Essex Board of Selectmen Signs Chebacco Lake Study Contract, Votes to Launch Non-Resident Boat Lottery

ESSEX -- April 28, 2025, Essex Board of Selectmen approves $49,453 Chebacco Lake study contract and votes to offer 10 non-resident boat launch passes by lottery at $1,000 each. The board unanimously signed a contract with Applied Watershed Sciences, LLC for the lake water quality study, funded by a $20,000 state earmark, $15,000 from Essex, and $15,000 from Hamilton. The board also ratified a $46,700 open space plan grant and authorized the chair to sign a follow-on contract with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. A non-resident boat pass lottery is set for the May 19 meeting, modeled on a prior Gregory Island lot lottery; winners must park in the dirt lot behind the tennis court, not at the launch. The board declined to act on a request to place a memorial bench at a town-owned Canomo Point parcel at 9 Beach Circle, agreeing to defer until a future park plan for the site is developed. With the school district's budget facing a May 5 town meeting vote and May 6 election, the board mapped out contingency timelines for a special town meeting and election, ranging from June 20-23 to June 30-July 1 depending on how quickly the school committee acts if the budget fails.