single person who

1:01:41stood at that microphone and voiced

1:01:44their opinion in opposition of what

1:01:46they're doing. I am asking the selectmen

1:01:49to please stand up and do what is

1:01:52correct, not what is financially

1:01:56beneficial for the pocketbook. And the

1:01:59other question is has Amazon in the past

1:02:02year years since they have come to

1:02:04Westbrook have they received a tax

1:02:07incentive or break on their property?

1:02:10No. Okay. So what and they came to

1:02:13Westbrook and the traffic on Oda Street

1:02:17obviously is being fixed because of

1:02:19this. That's a state project fixing Oda

1:02:22Street. I understand that.

1:02:24But that is just the tip of the iceberg

1:02:27on what is going to happen in town. This

1:02:30has gone from a small community. It's

1:02:33going to be astronomical.

1:02:36And I don't like it. I don't want my

1:02:38privacy. I don't want my life uprooted

1:02:41because of somebody's bottom line.

1:02:45[cheering]

1:02:46Thank you. [applause]

1:02:57Just so everybody knows, they're from

1:02:58the news organizations, folks. Just so

1:03:00you know,

1:03:16>> um, yes.

1:03:20Okay, you are after this too.

1:03:30>> Hi, my name is Ken Kincaid. I live on

1:03:32Smith Street in Westboro, Massachusetts.

1:03:34I've lived here for 25 years. My thing

1:03:37uh noise and privacy aside, I want to

1:03:39talk about safety. The FA FAA will not

1:03:42allow drones to follow roads, streets,

1:03:44and highways. The reason a drone can

1:03:46distract a vehicle or drone failure

1:03:48striking a vehicle will completely

1:03:50destroy it and cause a traffic problem.

1:03:52Inside this 170 square mile zone of

1:03:56death of I, as I've named it, there are

1:03:58over 10 high schools, 40 elementary,

1:04:01middle, and junior high schools,

1:04:02numerous kindergartens, daycarees,

1:04:04nursery schools, many, many playing

1:04:06fields for soccer, baseball, field

1:04:08hockey, lacrosse, and hockey arenas.

1:04:10Mcwinny Field and Ward Hill are over 500

1:04:13ft high. The drones can crash right into

1:04:15them like they did to the crane in

1:04:17Arizona.

1:04:19Some houses in town are above that

1:04:20elevation, too. Every one of your houses

1:04:24is in that zone of death. 200,000

1:04:27residents live in this affected area.

1:04:29These 82 lb drones will make an average

1:04:32of 33 trips a day at first, then as they

1:04:35add more to get to a thousand round

1:04:36trips a day. That means at any given

1:04:39time from dawn to dusk, there is a

1:04:41well-used piece of machinery above us

1:04:43with no place to go except down if it

1:04:46fails. Safe landing spots, they

1:04:48mentioned, mean nothing in the case of a

1:04:50total mechanical failure. An 82 lb drone

1:04:54falling from 300 ft has a kinetic energy

1:04:57of over 20 250,000 foot-pounds at

1:05:00impact. That impact would totally

1:05:03destroy any vehicle, put a crater in any

1:05:06flat surface, including a road, go

1:05:08through the top of a building down to

1:05:10two floors, including this building. And

1:05:13think of the damage it will do to a

1:05:14human being, a child playing on a field,

1:05:17or you

1:05:18say the odds are low for this to happen.

1:05:20I use an example car crashes compared to

1:05:23the total number of trips is low. But

1:05:25would anybody these days buy a car now

1:05:27without seat belts or airbags? You

1:05:29aren't allowed to. Would you? No. We do

1:05:32not need drone delivery so someone can

1:05:34save a trip to the store or get

1:05:36something in 15 minutes. We can get We

1:05:38are so close to the delivery area. We

1:05:40can get products within two to three

1:05:41hours. Thank you.

1:05:44[applause]

1:05:51>> [applause]

1:05:57>> Uh hello uh Mark Katriio, 76 Fisher

1:06:00Street. I've been in town for almost 20

1:06:03years now. Uh I think like most I moved

1:06:05to West Bro. Uh coming from a small town

1:06:09wanting that my adult life into my

1:06:12elder years. Uh I am not 20 21 anymore.

1:06:17I am getting to my older years. Um, and

1:06:20this is this program is going to

1:06:23drastically impact

1:06:25the way of life that I bought into when

1:06:27I bought my property in Westbrow. I did

1:06:29not buy a house [applause] Thank you.

1:06:33Uh, I didn't purchase a house in a city

1:06:36for a reason. I I bought into a small

1:06:38town. That's the culture and community

1:06:40that I wanted that I was looking for. I

1:06:43also did not purchase a house near an

1:06:45airport. Um, and don't be fooled. This

1:06:49Amazon launch site is not a delivery

1:06:53service. It is an airport. Um, it's

1:06:56projected by 2030, four years that

1:07:00Amazon will have over 5 million

1:07:02deliveries by drone in United States.

1:07:06Um, this drone that they have that's

1:07:08basically size of a Mazda Miata, it's

1:07:10not small.

1:07:13This is the second iteration of that

1:07:15drone. What's going to happen in four

1:07:17years? How big is that drone going to be

1:07:19in four years when we allow them to come

1:07:21into our town and use our site as a

1:07:23launching pad? Walmart, Target, Lowe's,

1:07:27Door Dash, they all have plans for

1:07:30drones. If you think that Amazon isn't

1:07:33going to use their technology and their

1:07:35backing to help these companies out or

1:07:37maybe use their drones for them and sell

1:07:40their service, I think it's very naive.

1:07:43Um, we need to stop them now before they

1:07:45get a foothold um with their drone

1:07:48delivery site because as my fellow

1:07:49residents have said already, once the

1:07:51FAA has final approval, all bets are

1:07:53off. We can't stop them after that. We

1:07:55have to stop them before this happens.

1:07:58Uh, Amazon netted, I believe, over $700

1:08:02billion dollars in 2025. That's the

1:08:04juggernaut the town of Westbrow is up

1:08:06against. It's David Goliath. We need to

1:08:10be David. Thank you. [applause]

1:08:34Hi, [clears throat] my name is Alan

1:08:35Stone at 12 Old Coach Road in Westboro.

1:08:41Uh, be very brief. The comments by

1:08:43everybody so far have been amazing.

1:08:47uh

1:08:49when this kind of started back in like

1:08:522019 2022

1:08:57not necessarily the drones but when

1:08:59Amazon purchased the the facilities

1:09:02there uh the planning board found and

1:09:08determined

1:09:09that the project constitutes a suitable

1:09:12development and will not result in

1:09:15substantial ial detriment to the

1:09:18neighborhood. Town planner Jim Robin Jim

1:09:21Robbins read this on May 3rd, 2022.

1:09:28That was their very benign proposal,

1:09:31Amazon's very benign proposal back then.

1:09:34things have dramatically changed and I

1:09:37don't think anybody in good faith could

1:09:39say

1:09:42that the drone proposal

1:09:45or plan constitutes a suitable

1:09:48development and will not result in

1:09:51substantial detriment to the

1:09:53neighborhood. By that standard, there's

1:09:56no way that this should be approved.

1:10:00[applause]

1:10:13Hi. Uh, James McCarthy, three Rugles

1:10:16Pond Road. Uh, first I just want to

1:10:18thank, uh, my fellow citizens for so

1:10:20many very incisive comments tonight. Um,

1:10:23I want to raise a a question, comment,

1:10:27uh, query about a potential legal route

1:10:30for the town to maybe have a little, uh,

1:10:33exert a little bit more authority and

1:10:34maybe even for some of the other

1:10:36affected towns to do the same. So,

1:10:40first, um, going back to the couple of

1:10:42comments ago about accidents, I think

1:10:44it's important to, you know, do some

1:10:45projections have as people have and do

1:10:48some math. So, Amazon has talked about a

1:10:50target of a thousand flights a day. 365

1:10:53days a year. That's 365,000 flights a

1:10:56year. Uh take a decade of that, that's

1:11:003.65

1:11:01million flights just from Amazon. As

1:11:04people have pointed out, there will be

1:11:05others. When you start getting to those

1:11:08numbers, the question of accidents is

1:11:11not whether there'll be an accident. The

1:11:13question is how frequent will the

1:11:15accidents be? How frequent will

1:11:17malfunctions and problems be? So, I was

1:11:20at the presentation that Amazon did for

1:11:22the town last week, and in response to a

1:11:27question about what happens if a drone

1:11:29has a problem, the Amazon representative

1:11:32said essentially it will look for the

1:11:36nearest open flat space to put down.

1:11:39That could be public space, it could be

1:11:42private space, it could be your

1:11:44backyard, it could be protected natural

1:11:47areas. So I think that's clearly

1:11:50undesirable. But from a legal

1:11:52perspective, what I would ask the select

1:11:56board and the town more broadly to look

1:11:58into is the legal question of whether

1:12:00that gives us another way to exert

1:12:03authority. So I understand the FAA

1:12:06controls airspace. I understand that

1:12:08Amazon's existing facility is subject

1:12:11to, you know, particular zoning

1:12:13requirements and there's a question of

1:12:14whether or not this use fulfills

1:12:17existing requirements. I agree with the

1:12:19argument that it doesn't. But a critical

1:12:23question or a critical point in the

1:12:26discussion has been our authority is

1:12:28limited because Amazon's private

1:12:31property which is industrial is the only

1:12:34place that these things will touch down

1:12:36to the ground and adjacent towns have

1:12:39been told you know you have no say at

1:12:41all because these drones will never

1:12:43touch down but it's a virtual certainty

1:12:48that those drones will be touching down

1:12:51on public and private property of all

1:12:54types over time as you multiply these

1:12:57numbers out over the years. And so my

1:13:00question that I would ask the select

1:13:01board and the town to look into is

1:13:03whether that opens the door for other

1:13:06kinds of exercise of the town's

1:13:08jurisdiction and the same for

1:13:10neighboring towns. Thanks.

