Newbury Select Board Defers Plum Island Easement Vote to June 9

NEWBURY -- May 26, 2026, Newbury Select Board defers decision on disputed 17-year-old Plum Island beach easements to June 9. The board heard more than an hour of public comment from Plum Island property owners who argued they were coerced into signing 26 shoreline access easements in 2009 as a condition of receiving Army Corps of Engineers beach nourishment sand, and who urged the board to take no action. Mark, chair of the Plum Island Foundation, warned that a vote to accept the easements would trigger a $10 million lawsuit against the town; Town Administrator Tracy countered that refusal to accept could jeopardize significant state grant funding the town currently relies on. Town Counsel confirmed the easements are recorded on 26 deeds but legally ineffective until the Select Board acts. The board, reorganized after the recent election with Chair Bill DeMayo, Vice Chair Alicia Greco, and Clerk Leslie Matthews, also voted unanimously to authorize the Town Administrator to begin a cable television licensing process after Verizon approached the town about providing service, and adopted Concept 1 for a Church Street traffic calming modification over residents' request to close the road entirely.