Douglas brief: Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Douglas's Conservation Commission ordered partial removal of an unpermitted lakeside stone wall on Whitin Reservoir
Douglas's Conservation Commission ordered partial removal of an unpermitted lakeside stone wall on Whitin Reservoir.
From Douglas News
- Conservation board splits on lakeside stone wall removal. Douglas's Conservation Commission weighed how to handle an unpermitted stone wall on a Whitin Reservoir shoreline, after the agent testified a June visit convinced him the rocks were brought in. The family said they restacked stone to protect grandchildren from a hazardous bank.Douglas News
- Oktoberfest volunteer shifts lag two weeks before event. Douglas Oktoberfest organizers said just 42 of 124 volunteer shifts were filled two weeks before the event and plan to enlist a Boy Scout troop to close the gap. Entertainment is nearly set pending two unsigned musician contracts, and vendor spots remain full.Douglas News
- Master plan panel fixes draft ahead of October vote. Douglas's Master Plan Committee spent more than two hours fixing formatting errors, including a missing town seal and mislabeled traffic data, as it works toward a targeted October 14 adoption vote. The committee meets again September 30 to review a corrected draft.Douglas News
- Facilities panel seeks voice in DPW building design. Douglas's Building, Facilities and Construction Committee moved to secure a seat at design meetings for the town's planned highway/DPW facility after years of late-stage surprises. A contractor's roughly $18,000 bid to install library LED lighting has meanwhile pushed that project to a spring 2027 warrant.Douglas News
- Open space panel presses selectmen on wetlands deal. Douglas's Open Space Committee raced the clock on a landowner's bid to pull 27 to 33 acres near Green Brook out of the state's Chapter 61 program, debating it hours before selectmen were set to vote on the town's right of first refusal.Douglas News
- Resident appeals to state over withheld administrator records. A Douglas resident leading a citizens group told the Select Board he has filed a formal appeal with the state after the town denied his records request explaining former Town Administrator Matthew Wojcik's July suspension and resignation.Douglas News
- Oktoberfest planners scramble for vendor, volunteers three weeks out. Douglas Oktoberfest planners were still searching for a barbecue or German food vendor three weeks out after one backed out, with only about four volunteers signed up against a need for around 120. The October 3 forecast calls for 69 degrees and sunny.Douglas News
- Cultural council adds donation box as state aid dips. Douglas's Cultural Council is adding a donation box at its Oktoberfest booth as state grant funding keeps shrinking, this year's allocation running about $8,600. The grant application deadline is October 15, and the council says it needs at least five active members.Douglas News
- Historical commission finalizes plans for Sept. 19 ballfield event. Douglas's Historical Commission finalized plans for a Sept. 19 event at Soldiers Field marking a new historical marker, including an old-time baseball game against a Holliston-based team whose participation one member said she still felt uneasy about.Douglas News
- Agricultural commission adopts first mission statement. Douglas's Agricultural Commission adopted its first mission statement, committing the panel to support, promote and protect the town's farming heritage. Members are weighing the former VFW lot near the town common for a community garden, pending soil testing, with a target opening of spring 2027.Douglas News
- Planning board presses fire safety on solar battery site. Douglas's Planning Board pressed fire-safety questions about snow removal and access at the Wallum Lake Solar battery site, days after a battery storage fire elsewhere in town. Members also weighed a Perry Street land question and a vice chair's own subdivision proposal.Douglas News
- Oktoberfest sells out all 117 vendor spots early. Douglas Oktoberfest organizers said all 117 vendor spots were claimed before Labor Day, the earliest sellout in nearly 30 years, turning away a longtime church vendor that missed the deadline. The festival still needs about 120 volunteers.Douglas News
- Zoning board weighs setback variances, coffee roasting permit. Douglas's Zoning Board, running with only four of five seats filled after the chair went unreachable, took up two front setback variance requests, one tied to a covered-stairs safety concern, plus a home-based coffee roasting business seeking an accessory-use permit.Douglas News
- Economic panel confirms data center talks, zoning gap for farms. Douglas's Economic Development Commission confirmed active talks with an unnamed company over a data center at the pine site, possibly paired with about 100 acres of solar and storage. Members also pressed a zoning fix after finding the bylaw bars restaurants from the agricultural district.Douglas News
Today in Douglas
- Obituary notes Douglas ties for Mary Gilley, 94. Mary E. Gilley, 94, who split time between Southwest Harbor, Maine, and Douglas, died September 6, according to an obituary posted on Legacy.com.Legacy.com
Coming up
- Wed, Sep 23, 6:00 p.m.: Planning board takes up zoning bylaw amendments. Douglas's Planning Board meets Wednesday to take up three zoning bylaw amendments referred by the Select Board, part of the fall zoning rewrite.Town of Douglas
- Wed, Sep 23, 6:30 p.m.: School committee holds regular meeting. Douglas's School Committee holds its regular meeting Wednesday evening at 6:30 p.m.Town of Douglas
- Thu, Sep 24: Heritage and Honor Committee meets Thursday. The Douglas Heritage and Honor Committee meets Thursday at the Municipal Center.Town of Douglas
- Mon, Sep 28, 3:00 p.m.: Administrator interview panel meets again Monday. The committee interviewing candidates for Douglas's next town administrator meets again Monday at the Municipal Center.Town of Douglas
- Mon, Sep 28, 6:00 p.m.: Board of Health meets Monday. Douglas's Board of Health meets Monday evening at the Municipal Center.Town of Douglas
- Mon, Sep 28, 7:00 p.m.: Oktoberfest committee meets again before event. Douglas's Oktoberfest Committee meets again Monday as organizers continue filling volunteer shifts ahead of the October 3 festival.Town of Douglas
- Mon, Sep 28: Douglas soccer faces Tantasqua Regional Monday. Douglas's girls soccer team plays Tantasqua Regional in a non-conference match on September 28, according to MaxPreps.MaxPreps
- Tue, Sep 29, 6:00 p.m.: Stormwater bylaw committee meets Tuesday. Douglas's Stormwater Bylaw Committee meets Tuesday at the Municipal Center.Town of Douglas
- Tue, Sep 29, 6:00 p.m.: Select board meets Tuesday. Douglas's Board of Selectmen meets Tuesday at the Municipal Center.Town of Douglas