1:13:13[applause]

1:13:19>> [applause]

1:13:33>> pardon me before we move on to our next

1:13:36speaker.

1:13:38Um so according to general general laws

1:13:42chapter 38 section 20F after notifying

1:13:47the chair of the public body any person

1:13:49may make a video or audio recording of

1:13:51an open session of a meeting of a public

1:13:53body or may transmit the meeting through

1:13:55any medium subject to reasonable

1:13:58requirements of the chair as to the

1:13:59number placement and operation of

1:14:01equipment used so not as to interfere

1:14:03with the conduct of the meeting. At the

1:14:05beginning of the meeting, the chair

1:14:06shall inform other attendees of any

1:14:08recordings.

1:14:10Um, only Westbro TV has requested me to

1:14:14record this event.

1:14:16Do folks have any issues with other

1:14:19being here recording this event?

1:14:24>> To to my knowledge, that's channels five

1:14:26and seven.

1:14:34So

1:14:46>> yourself as well, sir.

1:14:50>> Five. Okay.

1:14:52Okay. All right. All right. Yeah. Thank

1:14:56you. If you could stop recording. Thank

1:14:57you.

1:14:59You don't want them to stop recording.

1:15:01Okay.

1:15:02>> You're okay with Okay. Amazon is not

1:15:05here recording to my knowledge. Okay.

1:15:09>> Yeah. All right. Okay. You can maintain

1:15:12your recording. Thank you.

1:15:23>> Next.

1:15:27Yes.

1:15:36Yep. Okay. Um I did Andrew Kenningsburg,

1:15:413 Smith Street. Okay. Now it's loud. All

1:15:44right. I am a member of the conservation

1:15:47commission, although I'm not speaking

1:15:49for the conservation commission here

1:15:50tonight. At uh the Amazon

1:15:55community meeting, uh I was one of the

1:15:57first people to ask a question. I asked

1:16:00about whether there was any

1:16:01peer-reviewed research that showed uh

1:16:04the impact of commercial drone

1:16:05operations on wildlife, especially

1:16:08birds, large birds like raptors. [sighs]

1:16:11I was blown off. Basically, they said

1:16:13the FAA doesn't think there's a problem

1:16:16from their assessment, and we've never

1:16:18had a problem.

1:16:20which

1:16:22just just floored me. So that is a big

1:16:26issue is the impact on wildlife

1:16:28throughout this town. It's not just the

1:16:30eagles flying over Chony Pond. There's a

1:16:33mated pair of redtailed hawks who fly 2

1:16:36to 400 feet in the field behind my

1:16:38house. You see them all over the place.

1:16:40We have great blue heron. We ducks geese

1:16:44flying around this town. So, you want to

1:16:46talk about potential accidents

1:16:49um that could bring a drone down. I

1:16:51imagine that would be, but I'm very

1:16:53concerned about the wildlife impacts

1:16:55that don't appear to have been addressed

1:16:58at all. And I think that should be part

1:17:01of any evaluations done about the

1:17:05appropriateness of having these drones

1:17:07fly uh over Westboro. Thank you.

1:17:12[applause]

1:17:18How are we doing? Who else would care to

1:17:20speak?

1:17:46Hello, I'm Celeststeine Warren. I live

1:17:48on 8 Myrtle Street. I'm a doctor. I have

1:17:51a toddler and we're expecting another

1:17:53baby soon. To me,

1:17:58[applause]

1:17:59this is really about three things. The

1:18:02first is the sound. What is this going

1:18:04to do to little ears? What does this do

1:18:06to all of us? The second one is what

1:18:09kind of community do we want to live in?

1:18:11As was mentioned before, many of us use

1:18:13our backyards, our tables, our front

1:18:15porches as family spaces. This is where

1:18:18I do breastfeeding. This is where we

1:18:20play. This is where we spend time

1:18:22enjoying nature. So, what does it mean

1:18:24to us as a family if there are intrusive

1:18:27devices overhead recording those

1:18:29intimate family moments? The third one

1:18:32is the preservation of our green spaces.

1:18:35We live in a beautiful town. We have

1:18:38farms. We have ponds. We have waterways.

1:18:41We have forests. We have places to

1:18:43explore nature. So, what kind of message

1:18:46does it send to our youth if we're

1:18:48polluting these areas with noise

1:18:50intrusion? These are private places and

1:18:52they deserve to be respected innately

1:18:54for what they are, which is natural

1:18:56spots. Thank you.

1:18:59[applause]

1:19:12>> Um, I've modified my comments to be very

1:19:14short. Okay. Um, first of all, I want to

1:19:17thank everybody for the the most

1:19:19eloquent and brilliant and concise and

1:19:23impactful comments. I am overwhelmed.

1:19:26Thank you board for your attention, your

1:19:28endurance, your strength. This is not

1:19:31easy and we're here for you. We're not

1:19:35here against you.

1:19:37>> Name and address.

1:19:39>> Christine Farmer, 3 Joanne Drive. into

1:19:41the Amazon TV man.

1:19:45>> We love you. We love Amazon. We love

1:19:47Amazon, but just not in our skies. So

1:19:51real quickly, you highlighted chair

1:19:53beautifully what has happened over the

1:19:55last few weeks with the FAA lawsuit that

1:20:00um Massachusetts has joined with 15

1:20:02other states and Senator Moore Kaine and

1:20:05Don and reps Kaine and Donahghue's um

1:20:08urging successfully Amazon to pause the

1:20:12Westboro drone operations process after

1:20:15hearing the outro of the people here

1:20:17from last week's forum on the impact the

1:20:19lack of answers. officers in the

1:20:21unprecedented implications of the

1:20:23Commonwealth. This local outcry across

1:20:25our town is being seen and heard through

1:20:29packed forums, flooded inboxes, and

1:20:31social media posts, a survey of 93

1:20:34people against zones, and more media

1:20:36coverage and more. And thank you so much

1:20:38for coming tonight. The message is

1:20:41clear.

1:20:42Commercial drone delivery is not welcome

1:20:45here. That's it. [applause]

1:20:52>> [applause]

1:20:53>> Last week I covered the distressed

1:20:55communities, Texas, Louisiana. Today I

1:20:58want to talk about other communities

1:21:00acutely avoiding the same fate by taking

1:21:03action to pause, to restrict and to stop

1:21:07drone operations. Redmond, Washington.

1:21:11They adopted interim zoning controls and

1:21:14they currently have you have um drone

1:21:18uses that are prohibited in all zones.

1:21:22Parker, Colorado temporarily suspended

1:21:25land use approvals and building permits

1:21:28while it studied regulations. Castle

1:21:31Rock, Colorado adopted a temporary

1:21:34moratorum.

1:21:35Cobb County, Georgia, denied zoning

1:21:38requests, complete requests for droning

1:21:41delivery hubs. Again, multiple vendor

1:21:45hubs because those facilities were not

1:21:48appropriate at those locations. Very

1:21:50similar to the inappropriate location in

1:21:53this bucolic, beautiful, peaceful,

1:21:55suburban um beds um um um um west coast

1:22:00westside community. What I'm saying is

1:22:03sorry folks other communities have found

1:22:05a way to act and I trust we will too but

1:22:08I urge you please place a moratorum on

1:22:12all drone delivery proposals and

1:22:15operations at this time. We need to

1:22:17stop. We need to pause. There is no

1:22:20rush. Amazon came under the radar in

1:22:23July when everybody was on vacation. We

1:22:26learned about this just a few weeks ago

1:22:28and you've seen the public outcry and

1:22:30you folks are responding. Let's not

1:22:33rush. Let's stop the process. Use every

1:22:36lawful tool available to pause,

1:22:38restrict, or require additional approval

1:22:41for this unprecedented operation for the

1:22:44hope of Westboro, Central Massachusetts,

1:22:46and for the Commonwealth. Thank you for

1:22:48your tireless courage, leadership, and

1:22:51keep our community beautiful and

1:22:53peaceful all the time. Thank you.

1:22:58[applause]

1:23:05Have I missed anyone else? Is there

1:23:07anyone else interested in speaking? Yes,

1:23:09senator here and over here. Okay.

1:23:19>> Hi. Uh

1:23:21my name is Wesley White. Uh I live over

1:23:23on Harvey Lane. Um, first of all, thank

1:23:26you for having this meeting. Um, I think

1:23:29it's a great thing that the town uh

1:23:32showed up for this once in a lifetime

1:23:35event.

1:23:37Uh, thank you to the TV stations for

1:23:40coming. Uh, we know this is newsbreaking

1:23:43and we appreciate being the front and

1:23:45center of it for Massachusetts.

1:23:48Uh I do want to end this one third uh

1:23:51questionnaire slash opinion thing though

1:23:54uh in a positive light. I think it's

1:23:58safe to say that the town has spoken on

1:24:03their thoughts when it comes to

1:24:06uh the whole entire drone delivery

1:24:09system as well as most on autonomous uh

1:24:13de delivery vehicles as a whole if you

1:24:16will.

1:24:18I think it is safe to say

1:24:21that we do have quite a few tools at our

1:24:26disposal that we can use as a town such

1:24:28as taxes, zoning, etc. I'm not a lawyer.

1:24:32I don't know any of those politics

1:24:34behind them. But at the end of the day,

1:24:36this is a money oriented matter, right?

1:24:40The Amazon deliveries right now for this

1:24:45flight delivery is going to be an

1:24:46additional $5 per delivery.

1:24:50If you do out the math

1:24:54for throughout the whole year, that adds

1:24:55up to be about $3 million.

1:24:59That $3 million could be used towards

1:25:02their taxes.

1:25:07>> What?

1:25:12>> Here's what I'm getting at.

1:25:15There's not currently a way to tax that

1:25:18that I know of. But that's not to say we

1:25:21can't be one of the first communities to

1:25:24do so.

