Select Board Approves Fishermen's Fest, Drops Beer Tent

Select Board · Meeting of September 1, 2026

Scituate Select Board approves 2026 Fishermen's Fest, strips out a proposed beer tent after pushback. The board voted 4-0 Tuesday to approve the Sept. 27 festival on the Town Pier without alcohol service, after Clerk Freya Schlegel argued the event should stay focused on "the fishing industry... and not just another place to drink." Vice Chair James Gilmore and member Andrew Goodrich cited safety concerns about the pier's roughly 20,700-square-foot footprint; a separate motion to approve the beer tent failed for lack of a second. The board also approved a three-year MassCOP Local 461 police contract with 2.5 percent annual raises, HR Director Robert Clark's last full deal before his December retirement, and awarded a $388,000 Bates House restoration contract to Village Green Construction.

Capital Planning Committee Chair Michael Gibson previewed an Oct. 19 Special Town Meeting ask for a $2.73 million police firing range, which fell just short of a required two-thirds vote in April.

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Source: the Select Board meeting of September 1, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.