Sharing my meeting notes for a portion of the SHT meeting that was held on 8-13-2026, by Laura Briggs
I strongly encourage you to watch the recording (available on SudburyTV) for 26 minutes from 19:09–45:00 to hear the tone and conduct of two of the members — John Ryan towards Kay Bell, and Jeff Levine towards Carmine Gentile.
John Ryan is demanding that Kay Bell push their (SHT) agenda via the LLSAC, and Jeff Levine delegates any accountability right back at Carmine and the other members. Jeff also notes the “ignorance” of town voters at 37:05.
My highlights
Janie Dretler and SHT have noticed the No Development at Sewataro signs around Sudbury and are backpedaling, stating how they are incorrect. However, they are missing the point of the signs — we are focused on preserving all of the Sewataro property.
Jeff Levine was annoyed with Carmine Gentile for not stating what Jeff had told him to say — how much land of the property the SHT truly wants for a larger development on the site.
Susan states development does not mean all of the property — however John Ryan understands what the Friends of Sewataro (FOS) is messaging: FOS wants to preserve the entire property, and we recommend the SHT look elsewhere for affordable housing projects.
Jeff Levine complains about the survey being confusing and feels it does not support housing. At 37:05, Jeff states: “The loudest voices are relying on people’s ignorance not to do anything or site anything. We need to take a leadership role in educating people re housing on the site.” Carmine Gentile responds that Jeff Levine is preparing his draft for the next Sudbury Weekly to educate the public on this (laughter).
Kay Bell discussed how the Housing Production Plan is not top of mind and that the concept of “cottage style” housing in a setting like Sewataro is generating people’s comments and concerns, with about 24–60 attendees on each call.
Carmine Gentile asked if anyone could attend the 7pm LLSAC meeting, to which Jeff Levine said he already presented at the LLSAC and has contributed. Jeff felt other members of the Trust have not contributed in a meaningful way.
Kay then mentioned that “repetition has been happening” during the LLSAC meetings. This is where John admonished Kay for repetition. (43:00) John states there are smart people on this Committee and repetition should not be happening. There are signs all over town telling them what the issue is — this isn’t hard to figure out.
CPA fund requests
The discussion pivots to CPA fund requests. Last year, the SHT requested $600K, and just recently invested about $500K in the acquisition of a single family home. Currently the SHT has a $1 million balance.
John Ryan stated the SHT should make a request this year for $900K — part of the basis for that being that townspeople are opposed to housing at Sewataro. However, many of those same people are not opposed to affordable housing, so the SHT should find other locations in town to create affordable housing.
Email your feedback to llsac@sudbury.ma.us and selectboard@sudbury.ma.us. Take the town survey before it closes September 7.
Watch the recording
Recording provided by SudburyTV