1:25:28And the reason why I'm saying that is

1:25:30because once that tax structure goes

1:25:32above what they can afford, they're

1:25:34going to step out.

1:25:39>> So that's that's my five cents. I think

1:25:43they've spoken more or less.

1:25:47>> [applause and cheering]

1:25:48>> Uh,

1:25:50please speak on behalf of us. Act on

1:25:54behalf of the town.

1:25:57If you don't, the town will speak again

1:25:59come voting.

1:26:00>> Thank you.

1:26:03Pardon me. Pardon me. Please allow

1:26:05people to to provide their own remarks

1:26:08without your comments. Okay. Thank you.

1:26:13We had somebody

1:26:30Hi, my name is Bridget Quinn and I um

1:26:33come here on behalf of 53,000 teamsters

1:26:37throughout New England, including the

1:26:39130 that live and work in West Bro,

1:26:41including the folks that work down the

1:26:43road at Coca-Cola.

1:26:44So, as many of you know, Teamsters

1:26:46represent drivers and delivery workers

1:26:48or warehouse workers, home fuel, home

1:26:51fuel heating drivers, and even

1:26:53zookeepers. And so, we are very

1:26:56concerned with drones coming to West Bro

1:26:59and surrounding communities because

1:27:00ultimately the drones are going to

1:27:03reduce the amount of uh delivery jobs

1:27:05that available to our Teamsters. And

1:27:07these delivery jobs are real jobs. their

1:27:09middle class jobs that our members

1:27:11depend on to support their families, to

1:27:13buy homes in beautiful communities like

1:27:15West Bro and Central Mass and put their

1:27:18money right back into those small

1:27:19businesses. So, that is the lens that

1:27:21we're bringing to this issue tonight.

1:27:23And I think you've heard loud and clear

1:27:25from everyone in this room and beyond

1:27:27that there are major concerns with

1:27:29noise, with pollution, with privacy

1:27:31concerns with these drones being

1:27:33equipped with cameras taking pictures of

1:27:36god knows what and who's who's seeing

1:27:38them when and how and where they're

1:27:40stored and on and on and on and on. The

1:27:43number of routes, the number of drones

1:27:44that are going to be flying over houses

1:27:46and schools and our parks every single

1:27:49day. So, we're here to lend the

1:27:51Teamster's voice to say hit pause on

1:27:53this program. And it's pretty clear from

1:27:55the um eloquent testimony of the folks

1:27:58here tonight that Westbro residents are

1:28:01fully opposed to drones coming to West

1:28:04Bro. Thank you.

1:28:06[applause]

1:28:14How many other individuals do we have

1:28:16who would like to speak?

1:28:19Sure.

1:28:21Take your time. Is Is there any What

1:28:24else? Is Caroline final?

1:28:29>> Just don't watch her.

1:28:42>> We need a boy. We need a boy scout.

1:28:44Caroline.

1:28:49Now we need to lower.

1:28:54>> Thank you. All right. This is good.

1:28:56Yeah. Thanks. Actually, how about you

1:28:58just stand there? Let me hold on to you.

1:29:00Is that okay?

1:29:03Okay.

1:29:04>> I'm not kidding. I wasn't kidding. All

1:29:07right. So, Carolyn Spring, Dear Slayer

1:29:10Lane, um, thank you for having this, by

1:29:12the way. Um, I had sent you all an email

1:29:15earlier in the day that kind of wraps

1:29:17up. What I want to do is wrap up all the

1:29:18points um and mention the ones that I

1:29:21had in my email that I think covers what

1:29:23everybody has been saying but just

1:29:25because I like how I ended my email. um

1:29:28the the one uh so that I started with

1:29:32the invasion of privacy and so one point

1:29:35one of the speakers I think it was Paula

1:29:37who mentioned about the invasion of

1:29:39privacy and how you've got these cameras

1:29:40flying over seeing what we're doing

1:29:42seeing what our kids are doing they're

1:29:44flying over the schools they're seeing

1:29:46every single thing that is going on in

1:29:48your house and me being from New York

1:29:49I'm thinking not only that but they're

1:29:51going to see you're coming and going and

1:29:53some who knows where the information

1:29:55goes but they could be case of the joint

1:29:56as

1:29:57Okay, which no one has mentioned. Um, so

1:30:02clearly an invasion of privacy. Then the

1:30:05noise issue with the constant buzzing

1:30:06and humming and the un and it just be

1:30:09unnerving and for people with noise

1:30:10issues or dogs that have noise issues,

1:30:12it's going to be a huge problem. Um, and

1:30:17it also results in homeowners from not

1:30:20being able to have the quiet enjoyment

1:30:21of their home in violation of the noise

1:30:24ordinances that we have. And there's

1:30:25certain case law on that as well.

1:30:28Then we have the safety issue. So

1:30:31already someone spoke about the crashing

1:30:33into the crane. There's also been

1:30:35crashes into apartment buildings. I'm

1:30:38also thinking about crashes on my head

1:30:41or on someone's head because the package

1:30:44gets released too early or something

1:30:46there. It's not a perfect world with

1:30:47these drones. So I worry about the

1:30:50safety issue. I also worry about the

1:30:51environmental impact. And I believe it

1:30:53was Andy Coninsburg mentioned that. And

1:30:55I'm thinking the drones could be hitting

1:30:56the birds. You know, like you talk about

1:30:58birds being sucked into planes all the

1:31:00time outside airports. We could have

1:31:02drones hitting birds and then we've got

1:31:05injured birds or dead birds. And that's

1:31:08not what we signed up for when we moved

1:31:10to this really nice bucolic town is what

1:31:12I'm going to say. Um and the other thing

1:31:15is with the environmental impact, there

1:31:17is a reason why the FAA is being sued by

1:31:2014 states as well as a town. um because

1:31:24they did not do an adequate

1:31:26environmental impact study regarding

1:31:28these drones. So I think we need to

1:31:30remember why that study needed to be

1:31:34done properly and points that have been

1:31:36made here today as well as um wildlife

1:31:39staying away because of the humming of

1:31:41the the buzzing and humming of the

1:31:42drones and the disruption. [snorts] And

1:31:44I don't know if anybody spoke about real

1:31:46estate values will plummet because who

1:31:48the heck wants to live in a in a town

1:31:50where there's constant drones buzzing

1:31:52overhead. I know I wouldn't buy a house

1:31:53here if that was it.

1:31:55So, [applause]

1:31:58um, and then they said that they

1:32:00expected a thousand deliveries a day,

1:32:02which someone calculated it to be

1:32:04approximately 22 seconds. Every 22

1:32:06seconds, your drone will be taking off

1:32:08and landing. Okay, think about that.

1:32:11Think about that when you might want to

1:32:12be enjoying your beer at Cold Harbor or

1:32:15non-alcoholic beverage. Sorry, just in

1:32:18case. Okay. So, all that I'm asking is

1:32:21to please put on the town meeting

1:32:23warrant a bylaw that will put a

1:32:26moratorum or a prohibition of commercial

1:32:29unmanned aircraft, i.e. drones or other

1:32:32similar aircraft in our town with the

1:32:34exception of use by first responders.

1:32:37Put it on the warrant and let the

1:32:38members of the town decide. And not just

1:32:40the building department, the planning

1:32:42board and the select board. Let the

1:32:43people that live here decide. Thank you.

1:32:46[applause]

1:32:54>> [applause]

1:32:57>> That's right.

1:33:16Donna Parese, 35 Water Street. I'll try

1:33:19to be brief. I just really want to

1:33:21reiterate what Andy said and what she

1:33:23just said about our wildlife and our um

1:33:26our green spaces.

1:33:28I I went to the Amazon presentation and

1:33:31like Andy said, he's the guy was like,

1:33:33"Oh, we haven't hit any large birds."

1:33:35And I'm like that you know of and you

1:33:38don't know what the impact is on small

1:33:40birds and more to the point the noise as

1:33:43much as it bothers us animals have more

1:33:46sensitive hearing. So it's going to

1:33:47impact our pets it's going I feel very

1:33:52sure unfortunately that it's going to

1:33:54impact our wildlife particularly our

1:33:55birds. Um and as a burer that's a

1:33:58problem. Um,

1:34:01so I just really wanted to uh be another

1:34:03voice for considering the impacts on

1:34:07nature here. Uh, all our wildlife and

1:34:10birds are already under stress from

1:34:13climate change and habitat loss and

1:34:15development.

1:34:16We don't need drones on top of that. So

1:34:19that's all. Thank you.

1:34:21[applause]

1:34:24Any

1:34:28anyone else who would like to speak?

1:34:32>> Am I missing hands?

1:34:36>> Sorry. Come on down.

1:34:47>> Hello. Can you hear me?

1:34:49>> Yes.

1:34:50>> Um, my name is uh Himmanshu Chapra. I

1:34:54grew up uh not here in the US. I grew up

1:34:58uh in uh India. So my first 25 years I

1:35:02was there and my next 25 years I I'm

1:35:05here. Um I want to think about it from a

1:35:09little bit of a different angle. Um so

1:35:13definitely we want progress

1:35:16and uh we want to make things better and

1:35:19uh so Amazon tries to do it by reducing

1:35:22the time for to delivery. Hey, I get an

1:35:24order and I'm going to deliver as fast

1:35:26as I can. Right now they're saying we

1:35:29can do it in a day. Um I'll give another

1:35:33data point. I went to India

1:35:36and in uh the major cities

1:35:40uh there are players who are delivering

1:35:42in 50 minutes.

1:35:45So there is precedence of being able to

1:35:49deliver faster. They don't have drones.

1:35:53So the solution to quicker delivery uh

1:35:57you have to do a costbenefit analysis.

1:36:00And I I mean the cost is so huge

1:36:04to uh to the town uh and the benefit is

1:36:10not there. There are other ways to get

1:36:11that benefit. So uh uh I mean uh it's

1:36:16just uh it doesn't make business sense.

1:36:18Thank you.

