SHUTESBURY — Town Administrator Hayley Bolton is asking the Selectboard to restructure the Lake Wyola Advisory Committee in response to concern that the panel may not be properly constituted under state law.
Three to five of the committee’s 11 total seats are currently reserved for people appointed by the Lake Wyola Association, a private nonprofit, and some town officials serve as voting members — a setup Bolton says may run afoul of rules governing public bodies.
The committee was formed in 1991 in response to a proposed bylaw restricting the conversion of seasonal cottages to full-time homes at the lake. In recent years its mandate has expanded to include protecting the watershed, dam safety and water quality.
At an early July joint meeting with the Selectboard and the advisory committee, Bolton said the changes are not about disenfranchising people, but recognizing that a framework from the early 1990s doesn’t hold up in 2026, and finding a way to be more encompassing of everyone who lives in Shutesbury.
“It has to be a board that is for the community,” Bolton said.
Bolton said the strategic goal is a transparent, inclusive framework that is based on best practices, such as having all voting members be vetted and appointed directly by the Selectboard.
The biggest change for the modernized, standing board would include no longer allowing the three to five community seats to be named by the Lake Wyola Association, and instead replacing these with four community seats — three identified as “watershed” residents and one at large. The fifth community member seat would become a town-appointed position. In addition, the fire chief, the Lake Wyola dam keeper and a technical expert would all no longer be voting members of the committee.
But many others who live at the lake expressed concern at how this would change the way they can offer input on water quality, dam inspections, septic regulations and roads, which all can impact lake life, and whether there could be changes related to lake regulations they wouldn’t support.
As it stands, the committee offers input to decision-making boards and committees and Town Meeting, but has no official role on policy.
Still, for many, the changes are not necessary. Gary West of Shore Drive said the Lake Wyola Advisory Committee has served the community and town effectively.
“It has provided thoughtful advice, fostered cooperation among stakeholders, and helped address issues affecting Lake Wyola in a constructive and productive manner,” West said.
Charlene Galenski of Wyola Drive said it would be disastrous to change the board after the hard work and success it’s had for so long.
“The town of Shutesbury has been very fortunate to have an organization like LWAC for 35 years,” Galenski said.
Norene Pease, a former president of the Lake Wyola Association, said she appreciates that town officials are looking to modernize and make the panel consistent with other town boards and committees.
Pease added that this would be a more inclusive approach and give more people an opportunity to participate in decisions.
Former Selectboard member Michael DeChiara, too, lent his support to the changes, observing that Lake Wyola is a resource for all residents. Now serving on the Planning Board, DeChiara said members of any municipal board are supposed to make decisions that take into account all residents.
The Selectboard is expected to continue discussing the topic in the near future.
