The Scituate Select Board convened on January 20, 2026, rolling out a new pilot program for out-of-town residents, hearing exciting plans for the iconic Mill Wharf restaurant, and making a difficult decision about the Cole Parkway gazebo. The meeting began with a series of community announcements, including a reminder for residents to register for the new Smart 911 emergency alert system. "Previous code red system was compromised and has been abandoned," a town official stated. "We urge and encourage all residents to sign up to receive these alerts."

In a move to generate new revenue, the board discussed and ultimately launched a pilot program to sell transfer station stickers to residents of neighboring Norwell. After a debate on pricing, with one board member suggesting "300 to be competitive with other communities," the board settled on the lower number to encourage participation. One member noted the potential for broader economic benefits, saying new visitors might "come and also they go to the restaurants and other like Yeah. Nothing. They're going to grab a donut." A motion was made to sell Scituate transfer station stickers to Norwell residents for the cost of $300, not to exceed 150 stickers in total for calendar year 2026. Non-resident Norwell stickers are restricted to one each Norwell Street address that have the same disposal rights as resident stickers. Motion Passed 5-0.

The board also welcomed new leadership from The Mill Wharf restaurant. Nicholas King, Vice President of TPI Hospitality, introduced Scituate native Nick Leaping as the new General Manager. Leaping, who started at the restaurant at age 18, expressed his dedication to the community. "One of the quotes I live by is actually from Spider-Man... 'with great power comes great responsibility'," Leaping said. King outlined major plans for the landmark, stating, "Long term, we have some major plans for the Mill Wharf. We've partnered with MHK Architecture... We plan to keep the heritage rich and really lean into the New England style cuisine." A motion was made to approve the application for a change of manager to Nicholas Leaping on behalf of Legacy Management and Investment Group LLC DBA Mill Wharf located at 23 Mill Wharf Plaza for the on premise section restaurant all alcohol beverages license. Seconded by Mr. Gilmore. Motion Passed 5-0.

Several significant infrastructure projects were discussed. A change order for the Humarock water main replacement was authorized, as was a more substantial, $450,000 change order for the Oceanside seawall project. Project engineers explained that unexpectedly poor soil conditions required helical piles to be driven as deep as 60 feet, far beyond the initially projected 25 feet. An engineer on the project noted, "We are seeing lower values in soil strength as we move... our design agreed with the contractor's helical pile manufacturer design." The board also decided to push the North Scituate sewer project from the April town meeting to a fall session to gather more precise cost data. Board member Freya commented, "I obviously love North Scituate... but I feel like the April warrant is check the block full and if we're moving forward with the correct steps, then why not push it."

Citing two engineering reports that deemed it a public safety hazard, the board voted to demolish the Cole Parkway gazebo. Concerns were raised that a major storm could send the roof flying. "We are concerned at this point if we had a nor'easter or large storm that the top would actually blow off," said a town official. The board committed to finding a temporary solution for summer concerts and to notifying the family for whom the gazebo was dedicated. Board member Susan was also focused on a different town property, the Ellis Estate caretaker cottage. Discussing the draft RFP for a new tenant, she stated, "This is the first property where we've really done a search and I think that this is the right track... we're really kind of tidying up how we lease our properties and I appreciate that." The proposal will be refined with input from the Melling Committee. A motion was made to direct the town administrator to work with the facilities director to address the safety issues at the Cole Parkway gazebo including notification of family. Motion Passed 5-0.