Westminster Board of Selectmen Unanimously Opposes Returning Crocker Pond Parcel for $1

WINCHENDON -- July 13, 2026, Westminster Board of Selectmen unanimously opposes citizens petition to transfer 10 acres of town open space to a private entity for $1. All three board members stated opposition Monday to a citizens petition asking residents to vote on conveying a 10.042-acre parcel at Crocker Pond Recreation Area back to Crocker Pond Properties, Inc., the same entity that donated it to the town roughly 22 years ago for $1 as part of a plan to build a ball-field access road that was later denied by the Conservation Commission and upheld on appeal by MassDEP. The Crocker Pond Committee voted against the transfer in November 2023. Former Board of Selectmen member Lorraine Everson, who negotiated the original arrangement, told the board, "I don't feel like the town has lived up to their part of the bargain," noting the town had used Francis's private road and bridge for 21 years after promising a two-year timeline. Resident John Lutz countered that Town Counsel refused to include the two-year condition in the final deed and that "asking taxpayers to transfer public land with nearly 800 feet of railroad frontage for one dollar is a significant request." The board approved posting the special town meeting warrant; residents will vote on the transfer at Westminster Elementary School on August 4 at 6:30 p.m.