New Land Evaluation Committee Approved In Brewster

BREWSTER – Last Monday, the select board approved the charge for a new committee which will inventory existing town-owned properties and other properties that may be of interest for a variety of municipal purposes. 

This comes after a unanimous select board vote to disband the open space committee, which dates back to 2005 and was charged with reviewing undeveloped parcels in Brewster not owned by the town and making recommendations for possible acquisition or preservation of those parcels.  

“While the open space committee has made immeasurable contributions to our community over the years in helping to preserve hundreds of acres of conservation land, they have met sparingly over the past five to 10 years, primarily relying on the Brewster Conservation Trust and others to identify and cultivate potential land acquisitions for open space preservation,” wrote Town Manager Peter Lombardi in a memorandum. “As proposed, the municipal land evaluation committee would continue to prioritize purchasing land for conservation purposes when appropriate as part of their charge, and it would seek to do so in a systematic and consistent manner.” 

The scope of the land evaluation committee will include prior tasks of the open space committee while also casting a wider net on municipal land needs, acquisitions and evaluations. 

The select board’s next step is to solicit letters of interest from volunteers within the community, hopefully selecting members early in the new year. A standard appointment process would follow with one-year terms ending in June 2026. The charge composition recommended five members, but Lombardi said membership would be flexible based on the applicant pool.  

Members’ initial tasks will focus on inventorying existing town-owned land and determining objective criteria for the evaluation process. 

The open space committee will officially disband on Dec. 31 to give members time to meet and approve outstanding meeting minutes.