At its Sept. 9 meeting, the Select Board heard from Pembroke Recycling and Sustainability member Nicole Lydic who discussed the negative result of Pembroke's most recent recycling audit, conducted on June 22, 2026.
Select Board Chair John Brown started with announcements. The Pembroke Library Foundation announced that it will be continuing its fundraising efforts for the expansion of the Children's Room. Due to increases in plumbing and other costs, additional funding is needed. Anyone interested in making a donation to this project may contact the Pembroke Library Foundation.
The Pembroke Military Support Group will be organizing Veterans Day on the Town Green, and if anyone is interested in honoring a veteran with a flag, a donation of $10 can be made by contacting Veterans Agent Christine Callahan at 781-709-1415.
Harborside Plumbing and Heating applied for and received a permit to solicit between the hours of 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. or dusk, whichever comes first. The permit is in effect for 90 days until December 8, 2026.
Nicole Lydic came to discuss the outcome of this year's recycling audit, held June 22 by Waste Management at the Material Recovery Facility (MRF). "I am very disappointed to report that our (recycling) contamination rates have gone up. We are now at 24.3%, up from 21%." (The desired percentage is 10% or less). Part of what was different in this audit was that bagged recyclables were weighed separately, because anything bagged in plastic, even if it contains recycled materials, will be thrown into the trash. Also found during this audit were items that were not appropriate recycled materials such as an entire garden hose and rocks. These items, along with the bagged recyclables, food waste and other contaminants, contributed to the total weight that caused Pembroke's contamination rate to rise. Any loads that are rejected due to contamination are sent to the landfill, and Pembroke is charged, increasing town costs for the trash bill.
Lydic went on to say that Pembroke has a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) that entitles the town to assistance through a Municipal Assistance Coordinator (MAC) whose job it is to review contracts that the town holds with the trash hauler. This review can highlight what Pembroke can do to lower its contamination rate and to bring down costs to the town. One option would be to have volunteers check recycling bins for contaminants, and if found, a sticker would be placed on the bin, and that bin would be re-directed to trash, rather than go into the recycling load. Lydic asked for the Select Board's support in utilizing what the MAC can offer to reduce the current waste costs in town. She also encouraged people to read her weekly articles in the Pembroke Citizen Journal.
The current name of the committee, Recycling and Sustainability Committee, is the original name, introduced prior to the start of single-stream recycling. Lydic asked that the committee be restructured and the website updated to reflect its current mission to promote recycling. Any changes to update the mission statement of the committee would need to go before Town Meeting in the spring. Lowering the number of members on the committee, as there are currently three vacancies, would make a quorum more manageable. (Without a quorum, no votes can be taken.) This would also need to be approved at Town Meeting.
A one-day liquor license was requested and approved for a trivia night at the Community Center sponsored by the Pembroke Citizen Journal.
Appointments were approved for recreation representative Eric Hurt to the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) and Rachel Quinlan as recreation representative to Open Space committee. Gregory Walsh was appointed to the Town Memorial Committee.
Warrant articles and initial recommendations were discussed as follows:
Article One: Balance current year budget - Take No Action until September 23 Select Board meeting
Article Two: Fund unpaid bills -Favorable Action
Article Three: Capital purchases (Police cruiser, Fire Department shift commander vehicle , Community Services pick- up) - Favorable Action
Article Four: BESS zoning by-law - Public hearing is scheduled for October 5, issue re-visited on October 7, so for now the recommendation is Town Meeting Floor.
Article Five: Community Preservation Funding - A. Failed well at Mattakeesett ball fields -$82,200 -Favorable Action. B. Veterans Park $288,170 - CPC tabled this so Select Board can not make a recommendation if CPC has not made a recommendation. C. Hatch Building repairs $60,500 - Favorable Action. D. Bethel Chapel $14,500 - Favorable Action .
Article Six: MOA/MOU Police Department collective bargaining - Defer to Select Board meeting on September 23.
Article Seven: Treasurer Collector Executive Assistant - Defer to Select Board meeting on September 23.
Next topic on the agenda was the code of conduct. The updated draft was presented by Sean Keegan who opened the discussion. Tracy Marino thanked Sean for the updated document, acknowledging the work that went into it, but had some concerns. Some of the items included, Marino felt, were not appropriate for a code of conduct document or were redundant to other documents. One such section talked about board members being prepared for public meetings. "It says members shall come prepared, read meeting materials, ask questions respectfully, encourage public participation. I just don't know how those would be conduct."
The issue of censure drew more discussion among the Board. Sean Keegan said he and John Brown had a long discussion about the issue of censure, and they did not agree. Brown thought that censure could be seen as a slap on the wrist and would best be handled through public opinion. "Due to us being elected... the people choose to keep us or not." Brown went on to say that he did not feel it would be something he could do "to another individual on this Board". Marino followed up that "it's a statement... I just think there is a time and place for it, and we know that it is an option." Dan Trabucco pointed out that it only takes three votes to achieve censure, and to "be careful what you wish for." Other board members were focused on the effect of having censure in the code. Steve Ciciotti said "I feel like it is not transparent by not putting it here as an option even if it is something that technically does nothing." He went on to ask why have a code of conduct at all? "...When it comes to censure... it is a technical vote that can be taken. It has some manner of effect. It has some manner of meaning behind it."
The Board appeared to agree that there was more work to be done, but Marino questioned the issue of censure, saying at least the Board should decide if it will be in the code of conduct or not before additional changes are made. John Brown then polled the Board. Trabucco said "It was never on there, No", and Brown agreed. Keegan, Marino and Ciciotti all said yes, it should be included. Keegan pointed out that just because it was included, it did not have to be used, and that the Board would change over time. Trabucco said changing the number of votes needed did not change his mind. Keegan asked what his argument was for not having censure included in the code. "What's gonna happen Sean, and you will all find out, it's gonna become political and it's gonna go around in a circle." Trabucco went on to say that having censure in the policy would invite people to apply it. The other board members talked about the history of censure in Pembroke, and the central issue was whether it should be written into the code. Trabucco continued "The town of Pembroke has been around for 313 years...and we've never had that word anywhere, 313 years, but now it is very important to get it on paper. Today." There was not agreement, so Keegan asked for suggestions be sent to him so he can incorporate them and it will be discussed again at a future meeting.
The meeting concluded with the Town Manager report. Bill Chenard talked about interviews for Assistant Town Manager. Over 25 applicants applied, and two finalists will be interviewed next week. Chenard said he was pleased by the quality of the applicants and was optimistic that the town would soon have an excellent Assistant Town Manager.
Board of Health assistant position had fewer applicants, but interviews will move forward next week as well. And Senior Services hired a new director, Kathy Savage, who is coming from the town of Wellesley. Beach and boat ramp projects are still on target for fall. There are still issues with the mussels in Oldham Pond, and updates will be coming. The CPC review has been complete, and the recommendations may be presented as soon as October 7. Chenard reminded everyone to look at the Assessors page for the list of exemptions and urged residents to take advantage of them. Finally, everyone was reminded that school is back in session, and that all drivers should watch for school buses, and mind the crosswalks. Additional old business included the Town Manager contract review. The Select Board acknowledged goals need to be set in the next few weeks, as they were to be done in July.
Town meeting will be October 20 at 7pm at Pembroke High School.
You can find the full Local Seen broadcast of this Select Board meeting here.