1:36:20[applause]

1:36:24Anyone

1:36:29else?

1:36:47Good evening. Uh, my name is Iran. I'm

1:36:49on for Mohawk Circle, and I'm probably

1:36:52going to repeat what all has been said,

1:36:53but I just want I feel strongly that I

1:36:55need to get my point across. Um, I

1:36:58bought my home for a reason. A beautiful

1:37:01backyard that had a butts, wetlands, and

1:37:04privacy and peace that I wanted for my

1:37:05family.

1:37:07I chose this property because I wanted

1:37:09my children to grow up here, playing

1:37:11outside, enjoying nature, and making

1:37:13memories in their own backyard. I did

1:37:16not buy this property expecting to live

1:37:18beneath a commercial drone delivery

1:37:20corridor.

1:37:23[clears throat]

1:37:24I have a I have very basic questions

1:37:26that still need to be need real answers.

1:37:29What are the hours of operation? What

1:37:31are the proposed flight paths and

1:37:32corridors? How frequently will these

1:37:34draw drones fly over our neighborhoods?

1:37:36and what assessment has been done to

1:37:38impact the wildlife living in and around

1:37:41our backyards, wetlands, and

1:37:43conservation lands. We keep hearing that

1:37:45these drones sound like lawnmowers.

1:37:47Frankly, that misses the point. A lawn

1:37:49mower doesn't repeatedly fly over your

1:37:52home and it doesn't operate during and

1:37:55it only operates once during civil

1:37:58twilight hours. You can choose when

1:38:00you're mowing your lawn. You cannot

1:38:01choose when a drone flies over your

1:38:03property. This isn't about whether drone

1:38:06technology is innovative. It's about

1:38:08whether instant gratification and faster

1:38:10consumer delivery should come at the

1:38:12expense of peace, privacy, natural

1:38:15environment of the people who live here.

1:38:18Just because something is technologyally

1:38:20possible doesn't mean every community

1:38:22should have to accommodate it. And what

1:38:25concerns me the most is that we're being

1:38:26asked to accept an enormous change to

1:38:28our community without clear answers

1:38:30about what our everyday lives will

1:38:32actually look like once these are in

1:38:34operation. And I'm not talking about 6

1:38:36months from now. I'm talking about 3 to

1:38:38four to 5 years from today.

1:38:41[clears throat] I understand that the

1:38:42FAA has authority over our nation's

1:38:44airspace. But I'm asking this select

1:38:47board to use every lawful avenue

1:38:49available to advocate for its residents,

1:38:52demand transparency from Amazon and the

1:38:54appropriate agencies, and determine what

1:38:57options remain to stop this project from

1:38:59moving forward. Please do not wait until

1:39:01these drones are flying to find out what

1:39:04our consequences will be for our

1:39:06community. By then, it'll be too late.

1:39:08We chose West Bro for the quality of

1:39:11life it offers to our families, would

1:39:13deserve choice. Uh, excuse me. We

1:39:15deserve a voice in protecting it. Our

1:39:18backyards are not Amazon's runways.

1:39:23[applause]

1:39:29[applause]

1:39:34Anyone else? Am I missing hands?

1:39:39Is that it? And thank you everyone who

1:39:41spoke today and for all those who came

1:39:43to support them.

1:39:47[applause]

1:39:52At this point we'll move on to item

1:39:53number two in our agenda. Uh

1:39:56consideration of additional comments to

1:39:58the planning board regarding prime air.

1:40:00And this uh agenda item is really

1:40:03consideration of additional comments to

1:40:05whatever the uh you know the authority

1:40:08is deemed to be. So if it moves to the

1:40:11zoning board then these comments would

1:40:13be forwarded to that authority.

1:40:18>> Yes.

1:40:20>> If I may.

1:40:20>> Yes. Select board member watch.

1:40:22>> Um first of all uh I just want to share

1:40:24that I am very proud to live in a

1:40:26community where there's such public um

1:40:28outpouring of concern on this topic. Um

1:40:31I have a prepared remarks um and I'm

1:40:33going to be very deliberate in my

1:40:34remarks in regards to this. So bear with

1:40:36me.

1:40:38Um, [clears throat]

1:40:40first, thank you to all those paying

1:40:42attention. I am listening to you. Thank

1:40:45you as well to Senator Moore, Reps Kane

1:40:47and Donahghue, the governor's office,

1:40:48and our congressional delegation who've

1:40:50shown concern and acted with speed. I'd

1:40:53also like to thank our staff and our

1:40:55fellow boards who've proceeded

1:40:56professionally in all their actions.

1:40:59While Amazon has been a good neighbor so

1:41:01far, a significant change in use such as

1:41:03this is not neighborly and directly

1:41:05impacts the domestic tranquility of the

1:41:0722,000 residents of Westboro as well as

1:41:09the near half million residents of the

1:41:11other 15 impacted communities which have

1:41:14no direct say in this process simply

1:41:16because unmanned aircraft systems never

1:41:18touch down in their communities. I

1:41:20wouldn't consider flying even one drone

1:41:22over my neighbor's property without

1:41:23their consent, let alone at summer

1:41:26solstice civil twilight hours, which is

1:41:284:35 in the morning to 9:01 at night.

1:41:31And that's yes, that's what Amazon has

1:41:33communicated.

1:41:35It is reasonable. It is a reasonable

1:41:36concern to think unmanned aircraft

1:41:38systems will cause animosity between

1:41:40neighbors who opt in versus neighbors

1:41:43who do not.

1:41:45Amazon's message to date has been

1:41:46inconsistent at best in regards to

1:41:48safety, data, security, privacy, noise,

1:41:52wildlife, property valuations, and

1:41:54Federal Aviation Administration's

1:41:56oversight details such as the Federal

1:41:58Aviations Administration's license. Does

1:42:00the Federal Administration's license

1:42:02anticipate other commercial vendors

1:42:04deploying another 1,000 unmanned

1:42:06aircraft systems each per day?

1:42:10I am hearing Walmart, Lowe's, Target,

1:42:12Home Depot, GrubHub, and others are all

1:42:14working.

1:42:16The current posture of Amazon seems to

1:42:18minimize the need for state and local

1:42:20oversight by hiding behind the FAA um

1:42:23showing little care for residents of

1:42:24central Massachusetts. Therefore, I hope

1:42:27the recent state legal action is

1:42:29successful.

1:42:30No matter how you look at this, the

1:42:33town's three-dimensional bylaws could

1:42:34not have contemplated unmanned aircraft

1:42:36systems. I urge communities across the

1:42:39Commonwealth to implement strict zoning

1:42:41to fend off this very personal intrusion

1:42:43that currently has little to no local

1:42:46and state regulatory oversight. We have

1:42:49more oversight over an ice cream cone at

1:42:51Dairy Queen than random people deploying

1:42:53unmanned aircraft till package touchdown

1:42:55in our yards. So, what should Westboro

1:42:58do? I respectfully request four things

1:43:01to be done at the town level.

1:43:04First, that residents support article 8

1:43:06of the upcoming town meeting, which will

1:43:07amend our general bylaws for unmanned

1:43:09aircraft on October 19th, 7 p.m. at the

1:43:12high school. The final language of the

1:43:14motion is expected to be discussed at

1:43:16this board's next regular meeting on

1:43:17October 13th.

1:43:19Second, under federal law, the Federal

1:43:21Aviation Administration defines Amazon's

1:43:23drone technology as unmanned aircraft

1:43:26systems. The agency explicitly treats

1:43:29drones as aircraft. The applicant's own

1:43:32comments, public comments, categorize

1:43:34this technology as an aircraft.

1:43:36Therefore, if the application remains

1:43:38with the zoning board of appeals as a

1:43:40matter of use, I ask that the zoning

1:43:42board of appeals require special permit

1:43:44per zoning bylaw section 1.6 definitions

1:43:48where it clearly defines airport any

1:43:51area on a lot used for the landing and

1:43:53takeoff of an aircraft or similar fixed

1:43:55wing craft on a regular or intermittent

1:43:57basis. If this application

1:44:02if this application is allowed to

1:44:03proceed without special permit under the

1:44:05improper reading of our zoning bylaws,

1:44:07then one could assume not only can every

1:44:09business with a parking lot industrial

1:44:11in industrial IV zones be allowed to fly

1:44:13unmanned aircraft systems, they could

1:44:16also fly traditional aircraft. Simply

1:44:18put, the determination cannot have it

1:44:20both ways. These are either aircraft or

1:44:23they are not. And since they are, the

1:44:25zoning board of appeals and the

1:44:27applicant are required and should desire

1:44:29to adhere to our zoning bylaws regarding

1:44:32them as such. Third, with the applicant

1:44:35apparently hoping to skirt the

1:44:36inadequate one-sizefits-all Federal

1:44:39Aviation Administration 600 foot noise

1:44:42zone buffer rule that outright bans

1:44:44launch pads within 600 ft of a

1:44:46residence. The town must take action to

1:44:48protect our zoning. Therefore, no matter

1:44:51if the application remains properly

1:44:52under the zoning board of appeals as a

1:44:54special permit or under the planning

1:44:56board as a site plan review, I ask both

1:44:59to reject the application per our

1:45:01pre-existing zoning bylaw, general

1:45:03regulations article 83A, which states

1:45:06disturbances, no use shall be allowed if

1:45:09it will cause sound, noise, vibration,

1:45:11odor, or flashing except for warning

1:45:13devices, temporary construction or

1:45:15maintenance work, parades, recreational

1:45:18activities, or other special circumstanc

1:45:19ances perceptible with instruments

1:45:22without instruments more than 400 ft

1:45:24from the boundaries of the ongoing

1:45:26excuse me the originating premise if at

1:45:28an industrial district simply put

1:45:31perceptible sound will be emitted beyond

1:45:33the 400 ft requirements of the

1:45:35industrial IB district zoned property

1:45:38additionally any anticipated mitigations

1:45:40would not be appropriate in recognizing

1:45:43the residential's reasonable

1:45:44expectations and would usurp the power

1:45:46of the town meeting that took the time

1:45:48to debate and vote for the article 83A,

1:45:50nullifying its intent. Lastly, I urge

1:45:54the community to continue local, state,

1:45:56and federal dialogue, petitioning our

1:45:58representatives at all levels. Federal

1:46:00regulations are inadequate, and Amazon,

1:46:03like other companies, will continue

1:46:04taking advantage. Your voice must be

1:46:07heard over the constant drone of

1:46:08unmanned aircraft systems. Thank you.

