Littleton Begins Public Process to Resolve Long Lake Dock Access Dispute

LITTLETON -- September 8, 2025, Littleton Select Board and Conservation Commission launch joint review of contested Long Lake shoreline access. Chair Chase Kerbig of the Conservation Commission told the board that docks, kayaks, motorboats, and a play structure have accumulated for decades on roughly 2,700 feet of conservation-controlled public shoreline, with signs reading "private property, keep out" posted on town-owned ground. Town Counsel Tom Harrington, joining remotely, advised that the signs create an adverse possession optics problem and said he supported their informal removal before the night was out. The board agreed that the Conservation Commission will run public hearings on dock and access policy, covering both the conservation parcel and a separate 500-foot Select Board-controlled strip, with a final joint meeting required before any binding policy is adopted. In other action, the board voted unanimously to approve the November 1 special election warrant, with Town Clerk Cory Loiseau noting approximately 2,000 residents are already enrolled for mail ballots, and authorized Town Administrator Jim Loiseau to sign a one-year inter-municipal agreement with the Town of Ayer for the grant-funded Community Outreach Initiative Network mental health co-responder program, pending Town Counsel clarification on termination and financial-obligation language.