About the Medeiros Farm Project

I haven’t posted or written on this subject thus far but I feel like I need to now.

The Medeiros Farm Project.

My name is David Sullivan Jr and I am the Chairman of the Medeiros Farm Committee. The Committee was created by a vote of the residents at Town Meeting and required representation from each of the following Boards, Committees and the Medeiros Family. It is comprised of myself as a representative of the Planning Board, Nate Socha as a representative of the Conservation Commission, Willit Mason representing the Community Preservation Committee, Nicole LeMay representing the Parks and Recreation Committee, Andrea Rosseter representing the Historical Commission, Elizabeth Elmasian representing the Board of Selectmen and Paul Medeiros representing the Medeiros Family.

The Committee began its work right away. Reviewing the Warrant Articles involved, the State Law governing the use of Community Preservation funds and what we needed to do moving forward. The Committee began to formulate a set of criteria for the solicitation of proposals for a consultant to develop a conceptual plan of the site. Once complete a proposal was submitted in the form of a Warrant Article for funding, using CPC funds, to begin the process of recruiting a consulting firm. The Town Meeting voted to approve our request. This process was very involved and took many meetings over a number of months to complete. Finally we were able to select the firm of CHA Consulting to assist us in the development of the conceptual plan.

Once we had the concept we needed to move to the next phase of the project the selection of an Owners Project Manager. The on boarding of the OPM is one of the many things that is mandated under Massachusetts State Law covering municipal procurement and project construction. Once again we submitted a Warrant Article to Town Meeting to use CPC funds to contract with an OPM and then a Design Services Firm. Once again the Town Meeting approved our request. We followed the same process in selecting the OPM that we did for CHA. The Committee held in person interviews of various firms, rated their written application portfolios and once complete KCM Group was the top qualifier. The Town and KCM were able to come to agreement on the terms of a contract and that contract was executed by a vote of the Board of Selectmen. Now that we had the OPM with us we needed to begin the recruiting process for a Design Services Firm. Again, as stipulated under Massachusetts State Law.

Following the same process we advertised for Design Services Firms. This part of the process has proven to be much more difficult than the other two so far. We held a Committee Meeting on January 6 2026 where we reviewed the applications of the various firms and began the rating process. We scheduled in person interviews for January 26 2026. That date needed to be postponed due to a snow storm. We rescheduled the interviews to February 23 2026. Well I think we all can recall what happened on February 23 – Blizzard of 2026! So once again we rescheduled our meeting. This time to March 11 2026. Luckily it didn’t snow and we were able to hold the meeting as scheduled. As a result of this process CHA Consulting was rated as the top finisher and the Town began to negotiate a contract for services. Finally after a lot of internal work, meetings etc the Town Administrator was able to negotiate a contract with CHA. All that was needed was the approval of the Board of Selectmen. The contract was presented for their approval in June 2026. At their meeting of June 10, 2026 the Selectmen deferred action on the contract. The reasons stated by the BOS Chairman were that he felt that the entire process has been handled inappropriately. That he was opposed to the Town spending any more money on this project until questions were answered. The BOS Chairman then stated that he wanted to meet with the Medeiros Farm Committee as a joint meeting at the next BOS meeting on June 24 2026.

At the joint meeting on June 24 2026 several items were raised by the Selectmen. There was a lot of discussion between the members of each Board. As a result of these discussions the Selectmen voted by a 3 to 2 vote to not allow active recreation on the Elm St side of the property. The BOS also voted 3 to 2 again, to conduct a Traffic Study of the area around the Medeiros Property’s roadways. And they also voted to reject the potential contract with CHA and the bids in general with another 3 to 2 vote. So now everything is on hold pending the return of the Traffic Study to the Selectmen sometime late summer or early fall. This will significantly delay the project. By voting to not allow any Active Recreation on the Elm St portion of the property the Board of Selectmen has completely changed the scope of the project and voided the Conceptual Plan that was completed previously.


Medeiros Farm Project part 2
Facts, Fiction and Motives


Previously I had tried to describe in as brief of terms as I could the route of the Medeiros Farm Project. Now I am going to try and address some of the items that have been talked about on line, in Letters to the Editor, on local cable tv and during other Board and Committee meetings.