1:46:13[applause]

1:46:18>> Thank you.

1:46:19Uh, next

1:46:24>> board member Jones.

1:46:26>> No, I I don't have further comments. I

1:46:28just thank people for being here and

1:46:29have heard the comments, but I was just

1:46:31going to go back to our agenda item of

1:46:32additional comments to planning board.

1:46:34Um, and uh, I think some things I heard

1:46:38tonight that I don't think were in our

1:46:39original one, but correct me if I'm

1:46:41wrong, um, uh, that I'd like to see

1:46:45added in there. um is the concept around

1:46:49public safety. Um I think it was brought

1:46:52up as road drones uh interfering, but

1:46:55really more about uh the public safety

1:46:57impact to this. And I'm not sure um how

1:47:00that's been addressed, but I would like

1:47:01to see from both fire police um that

1:47:04we're prepared if it does happen, but I

1:47:06really like to hear their comments um on

1:47:09that uh to be included as part of uh the

1:47:13analysis that's being done there. Um The

1:47:16other request um

1:47:20that I think was talked about, but I'm

1:47:22not sure if we um kind of asked more uh

1:47:26directly for it was the was the concept

1:47:29of the independent audio engineer to see

1:47:32um to what board member Welsh just

1:47:34talked about to see if this complies

1:47:36with existing bylaws that we have. So if

1:47:39they

1:47:41contest that we have bylaws in place in

1:47:43terms of the noise bylaws that was just

1:47:46quoted um and to my knowledge right now

1:47:51it's really been uh what we've heard

1:47:53from Amazon but requesting independent

1:47:57certification. We do this a lot in

1:47:58zoning things and of course asking for

1:48:01it um at the uh cost to uh the applicant

1:48:06in this case would be Amazon.

1:48:09Um and then the final one that I had and

1:48:12I don't know how to put this one in

1:48:13there but but it was one that um

1:48:18I hadn't thought about and uh but really

1:48:20is that when something happens with the

1:48:22drone zones and they need to land for

1:48:23safety purposes outside of that

1:48:25facility. what is the ruling impact etc

1:48:29around that. So I'd love to have that

1:48:31addressed as well. Um and again I

1:48:34apologize if these were in our original

1:48:36one. I don't remember everything we had

1:48:37in there but these to me were ones that

1:48:39I heard tonight from the crowd that I

1:48:40thought um were new at least in my mind

1:48:44that like added to that uh those

1:48:48comments put in front of

1:48:51Thank you.

1:48:52>> Thank you.

1:49:00whatever.

1:49:02>> Yeah, sure.

1:49:03>> Okay, happy to do that. Uh, first of

1:49:05all, I want to um thank everyone for

1:49:06coming tonight and for the many emails,

1:49:10Facebook posts, etc. Um, I I also want

1:49:13to start by echoing my full support for

1:49:16Mr. Welch's comments. So, Patrick, thank

1:49:18you very much for your comments. A big

1:49:20stamp of ditto coming from this end.

1:49:24>> [applause]

1:49:27>> I do have some prepared comments and

1:49:29I'll try my best to site where I feel

1:49:31like it's appropriate. Um I would like

1:49:33the all of my comments to be entered and

1:49:35I'm happy to com copy to our town

1:49:38manager um to be submitted uh to the

1:49:40planning board or the ZBA. Um so um not

1:49:44just is that okay?

1:49:45>> Yeah, I mean uh the comments that you

1:49:47submitted are the board's comments. So

1:49:49the board would have to agree that

1:49:51that's part of the record.

1:49:52>> Well, maybe we can talk about that.

1:49:54>> I think we would.

1:49:55>> Okay, great. Thanks. Okay. Um,

1:49:58appreciate uh your patience. Oh, no. The

1:50:00crowd's leaving.

1:50:02Okay. I I do want to thank everyone who

1:50:04has engaged uh with us over the last

1:50:06several weeks. I have read your emails,

1:50:08your uh read your comments. I've

1:50:10listened to the meetings, attended the

1:50:12Amazon meeting, heard heard those

1:50:13comments, and I've received many phone

1:50:15calls, many texts. Uh thank you for

1:50:18standing up for what you believe in.

1:50:20Thank you to our legislators for your

1:50:22support as well. Uh last week I said

1:50:24that I didn't believe we knew enough

1:50:26yet. I chose that word deliberately

1:50:28because I was trying very hard to

1:50:30approach this from a place of curiosity

1:50:32rather than conclusion. Since then, as

1:50:35I've continued to listen, do my own

1:50:37research, and ask questions, I have

1:50:38moved. I do not support bringing Amazon

1:50:41Prime Air to Westboro. [applause]

1:50:50I want to distinguish that position for

1:50:52for how I feel about Amazon. They have

1:50:54been a good community partner. They are

1:50:56our largest taxpayer. They provide a

1:50:58valued service and jobs across a wide

1:51:00range of skill levels. They have

1:51:02supported our community through

1:51:03donations and have been supportive of

1:51:05the significant work contemplated on the

1:51:08ODA street interchange. We value their

1:51:10presence in Westboro. But valuing Amazon

1:51:13does not require us to support every

1:51:15expansion of their business model. And I

1:51:17believe this

1:51:21[applause]

1:51:22I believe this one asked too much of our

1:51:24community and the surrounding

1:51:25communities who have no voice for too

1:51:27little in return. I keep coming back to

1:51:30one very simple question. For what?

1:51:34What benefit to Westboro or any of the

1:51:37affected communities justifies the

1:51:38trade-offs we are being asked to accept?

1:51:40packages in 60 minutes or less. For me,

1:51:43that is simply not enough. And clearly,

1:51:45from what we've heard today, you feel

1:51:46the same. The convenience belongs

1:51:49primarily to the person ordering the

1:51:51package. The impact belongs to all of

1:51:53us. Some of those impacts we're

1:51:55beginning to understand. Others we don't

1:51:57understand nearly well enough. I'm

1:51:59concerned about the noise, as you are.

1:52:02Not simply how loud one drone is during

1:52:04one test, but what repeated flights

1:52:06sound like during a day and what happens

1:52:08as that number of delivery grows. I'm

1:52:10concerned about our environment, the

1:52:12known and still unknown effects on

1:52:15domestic farm animals, domestic and farm

1:52:17animals, birds, wildlife, pollinators,

1:52:20um, as examples,

1:52:22as well as impacts on, uh, conservation

1:52:25land and natural spaces of which our

1:52:27town, our tax dollars, your tax dollars

1:52:30have invested in so that we could

1:52:31preserve those spaces. And now we're

1:52:33going to have drones flying over it. It

1:52:35just doesn't make sense to me. um a

1:52:38little bit more and a little detailed

1:52:40here. Uh I am a huge dog fan and I do

1:52:42love the environment but um for a dog um

1:52:47using the statistics that um the decibel

1:52:50levels that Amazon has provided for a

1:52:52dog a drone hovering at 13 to 50 feet

1:52:57basically create is effectively like a

1:52:59blaring high-pitched dog whistle. It

1:53:02creates an apex predator threat in the

1:53:05dog. Um, it confuses their sense and it

1:53:09creates a fight or-flight response to

1:53:12our birds. And I'm not an ornithologist,

1:53:14so you know, so if you are, I'm sure you

1:53:17can be more specific. It creates an

1:53:19acoustical blanket. It affects mating,

1:53:22territory, and predator responses. And

1:53:25bees, who don't have ears, I learned

1:53:27that, um, it floods their sensory and

1:53:30and all the vibrations that they rely on

1:53:32to be pollinators, the the impact is

1:53:35obvious.

1:53:36I am concerned about fire risk. Um Ian,

1:53:39thank you for mentioning the comment of

1:53:41about wanting to hear from our public

1:53:42safety staff. The these are battery

1:53:45operated power aircraft with lithium

1:53:47batteries that can that will operate

1:53:48over our neighborhoods, roads, wooded

1:53:50areas, and conservation land. If one

1:53:52comes down in a difficult to access

1:53:54location, I want to understand the risk

1:53:56and the mitigation. How is it located?

1:53:59How quickly can it be reached? What

1:54:00equipment and training are required?

1:54:02What happens during periods of elevated

1:54:04brush or wildfire risk? Will Amazon

1:54:07pause flights because of that? I'm not

1:54:09optimistic about that once the once the

1:54:11horse is out of the barn. And who bears

1:54:13the cost of preparing for and responding

1:54:15to those incidents? I think we all know

1:54:17that answer. Those are questions we

1:54:19should answer before an incident and not

1:54:21after one. I'm also concerned about

1:54:24privacy and data collection. I'm

1:54:26concerned about what happens with this

1:54:27technology scales. And I'm concerned

1:54:30about something that may be harder to

1:54:32quantify than decibb or flight counts.

1:54:36What does this do to the way we live

1:54:38here and the way we are as a community?

1:54:40We already live in a world where

1:54:41technology makes it increasingly easy to

1:54:43stay home, push a button, have almost

1:54:45anything brought to us. There is

1:54:48convenience in that, but I believe

1:54:49there's a societal cost when when

1:54:51convenience continually removes reasons

1:54:53for us to leave our homes and interact

1:54:56with one another. Our businesses, small

1:54:58and larger, are more than places where

1:55:01transaction happens. They're where we

1:55:03run into neighbors. They're where our

1:55:05kids get their first jobs. They're where

1:55:07relationships are built, and they employ

1:55:09people who work here, support our

1:55:11organizations, and contribute to the

1:55:12economic life of their of this town. I

1:55:15worry about continuing ways to excuse

1:55:18me. I worry about continuing to create

1:55:20ways to bypass those opportunities and

1:55:22further isolating each other, ourselves

1:55:24from each other.

