The Town of Hubbardston Select Board on Feb. 18 approved several routine and substantive items, including a change of manager for a Main Street liquor license, a negotiated host community agreement for a proposed cannabis business, and an updated town clerk fee schedule. The board also heard public comment from a resident about an animal-control citation and said staff would follow up.

The board voted to approve a change of manager request for the liquor license at 35 Main Street, naming Tashika Kumar Patel as the new manager. The change of manager request moves next to the state Alcoholic Beverages Control process after the local licensing approval. After a motion and second, the board approved the request by voice vote; the chair announced “motion carried.”

The board also voted to approve a newly negotiated host community agreement with Paper Crane for a proposed facility on Gardner Road. Town staff said the agreement aligns with guidance from the Cannabis Control Commission and includes an indemnification provision that holds the business responsible for legal matters arising from its operations. Select Board members said the agreement will allow Paper Crane to proceed with state licensing steps and to move its pending site plan review forward.

Separately, the board approved a revised Town Clerk fee schedule, including an increase in the marriage intent fee noted during discussion (the motion carried). The consent agenda cleared minutes from Feb. 3, a one-day liquor license for the Harrison Public Library, wage authorizations (including a library assistant rate of $17.24), and a resignation: Christopher Bergeron’s departure from the police department effective Feb. 18 was acknowledged and the board thanked him for 10 years of service.

During the public comment period, resident Vincent Teregne raised questions about an animal-control citation he received and asked whether the process for requesting a hearing had changed and whether such notices should go to the courthouse or the town clerk. Teregne said he had previously filed paperwork at the courthouse and “never heard nothing” and described the citation as a $100 violation. He asked whether an officer had witnessed the alleged roaming.

Select Board members responded that staff would follow up. One member told Teregne, “What we’ll do is we’ll follow-up with her tomorrow, and I’ll give you a call, and I’ll speak with her,” and said they would connect him with Town Clerk Melody Green and the animal-control officer. The board tabled any further action pending that follow-up.

Other items in the meeting included a FY2026 budget update and several planning and infrastructure items: the town administrator reported two direct local technical assistance (DLTA) grants from the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission to study commercial zoning and site feasibility for 21 Gardner Road; a state award of approximately $65,000 toward a boiler replacement at the Hubbard Center was announced (the replacement contractor quote put total cost roughly in the $115,000–$120,000 range, with the town covering the remainder); and staff said an RFP is open for a commercial overlay district for a former sandpit site, with proposals due March 4.

The board was also updated on moving town offices (a building move was scheduled and staff would be packing), an Internet-access survey on the town website, and tower/fiber progress with Verizon and a spectrum proposal under review. The Select Board adjourned with its next regular meeting scheduled for Monday, March 3.