Orleans Board Drafts First Special Events Policy

Select Board 2026-08-26 Part 2 · Meeting of August 26, 2026

Orleans Select Board reviews its first-ever special events policy and opens debate on FY27 environmental goals. Business Resource Team staffer Amanda Converse presented the draft policy, which bars single-use plastics from food and beverage vendors at town-permitted events, with an exception for coffee cup lids. Vice Chair Michael Herman pushed for stronger plastics language, noting "80 percent of the man-made pollution in our oceans is plastic." Member Mary Wright successfully argued to strike a redundant "requires" clause and separately pressed for funding a long-vacant, state-mandated tree warden position, calling it her "pet peeve." No formal votes were taken; the policy returns to a future meeting for adoption, and the board left eight draft environmental goals, including single-use plastics elimination and growth-management evaluation, for further written comment before its next session.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,284 words

Source: the Select Board 2026-08-26 Part 2 meeting of August 26, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.