Concord Select Board Dissolves MCI Advisory Board, Launches New Planning Committee

CARLISLE — April 6, 2026 — Concord Select Board dissolves MCI Advisory Board, names member to lead new master planning committee. The board voted unanimously Monday to disband the MCI Advisory Board and nominate Select Board Member Wendy Urry to serve as the board's representative on a new seven-member MCI Master Plan Committee charged with producing a zoning package for the former state prison site in time for a likely fiscal year 2027 town meeting. A consultant kickoff is scheduled for April 24, prompting Chair Mark Howell to push for rapid committee seating despite debate from Member Cameron McKenna over whether naming nominees without public advertisement circumvented standard process. The board also voted unanimously to terminate Concord's shared public health nursing agreement with Maynard, consolidating two part-time roles into a single full-time position effective July 1 and yielding a gross savings of roughly $13,376. Public comment ran more than 30 minutes, with multiple residents urging executive session over an anonymous website attacking Natural Resources Director Delia K. and several others pressing the board to amend or withdraw its January 27 proclamation adopting the IHRA antisemitism definition. Town Manager Megan Samuto confirmed the town has been working with Town Counsel and the police department on the website since March 25 and is awaiting a further legal opinion before acting.