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Meeting report · Select Board
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Select Board — April 26, 2026

This was a designated work session for discussion and deliberation rather than a decision-making meeting, and no public opposition was recorded.

Date Sunday, April 26, 2026 Routine
📄 Agenda 📄 Minutes

Public ⁠impact

Issues from this meeting with documented community impact.
01

Protection of Bradley Lake Town-owned land

Potential permanent loss of municipal land if adverse possession is not successfully contested or if land is lost to private development. Affected: Andover residents and conservation stakeholders
other high impact

Topics ⁠discussed

Click a topic to expand quotes and full context.
00:00 Town-Owned Parcel on Bradley Lake

The Board discussed three primary options regarding a Town-owned parcel currently subject to encroachment by the Sirard family: maintaining the status quo, performing a lot line adjustment, or granting a formal easement. The easement was identified as the preferred option to preserve Town ownership and protect the land from development.

Speakers: Dana Swenson, Les Fenton, Charles Stewart, Mark Cowdrey, Don Sieburg, Nancy Teach, Miranda Dwalga

Controversy & ⁠dissent

Where the board, the community, or the agenda diverged.

Potentially controversial issues

01

Town-Owned Parcel on Bradley Lake Encroachment

The issue involves potential loss of municipal land due to encroachment by a private family (the Sirards). The resolution involves legal complexities regarding 'adverse possession' (the legal right to claim land through long-term use) and determining whether the Town can force an easement without consent. This touches on property rights, land preservation, and the protection of public assets.
Board position: The Board signaled a preference for granting a formal easement to preserve Town ownership and prevent development, rather than a lot line adjustment or maintaining the status quo.
medium concern

Action ⁠items

Who owes what, by when.
Contact Town Counsel to obtain a legal opinion regarding the easement approach (specifically if it can be executed without consent), the adverse possession question, and other legal considerations.
Assigned: Don Sieburg (Town Administrator)
Discuss the parcel matter at the full committee meeting and provide feedback to the Select Board.
Assigned: Conservation Commission · Due: 2026-05-13
Revisit the matter at a regular meeting following receipt of legal counsel and Conservation Commission input.
Assigned: Select Board

Notable ⁠statements

This was a work session convened for discussion purposes only and no formal decision would be made today. — Dana Swenson · Opening remarks to clarify the nature of the special meeting. 00:00

Member ⁠positions

1 issues · 0 explicit · 2 inferred
Dana Swenson
Chair
Present
Town-Owned Parcel on Bradley Lake ~
Supported the easement approach as the preferred option to preserve Town ownership.
Present
Town-Owned Parcel on Bradley Lake ~
Supported the easement approach to prevent land loss and development.

Positions marked ~ are inferred from context and may not reflect the member's explicitly stated position.

Public ⁠comment

What residents said — verbatim, with timestamps.
No public comments were identified in this meeting.
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Report composed by grok-4.3, gemma-4-26b, grok-4.20-0309-reasoning · analyzed 2026-06-01.