Tewksbury Select Board Renews Dozens of Licenses, Approves Three Donations

TEWKSBURY — December 16, 2025 — Tewksbury residents demanded public disclosure of a community host agreement tied to the proposed Hillman Energy Center lithium-ion battery storage facility as the Select Board cleared a full slate of business license renewals at its December 16 meeting. Four speakers — Christine Chesbrough of 398 Chandler Street, Dawn Sheehan of 100B Star Fort Road, Gerard Corbin of 82 Emerald Court, and Ryan Lloyd of 159 Booth Street — pressed the board to hold a public forum before signing the agreement with developer East Point Energy, and questioned the town's plan to field only one expert witness at state Energy Facilities Siting Board evidentiary hearings beginning February 9, 2026. Town Manager John Kern explained the legal structure of payment-in-lieu-of-taxes pilots, noting that any such agreement requires Department of Revenue approval and town meeting authorization. The board also accepted donations totaling $3,550 for the Senior Center, Police Department, and Veterans Department, approved a new common victualer license for Spitfire Slice Co. taking over Lisa's Family Pizzeria at 2312 Main Street, and approved town counsel invoices of $3,740 and $3,357.50 for consecutive billing periods in October and November.