1:55:29That brings me to something I find

1:55:30particularly difficult about this

1:55:32proposal. Amazon describes Primar as an

1:55:34opt-in service. It is for the customer.

1:55:38It is it is not optin for everyone else.

1:55:42Your neighbor can opt into the delivery.

1:55:44You can't necessarily opt out of the

1:55:46harbor or the aircraft traveling near

1:55:48your home and hovering over it or

1:55:49nearby. You don't opt into the noise.

1:55:51You don't opt into whatever

1:55:53environmental effects ultimately result.

1:55:56And this is not about Amazon as we've

1:55:58already heard because there's obvious

1:55:59concern about what happens beyond this

1:56:01this one opportunity.

1:56:04Try to wrap up my comments here.

1:56:08I think it's obvious to say that we

1:56:10don't want to normalize this because

1:56:11once it's out of the box, it's not going

1:56:12back in. There are lots of legal

1:56:15questions that we have to understand and

1:56:18and um again, thank you to the public

1:56:20for raising them. I am interested in

1:56:22understanding what a moratorum looks

1:56:24like, an independent audio study. Um I

1:56:27also in echoing um member Welch's

1:56:31comments about the general bylaw and

1:56:33supporting that. I think that we could

1:56:34go further and develop a comprehensive

1:56:36noise bylaw um um former um member of

1:56:41this board Alan Edberg mentioned about

1:56:43the Cambridge one. I think that that's

1:56:44worth certainly exploring and I would

1:56:46ask this board to consider that

1:56:49technology is changing and our bylaws

1:56:51and tools that we have to protect our

1:56:52community need to evolve with it, but

1:56:55we're not there yet and so we need time.

1:56:59There are lots of questions. Can

1:57:01operating hours be limited? Can

1:57:02guaranteed periods of quiet in be

1:57:05included including designated non-flying

1:57:07days?

1:57:08How do we see meaningful information

1:57:11about anticipated flight routes in areas

1:57:13of concentrated activity before those

1:57:15operations begin?

1:57:18I could go on and on and on with the

1:57:20questions. The point is we don't want

1:57:23this. And honestly, no matter how many

1:57:25more questions we ask, it's very clear

1:57:27what the public wants. And I think this

1:57:28board, again, echoing what the public

1:57:31has said, we should do everything in our

1:57:33legal authority to stop it.

1:57:36[cheering]

1:57:38>> [applause]

1:57:51>> So, I didn't prepare any remarks. I do

1:57:53want to thank everyone for coming. Um, I

1:57:57uh

1:58:00I've got the message pretty clear. The

1:58:02um

1:58:04the 200 emails plus

1:58:07that I'm still waiting through, trying

1:58:09to get through. I've gotten through a

1:58:10lot. Um, if those weren't enough, um,

1:58:15everyone showing up tonight and speaking

1:58:18so eloquently about this topic has made,

1:58:23you know, hasn't really changed my mind

1:58:25because my mind was already made up, but

1:58:27um, it certainly reinforced my

1:58:30um, decisions.

1:58:33Um,

1:58:36I'm not really interested in talking or

1:58:38making comments to the planning board

1:58:40about

1:58:42hours of operation or, you know, flight

1:58:45plans because that presumes that they're

1:58:49going to approve it and I don't want it

1:58:52approved.

1:58:56[applause]

1:58:57So,

1:59:00unfortunately, we can't dictate to the

1:59:02planning board and they may not have a

1:59:04legal grounds to reject it. I don't

1:59:08know. I I'll let them figure that out.

1:59:10Um, my only comment to them is please

1:59:13don't approve it. Um,

1:59:16and as far as ZBA goes, and I will back

1:59:20up, when that hearing does come, I think

1:59:24the people in this room will be listened

1:59:26to every bit as much as the select

1:59:29board's recommendations.

1:59:31Um, and same with the ZBA. we need to

1:59:34show show up there because what the

1:59:38select board recommends I'm worried

1:59:40about the ZBA appeal because our

1:59:43definition refers to fixed wing aircraft

1:59:46and that may be a loophole given these

1:59:48drones are not fixed wing their motor or

1:59:51propellers. So

1:59:54again, I'm not an attorney. I'm going to

1:59:55let somebody else worry about u those

1:59:59loopholes. I would like to create

2:00:03a bylaw or possibly two bylaws because

2:00:07multiple layers of red tape is not a bad

2:00:11thing when it comes to this. Um

2:00:15that will uh I guess I don't need

2:00:21more reasons to say no. I just want to

2:00:25know what actions we can take

2:00:28to say no.

2:00:32>> [applause]

2:00:35>> I I do um while I do like the idea of a

2:00:40moratorum, a moratorum is uh by

2:00:44definition

2:00:46uh a fixed set of time and I we need to

2:00:49be ready.

2:00:50Um even if we do a moratorum that only

2:00:54buys us some time. We have to have a

2:00:56solution that's permanent.

2:01:01I do think that uh the people who say

2:01:05this is not about Amazon, I agree with

2:01:07that. This is about drones and uh not

2:01:11wanting them to fly overhead.

2:01:14I think Amazon is inventing demand,

2:01:17which is, you know, they're very good

2:01:18at. Um it's pretty much how they got

2:01:22started.

2:01:25But there are, you know,

2:01:29fairly well uh financed outfits. So we

2:01:33are David and they are Goliath and I

2:01:36agreed with that.

2:01:42>> Well, I am concerned with delivery

2:01:44drivers lo losing jobs. U

2:01:50>> public comment period is over.

2:01:53I honestly I'm not looking to the

2:01:54teamsters to fix this.

2:01:57I'm looking to the people of this town

2:01:59uh and us as your lead your elected

2:02:02[applause]

2:02:07and I'm looking to us as your elected

2:02:09leadership to um you know lead the way

2:02:14on that solution. So that's those are my

2:02:18[applause]

2:02:22Thank you. Uh again, I say thank you to

2:02:24everybody who came out today and

2:02:26represented your viewpoints clearly to

2:02:28us.

2:02:29>> We are here um to represent you. You're

2:02:33the reason we are here. So um thank you

2:02:36again.

2:02:38Um as and I support what

2:02:42the other board members have said this

2:02:44evening. Sean,

2:02:47>> I I um especially with the prepared

2:02:50comments, I just wanted to note that the

2:02:53purpose of the select board providing

2:02:55comment to the planning board is to give

2:02:57the planning board specific things that

2:02:59you're concerned about so that they can

2:03:00look at those and make their decisions.

2:03:02And if they do make the decision whether

2:03:04it's to approve or deny, it's helpful

2:03:06for them to be able to base it on

2:03:07certain things. So even if the board

2:03:10wants to attach these comments that were

2:03:12read this evening, um I look to you to

2:03:16sort of authorize us to pull things out

2:03:18of those comments so that we can be

2:03:20really clear with the planning board

2:03:21about the things specifically you're

2:03:23asking them to look at.

2:03:24>> Yes. Yes. Thank you very much. Thank you

2:03:27for Thank you um town manager Williams

2:03:29for making that clear. Yes, we want to

2:03:32we are here to provide direction to

2:03:34those boards. So we we want to do that

2:03:36and um I think within everything that's

2:03:39said um there was a lot of specific

2:03:42comments. We'll make sure incorporate

2:03:44those. Um, and uh, I support. Yes,

2:03:49>> I was going to say, Shelby, I mean,

2:03:50excuse me. Um, Chrissy, are you looking

2:03:51for a motion from the board

2:03:52specifically?

2:03:54>> I think if the board is is saying that

2:03:56they want your full um, written comments

2:03:59transmitted to the planning board, it

2:04:00would likely be helpful for the planning

2:04:02board to Yes. to allow us to to to pull

2:04:05those things out and to put it in the

2:04:06typical form where we transmit comments

2:04:08to them.

2:04:09>> Okay. I would move that the select board

2:04:11authorize the town manager to accept all

2:04:13written and verbal comments and that

2:04:15those be incorporated to the feedback

2:04:18the comments to the planning board and

2:04:20ZBA as appropriate.

2:04:22>> Get a second.

2:04:25>> Okay. Any further comments?

2:04:27>> Yeah, just for clarification. So, um I

2:04:30am totally fine with taking the comments

2:04:33and sort of aggregating them into

2:04:36categories to make it

2:04:41go through them. Um, but I would also

2:04:44inot

2:05:04>> that's what I was saying is that is that

2:05:06if you're

2:05:08never this before where you've prepared

2:05:10comments that you want to individually

2:05:11transmit to the planning board. So if

2:05:14the board is if that's what the board

2:05:15decides to do, we should also pull it

2:05:18out into our typical format.

2:05:20>> Okay. Thank you for the clarify

2:05:31any other comments. All those in favor

2:05:34to zero present.

2:05:37Um, all right. Uh, and I think those

2:05:40comments were clear. Um, I fully support

2:05:43them. I I would say, and I know a couple

2:05:46members specifically referenced Mr.

2:05:49Edinburg's comments. Um, and and I, you

2:05:53know, there was a lot of excellent

2:05:54responses there tonight. I would

2:05:56highlight Mr. Edinberg's comments as

2:05:58well.

2:06:01Um with that,

2:06:03any other um comments for agenda item

2:06:08number two?

2:06:10>> Uh just a clarification for I guess you

2:06:14Sean and to Christie that um

2:06:18that given the timing this board will

2:06:21still have an opportunity to respond as

2:06:25part of the ZBA. Is that procedurally

2:06:27how that works once this goes to appeal?

2:06:30I just I don't have a recollection.