Let’s start with the Conceptual Plan that was created at the start of this process. That plan indicated playing fields in the rear of the Lincoln St side of the property and playing fields on the Elm St portion of the property. It further had a Community Garden, a running/walking track on Elm St, hiking trails on Lincoln St, a children’s playground, paths with plantings, flowers etc. all through the Lincoln St property, various playing courts for basketball, tennis and pickle ball. With these Court areas located as far to the rear and side of the property as possible so as to reduce the amount of noise that may be created there going into the surrounding area. And finally it was to preserve the House, Barns and associated structures on Lincoln St as Historical Exhibit’s to showcase and highlight Seekonk’s Agricultural past. The ultimate goal was to have a location that the residents of Seekonk could be proud of and had as wide an array of activities for all of Seekonk’s residents.

And then there were Twelve Soccer Fields!!
Somehow four High School sized multipurpose playing fields became eight, ten, twelve soccer fields. The number changes depending on who is speaking and to what group they are speaking to. There are FOUR High School sized playing fields on this site. Well, I should say there were. Because the Board of Selectmen with its new found majority voted to not allow active recreation on the Elm St portion of the property. This will greatly limit the options and overall use of the site. It especially limits the options of the Medeiros Farm Committee to design a well formatted site. The remaining areas for active recreation will include hopefully at least two High School Sized Playing Fields. These fields will be designed so that they can accommodate soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, extreme Frisbee and any other sport that would require a similar sized green space.

For some reason a group of residents has taken the position that this is an effort to create some large scale soccer complex that would have had soccer tournament’s every weekend during the season. That they would be bringing in hundreds of cars with spectators. And on and on. Never once do I recall the Committee voting or otherwise conceding that this was being done to support only soccer. To the contrary, the Committee from its first meetings was very clear that this was a Seekonk Project and it would be there for all of Seekonk to enjoy. These statements about it being a large scale soccer complex, hosting tournament’s on a regular basis is simply propaganda used by the group that opposes the project. And it is not true.

The Committee because of the neighbors’ concerns has made a concerted effort to meet, discuss and address where possible those concerns. Items like noise, traffic and hours of use were discussed. All three of which have been on the Committees radar since the very beginning of our Committee. Fall 2025 a delegation of the Medeiros Farm Committee made up of myself, Vice Chairman Socha along with the Town Administrator and our Owners Project Manager (OPM) met with a small group of abutting neighbors to hear their concerns directly. At the same time the abutters had submitted a Voter Petition to the Town Clerk for adding two Warrant Articles to the November 2025 Town Meeting that dealt with removing the funding of the Committee and the other was to rescind the vote that created the Medeiros Farm Committee. Luckily, the residents present at the November 10 2025 Town Meeting voted No on these Warrant Articles and the Committee remains intact.


In the months leading up the Medeiros Farm Committee Meetings on September 29 2025 and November 10, 2025 various members of the neighbors opposition group were regularly attending Medeiros Farm Committee Meetings ( and Board of Selectmen meetings but I digress) where they would repeat the same statements over and over again. Some would make accusations about the Committee Members or the actions of the Committee. The Medeiros Farm Committee attempted to reply to their questions and comments. Often times being shouted down by the Audience in attendance or accused of not wanting to help the neighbors etc. etc. etc. All leading up to the filing of the Petitioned Articles for the November 10 Town Meeting.

September 29, 2025
On September 29, 2025 the Medeiros Farm Committee held a regular, posted meeting. It was not a Public Hearing. Several items were to be discussed at this meeting. First it was an introduction of the new Owners Project Manager from KCM Dennis Blanchette. There was discussion on how to best respond to the concerns expressed by the neighbors during our recent meetings. And finally there was a Public Comment period at the end of the Agenda. During this public comment a number of nearby residents spoke and restated their objections to the project. Shortly after the comment section began the atmosphere began to change. The speakers became more and more vocal. Voices were raised. Attendees became disorderly and unruly. Refusing to return to order after several warnings. The attendees refused to allow the Committee Members to speak or answer what questions were asked. The attendees continued with this conduct even after the Chair again directed that there be order or the room would be cleared and the meeting would be adjourned. All to the point where Seekonk Police needed to be called to regain order in the meeting. Even though the Police Officers were present the meeting continued to be very contentious and loud. Finally after nearly two hours of this ongoing struggle to try and answer questions etc. the meeting was adjourned. The Police remained on scene for quite a while to ensure a peaceful departure of all in attendance.

I had never seen a meeting in Seekonk degenerate into such a boisterous and disorderly session. It was very disappointing to see such conduct at a meeting here in Seekonk. It was unfortunate as well because there were several residents who had legitimate questions that they wanted to ask and could not because they were drowned out by the more vocal in the audience.

