Hubbardston Conservation Commission Continues All Hearings After Agenda Posting Failure

HUBBARDSTON — April 7, 2026 — Hubbardston Conservation Commission could not vote at its April 7 meeting after the commission's clerk acknowledged posting the agenda less than 48 hours before the session, a violation of the Open Meeting Law. All three public hearings on the agenda — a Notice of Intent from Thomas Christopher for expansion of a canine training pond at 231 Gardner Road, a Notice of Intent from the Massachusetts Office of Fishing and Boating Access for a parking lot overhaul and accessible fishing pier at Comet Pond's 0 Old Boston Turnpike facility, and a Request for Determination of Applicability from Christopher Ford for a seasonal dock on East Old Princeton Road — were continued by unanimous vote to the first Tuesday in May. The most time-sensitive case is the state fishing access project: acting director Terry Smith told the commission that roughly $450,000 in capital bond funds freed up from competitive-bid savings must be spent before June 30, and that if an order of conditions is not issued at the May meeting the project returns to the agency's five-year capital plan with no guaranteed funding. The commission separately voted unanimously to allocate $100 to sponsor a WPI LEAF Initiative wetlands cleanup on April 11, to authorize Chair Bryan LaRochelle to sign all accounts payable going forward, and to send a cease-and-desist letter to the owner of a property near the New Westminster Road fire pond where fresh tree cutting and earthwork were observed at the water's edge.