2:06:33>> I know I know our process is part of the

2:06:34planning board, but

2:06:37>> um so you could offer comment to the

2:06:39zoning board of appeals. Um it's not

2:06:42required. It's not a similar requirement

2:06:44that this board be given that

2:06:46opportunity to comment on special.

2:06:51>> And would the timing of that be before

2:06:54or after the hearing?

2:06:56>> The initial hearing is on the appeal.

2:07:00And then once the appeal is determined,

2:07:02then that's likely a substitution

2:07:08likely file for that special permit if

2:07:10the

2:07:12building commissioners

2:07:14overturned.

2:07:15>> Okay.

2:07:16>> We we'll confirm that will be a second a

2:07:18separate

2:07:19>> just in terms of timing.

2:07:21>> Yes. I they would have to apply for a

2:07:23special permit by October 7th to be on

2:07:27that same agenda as the appeal to go

2:07:29back to

2:07:30>> which I have not heard is the plan.

2:07:32>> Okay. But so we should know.

2:07:36>> Yes.

2:07:36>> Yeah. And just to note this that is

2:07:38comment what we've done before with

2:07:39other things in front of the zoning

2:07:40board of appeals that that the select

2:07:42board um did wish to appine on. We have

2:07:45provided comments to that. As Tom

2:07:49manager said, it's not required, but we

2:07:51have um done that in many instances in

2:07:53the past.

2:07:54>> Yeah. No, and I know we've done in the

2:07:56past. I think it was the timing for the

2:07:58planning board. We received it and then

2:08:00they proceeded having our comments. It

2:08:04sounds like this would be the reverse.

2:08:06They would have their hearing and we

2:08:07would provide our comments.

2:08:09>> Uh so the so the planning board was was

2:08:12considering a site plan application

2:08:14which requires you to have the

2:08:15opportunity to meet with the provide

2:08:17comments. The

2:08:20zoning board will next consider the

2:08:22appeal

2:08:23>> which will determine which board

2:08:26ultimately

2:08:27and so it would be subsequent to that

2:08:29that you could provide comment if it was

2:08:31going to stay with the special.

2:08:33>> Okay, we'll get to those details when we

2:08:35get to hopefully that was clear.

2:08:39>> Okay. All right. So, moving on to item

2:08:42number three an amendment to the general

2:08:44bylaws. So this would be considered as

2:08:47article number eight for um fall special

2:08:50town meeting on October 19th scheduled

2:08:54at the high school.

2:08:56So what we are considering here there

2:08:58are currently two towns in the

2:09:00Commonwealth who have some form of drone

2:09:03bylaw.

2:09:05One is Foxboro that is more specifically

2:09:09related to Gillette Stadium and so is

2:09:12not really a compatible option. The

2:09:15other one is North Reading. North

2:09:17Reading passed their bylaw in 2017.

2:09:21It was uh then approved by the attorney

2:09:24general and I'm assuming also approved

2:09:26by

2:09:27>> Masseronautical

2:09:29>> and Mass Aeronautical Division. So, so

2:09:32we have that as a basis for something we

2:09:35can use. Um, it is our intention to

2:09:39craft a motion based on their bylaw that

2:09:44would come before a town meeting on the

2:09:4619th.

2:09:48Um, tonight because we need um to better

2:09:52understand exactly how that should be

2:09:54worded, we do need to make some

2:09:55modifications to it for our

2:09:57circumstances

2:09:59and we need to review that with town

2:10:00council. I don't know. I don't expect

2:10:03we'll get into the specific wording of

2:10:06that motion, but we are looking to put

2:10:10wording into article number eight

2:10:12tonight that will generally represent

2:10:14what we're trying to achieve.

2:10:17>> And just for folks that can you explain

2:10:21sort of nuts and bolts how this works.

2:10:23We're basically putting something so we

2:10:24get something in the warrant. Well, let

2:10:26me So, we want to put language so we get

2:10:28something in the warrant so we can close

2:10:30the warrant. meeting which is coming up

2:10:31on October 19th. Then that gives us time

2:10:34between this evening assuming we were to

2:10:37do that as a board um to uh work on the

2:10:41specifics of the language of the bylaw

2:10:43which would then appear on the big

2:10:44screen when you go to town meeting and

2:10:46it would be all that language and that

2:10:48would be available in advance of that

2:10:50meeting. It would be at the back you

2:10:52have a handout what have you to be able

2:10:54to read it so you can understand it.

2:10:56Hopefully that clarification helps and

2:10:58wants to modify that.

2:10:59>> Yeah. I modify that. I think my

2:11:03understanding here is is that but we

2:11:05will work through it. It will be

2:11:06something I think that we would discuss

2:11:09at our next open meeting. So the point

2:11:11yes, it will be available at town

2:11:12meeting, but it's not that we're going

2:11:14to try to keep it from you until town

2:11:15meeting. We will be sharing that up

2:11:16ahead of time. We just don't have it to

2:11:18share this evening because

2:11:21I apologize. Um we just received earlier

2:11:24today and um personally I have not had a

2:11:28chance to look at it just because

2:11:30So, um I just want to say that it will

2:11:33be available for folks to look at prior

2:11:36to

2:11:38>> if it passes.

2:11:41>> Yeah, I I have looked it over and some

2:11:44of the comments. Um I just want to make

2:11:47sure that everyone knows that we're

2:11:49going to put some real teeth into this

2:11:51bylaw.

2:11:52I think I understood the man earlier who

2:11:55said, you know, add taxes or whatever,

2:11:58however phrased it because I do think

2:12:01that the quickest way to get rid of

2:12:04something is to tax it to death. Um, but

2:12:07in this case, I think we need some

2:12:09significant fines that would really

2:12:14add teeth to the bylaw and that, you

2:12:16know, that may not be specifically in

2:12:18the bylaw. might give us the authority

2:12:20to add lines later, but I just want to

2:12:22make sure everyone understands that it's

2:12:24not going to be an empty bylaw that they

2:12:26can ignore.

2:12:29>> So, John, if I can um the article that

2:12:33the article 8 that's being proposed

2:12:36tonight, um just for everyone's

2:12:37understanding, that's the one that you

2:12:39see if you got a copy of the agenda.

2:12:41That's the one that we put on the bottom

2:12:42of the agenda. Um there's no need to add

2:12:45any additional detail in terms of making

2:12:49um the article being in the warrant. Um

2:12:52and then if you were to add that

2:12:54article, it would be helpful if board

2:12:57members would just send me any comments

2:12:59or questions and then I can work through

2:13:01those with council so that you have a

2:13:03draft you can work off of for your next

2:13:05meeting.

2:13:07>> Sean, if I may comment, I'll just share

2:13:09with the community that I I fully expect

2:13:10over the next couple of weeks before our

2:13:12October 13th meeting that I will take

2:13:14time to do due diligence on that review

2:13:16and provide those comments. to our town

2:13:18manager so that we can have a thorough

2:13:20conversation at our next meeting.

2:13:25>> Great. Um,

2:13:26>> can I ask a question

2:13:29bylaw?

2:13:30>> Um, is that inclusive of any unions? So,

2:13:35commercial and recreational

2:13:37>> outside of governmental.

2:13:41>> Can you clarify that? What you mean by

2:13:43that?

2:13:47So, um it does not regulate

2:13:50governmental use of drones, but it but

2:13:53it does include commercial use of

2:13:55drones. So, let me um and for those who

2:13:59are interested, the North Reading bylaw,

2:14:03pardon me, I just had it.

2:14:10Those

2:14:15would be. Yes. Um

2:14:24exceptions.

2:14:25The the bylaw shall not apply to any

2:14:28public UAS oper operated pursuant to and

2:14:32in compliance with the terms and

2:14:34conditions of any current and enforcable

2:14:37authorization granted by the FAA. So

2:14:41public UAS

2:14:43>> this this just so this was just put in

2:14:46your packet um as illustrative of what

2:14:49other towns have done. It's I I don't

2:14:51want folks to think that we're just sort

2:14:53of taking on North and putting in

2:14:54Westboro. Um there's there's more to it

2:14:58and other things have happened since it

2:14:59was approved in 2017.

2:15:00>> So when we do discuss it says

2:15:06yes. So So the motion will be thoroughly

2:15:09discussed at our meeting on October 13th

2:15:11prior to fall town meeting.

2:15:18With that, Do you folks have questions

2:15:20regarding the wording of the warrant

2:15:23article before we vote to whether or not

2:15:25to place it on the fall warrant?

2:15:32>> Okay.

2:15:35Someone care to offer a motion.

2:15:38I'll move to accept the language as

2:15:40presented for article 8 general bylaws

2:15:43article 34 aircraft

2:15:46authority.

2:15:48>> Thank you. Thank you very much. Any

2:15:50further comment? All those in favor?

2:15:54Five to zero. Five present. Okay. With

2:15:58that, we move on to item number four.

2:16:04So, our fall town meeting warrant now

2:16:07includes Oh, pardon me. Item number four

2:16:10is next steps in communication of

2:16:12legislative delegation regarding

2:16:14unmanned aircraft.

2:16:18openness to the board.

2:16:22>> This was added because we um had

2:16:25received I think I think there was

2:16:28interest um especially following the

2:16:30Amazon meeting on September 23rd of

2:16:33providing opportunity um for the public

2:16:37to provide comment. That was I think um

2:16:41before we understood sort of how this

2:16:43meeting would work completely. Um and

2:16:45then there was also discussion about the

2:16:47need to contact our federal delegation

2:16:50specifically because we have been

2:16:51engaging with our with our state

2:16:53delegation um and I know they have also

2:16:56been engaging with the federal

2:16:57delegation but this board potentially

2:17:00other impacted communities boards

2:17:02engaging um in a communication to the

2:17:05federal delegation and then um

2:17:07potentially also the FAA. So that's

2:17:09that's was the purpose of this agenda

2:17:12item.

