Cindy Ker, director of the Newbury Council on Aging, opened the public comment segment by addressing a miscommunication regarding the veteran service officer’s office hours and a complaint about the Council on Aging office being closed. She assured those present that measures would be taken to prevent future confusion, including signage and newsletter information.

The board’s subsequent approval of the formation of a Monument committee to oversee the creation of an Armed Forces Monument on the upper green was met with a supportive motion. The committee aims to fund the monument through donations. In tandem with this initiative, the possibility of a “wall of honor” or monument in the library to commemorate veterans was discussed, as well as the anticipation of the Moving Wall, a mobile Vietnam veterans memorial, coming to town.

The meeting also covered the approval of a public property use request for an ovarian cancer awareness 5K race sign, a business license application for Surfside parking, and various appointments to local committees. Lisa Colby was nominated to the agricultural commission for a three-year term, while the board debated the reappointment process and the need for applicants to be present for approval, considering the effort required and the potential language barriers for non-native English speakers.

The board briefly touched upon the grammatical correctness of written applications and the potential language barriers for non-native English speakers. Moreover, the board tackled the issue of potential conflicts of interest with a husband and wife serving on the same committee but acknowledged that they had already been serving without issue.

Additional topics included the logistics of the Recreation Committee appointments, the Town Administrator’s update on a major paving project on Hanover and Route One, restrictions for a documentary filming project on striped bass fishing, the Historical Council’s review of materials for the roof of the old schoolhouse, and the upcoming auction of the Pink House. Additionally, the potential $15 million grant for science-based solutions for coastal resiliency and erosion from the MRBA meeting was highlighted as a development.