2:17:13>> So if that makes sense.

2:17:14>> Yes. So I think I kind of started this

2:17:18uh conversation in our last meeting. Um

2:17:21Christie asked me a very uh valid

2:17:23question. You know what is the purpose?

2:17:24What is the goal of of of doing such a

2:17:26meeting? Um so I spent a little time

2:17:28contemplating that and tried to not only

2:17:31give a reason but obviously the purpose

2:17:33and goals. Um, and under the reason I

2:17:36said due to the extreme speed and

2:17:37blindsiding nature of Amazon's aircraft

2:17:39program and the expectation that

2:17:41Westboro wants to be a good neighbor to

2:17:43other impacted communities, I s

2:17:45suggested that we needed to have a forum

2:17:47by which list legislative bodies from

2:17:48impacted towns can uniformly speak to

2:17:50the directly to local, state, and

2:17:52federal representatives. Um, there were

2:17:55two or there were three kind of I'll say

2:17:58um pieces to um kind of the goals of

2:18:01this. One is to consistently understand

2:18:03the current situation. Two was to offer

2:18:05paths of local and state oversight

2:18:07options. And third was to understand

2:18:09legal options. The second and third

2:18:11options I think have already been

2:18:12addressed sufficiently by our state

2:18:14representatives in regards to the

2:18:16letters that they have comprised and

2:18:18sent uh appropriately as well as the

2:18:20state um the states uh

2:18:25signing on to the litigation of the

2:18:27other the other states as mentioned

2:18:29earlier. Um that leaves me you know,

2:18:32that that question about whether or not

2:18:34there's an opportunity for the uh for us

2:18:36to create a larger forum of impacted

2:18:38communities to again to consistently

2:18:40understand the situation as a whole and

2:18:42be that good neighbor. um in further

2:18:45thought and again discussion with

2:18:47Christie in regards to uh our um you

2:18:51know our timing of this um I think it's

2:18:54more appropriate uh for us and I'm

2:18:56certainly open to all ideas here um is

2:18:59more appropriate for us as a board to

2:19:01author a letter um to both our state and

2:19:04federal delegation um um with updated

2:19:08information and perspective that we've

2:19:09heard tonight as well as whatever

2:19:11information we have found on our own our

2:19:14own conversation here tonight as well uh

2:19:16and provide that letter to them so that

2:19:18they as communities have an opportunity

2:19:20to perhaps have their own forms and

2:19:22reach out to their own communities and

2:19:24begin that that I'll call domino effect

2:19:27those communities

2:19:28that might be more

2:19:31thank you very much uh other thoughts

2:19:36I

2:19:56have send that to those delegations, not

2:19:58just for them to share with others, but

2:20:00also ask them if they're willing to sign

2:20:01on

2:20:02>> guidance.

2:20:04again more impact there and they can do

2:20:07more with it but I think requesting them

2:20:09to sign on if they are interested would

2:20:11be great. Can I

2:20:15add another tail to that? When you say

2:20:19delegation, I sort of think states

2:20:23represent.

2:20:25I was thinking that we crafting a

2:20:28message to theffected communities and

2:20:30their legislative

2:20:33city, their

2:20:37et

2:20:40I I think there is a need for two

2:20:43separate letters um maybe three

2:20:45actually. One is to our our peer members

2:20:49of their communities um to Ian's point

2:20:52getting them to sign on onto that you

2:20:54know having 16 communities um including

2:20:57two cities be part of that is pretty

2:20:59powerful uh additionally you know a

2:21:02letter to our legislative

2:21:03representatives who are here tonight

2:21:06which is great to see uh to to

2:21:09you know update them on you know our

2:21:13steps that we've taken, things that we

2:21:14might think that they can do. And then

2:21:16thirdly, to our congressional leaders,

2:21:19right? I don't know how loudly they've

2:21:21heard. I know government is aware of

2:21:24this. I don't know how aware Senator

2:21:26Warren is or Senator

2:21:29Marky. I also haven't honestly taken a

2:21:32look at what other um congressional

2:21:36representatives are impacted by this

2:21:37because this is such a broad area. Is

2:21:39there two or three others that mights

2:21:41part of this. So, let's get that

2:21:43>> offense.

2:22:00[snorts and clears throat]

2:22:04I I will I will make an exception.

2:22:08>> Come to a microphone.

2:22:16It's really, this is really just an

2:22:18amplification of

2:22:19>> your name, please.

2:22:20>> Oh, I'm sorry. David Hubard, five Breen

2:22:22Road, Westboro. Sorry. Um, no, this is

2:22:25just an amplification of a of the

2:22:27concern. Uh but something that occurred

2:22:29to me that I think is really important

2:22:30to think about is everything that's been

2:22:34discussed today has been about an 80

2:22:36pound drone that can go 7 and a half

2:22:39miles round trip.

2:22:42Technology is expanding extremely

2:22:44quickly and it's obvious as soon as you

2:22:47think about it. You know electric cars

2:22:49could go 20 miles then 100 miles now

2:22:52they can go 500 miles. This is this is

2:22:56going to be the hub if they put this

2:22:58thing here and it's not going to be

2:23:00confined to seven and a half miles. It

2:23:02is going to be the hub and it will grow

2:23:05with the technology that they can build

2:23:07into this drone which is just going to

2:23:09continue to skyrocket up because there's

2:23:11so much investment in it. So, I just

2:23:13wanted to make sure it it seems kind of

2:23:16obvious to me but I heard no one say it

2:23:18tonight and I want to make sure that

2:23:20that's you know stirred into the mix.

2:23:22That's all. Thank you.

2:23:25>> Okay,

2:23:29back to comments. Who is

2:23:37>> basically my only comment is I'm willing

2:23:39to try anything. So, let's let's send

2:23:41everybody a letter.

2:23:45>> I mean, let's see if we can create one

2:23:48letter and send it to everybody.

2:23:50>> Yeah. So, we can

2:23:51>> be the same letter, but

2:23:55We could just so we could bring a letter

2:23:57of consideration to your next meeting.

2:23:59>> Okay. And what I guess so um have the

2:24:03town manager work with what chair and

2:24:05the vice chair.

2:24:08Does that work for folks?

2:24:10>> I was going to make that motion. I was

2:24:11going to make it to the chair, but if we

2:24:12wanted the chair and vice chair that's

2:24:14fine,

2:24:14>> but just to give Christie some help from

2:24:17this board

2:24:19only two.

2:24:23My suggestion

2:24:27is here.

2:24:48That's fine. I guess I just

2:24:58We also have those. Okay.

2:25:00>> But they didn't drown.

2:25:02>> No.

2:25:04>> All right. Yes. You'd like to make the

2:25:05motion.

2:25:07Um, so I would just ask that

2:25:16I'll be happy

2:25:18to work with

2:25:24>> second.

2:25:25>> Okay.

2:25:27All those in favor

2:25:29of

2:25:32All right. Um, next we move to um

2:25:39closing of the warrant.

2:25:42>> Yeah, about that. Okay. So, we now have

2:25:44eight articles on the town meeting

2:25:46warrant. Um, we move to place those

2:25:48eight articles on this annual town

2:25:50meeting warrant. Uh, comments,

2:25:53concerns. I feel we had already sort of

2:25:57uh discussed the prior seven.

2:26:02on the

2:26:02>> we voted on the eth. So I'd be willing

2:26:05to just take a motion.

2:26:08>> I would I would move to accept u the

2:26:11warrant as presented. Is that the right

2:26:14>> Oh, sorry. I didn't see

2:26:18one through eight.

2:26:19>> I move to place articles 1 through eight

2:26:21on the 2026 special town meeting.

2:26:23>> Second.

2:26:24>> Okay. All those in favor

2:26:28zero. Um I'll move to close the annual

2:26:32town meeting more.

2:26:33>> Second

2:26:35special town. Thank you very

2:26:40Oh, that

2:26:41>> so moved.

2:26:43>> Second. Okay. And Patrick seconded.

2:26:45Thank you very much. Any comment?

2:26:47>> All those in favor

2:26:50five to zero. And then our final act is

2:26:52to vote support those articles on the

2:26:54annual town meeting war. So, you can

2:26:56wait um on that one because I know you

2:26:58have a couple presentations before you.

2:27:00If if you want to to vote your support,

2:27:02you can, but you can also wait until

2:27:04you're meeting on the 13th.

2:27:06>> I I would say the only difference being

2:27:09that if we voted on the 13th, it won't

2:27:11actually be in it.

2:27:19>> U

2:27:29Got it. Um, no, we can we can hold off

2:27:31on it then. All right, we'll do it on

2:27:33the 13 vote for support. Okay, we'll

2:27:35pass over voter support till our next

2:27:37meeting. Um, final thoughts here.

2:27:41>> Sorry. So, sorry, you're right. Um, the

2:27:45the f I just email that the final RNR is

2:27:49going to at the end of day on the 13th.

2:27:53>> Okay. So yes, which would be prior to

2:27:56our meeting. Okay. So

2:27:58>> are there do we want to vote since we

2:28:01don't

2:28:04do um are there articles that folks

2:28:09would want would not want to vote on

2:28:11this evening?

2:28:16They were going to consider separately.

2:28:20>> Seven.

2:28:23Seven.

2:28:26Okay. So folks good with articles one

2:28:30through six.

2:28:30>> I don't believe anybody else

2:28:38technology

2:28:40coming

2:28:51>> seven is basically the same presentation

2:28:54that we saw

2:29:09So, uh, do I have a motion to vote on

2:29:12support for articles one through six?

2:29:15>> Second.

2:29:17>> Okay. Um, all those in favor of articles

2:29:201 through six,

2:29:23five to zero, five being present, we

2:29:25will hold on our support for articles

2:29:28seven and eight until our next meeting.

2:29:31Um, with that

2:29:34motion to

2:29:35>> move second.

2:29:37>> All those in favor? Thank you. Thank

2:29:40you. [applause]