November 10, 2025
Medeiros Farm Committee Meeting prior to Town Meeting.
The Committee held a meeting at 6pm prior to the Town Meeting at 7pm to discuss the results of the Neighbors Meeting. The Committee was presented the so called compromise plan which was to not have any active recreation facilities on the Elm St side. Now this is where there was some disagreement. At the end of the group meeting the group’s spokesperson and his attorney made statements along the lines of if we have an agreement how do we pull the Articles from Town Meeting… When this conversation took place most of the residents had left the meeting room. The Committee was presented with the proposed compromise plan for discussion and possible vote. The Classroom at the High School was filled to capacity. The attendees again became very noisy and disorderly at times.. Shouting comments at the Committee. Many other conversations were taking place in the audience. All combined to make conditions very difficult to hear. During these discussions it was stated that in return for this agreement the petitioned articles would be withdrawn.


The group spokesman stated that the neighbors would need to discuss that option before committing to it. The Medeiros Farm Committee voted to approve the so called compromise plan of no active recreation activities on the Elm St portion of the property. There were still comments and loud conversations happening to the point where some members of the Committee simply left the room. Ultimately the neighbors group did not support the withdrawal of the Warrant Articles. This upset several members of the Committee and members of the Medeiros Family. The residents who were present at the Town Meeting were able to witness a small sample of the comments and conduct that have been directed towards the Medeiros Farm Committee by the various neighbors during our meetings. Unfortunately the full context of these actions did not transition well to the cable tv broadcast.


January 6, 2026
The Medeiros Farm Committee held a meeting at Town Hall on this evening.. We discussed and evaluated the applicants written portfolios for the Designer Services Contract. Ultimately deciding to invite all five of the applicants to appear for in person interviews. There was also an item on the Agenda for a motion to reconsider the Committees previous action at the November 10 2025 meeting to not have any active recreation on the Elm St side. There was a lengthy discussion where the motion to reconsider was tabled pending a meeting between the Medeiros Farm Committee Chairman, BOS Representative, Chair of the BOS, Vice Chair of the BOS and the Town Administrator. Then came the discussion on acceptance of the Meeting Minutes from November 10, 2025. When the matter was placed before the Committee there was disagreement between the members on what was said between the Committee and the neighbors group on the compromise item and any conditions. A consensus could not be reached and it was agreed that a minority report of the minutes should be filed by the member who disagreed with the minutes prepared by the Committee Clerk.


June 24, 2026
Joint Meeting between the Selectmen and the Medeiros Farm Committee

As I described previously there was a joint meeting on this evening between the Selectmen and the Committee. A lot of things were said by the Selectmen Chairman about this Committee. The actions of the Committee. The purchase price of the property etc. It became obvious to me early on in this meeting that despite statements made to the contrary there was for sure an agenda at work here. And that agenda was not in favor of the project. The Chairman of the Board of Selectmen has been opposed to this project from the beginning. He has stated such. He disagreed with the purchase price and the process used to reach a purchase and sales agreement. He disagrees with the formation of the Committee. He disagrees with the actions of the Committee. He disagrees with how the various professional services have been selected. He stated that he would not approve any further funding for this project until the project has received its Special Permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals. A Special Permit issued by the ZBA is a requirement for any new Town use. It is described in the Zoning By Laws. And he stated that a Traffic Study was needed before moving on any further with the project. To the point where he brought it to the Selectmen and received a vote authorizing the Selectmen to commission the study.


It had been stated and explained many times over by the Medeiros Farm Committee that a Traffic Study along with the several other studies of the site needed for the creation of final Design Documents would be included in the Design Phase of the project. The very Phase the Committee was seeking a contract to proceed with.

What is the real motivation for demanding that the project go before Zoning before it has completed the Design Phase? The part of the project where definitive answers to the many project related questions that would inevitably be asked during a Zoning Hearing about the project be provided? Could it be to discredit the project in front of the Zoning Board so that it does not receive approval? Is it just a coincidence that the Chairman of the Selectmen up until the June 24 2026 Board of Selectmen’s Meeting was the Chairman of the Zoning Board as well? And now even the conceptual plan is invalid because it still shows active recreation on Elm St. This one change is a major adjustment to the project overall and will affect how the rest of the property is designed.

So now we wait for the Traffic Study to be completed. This is likely to take between six and twelve weeks to complete. Then it will need to be peer reviewed to assure that the statements and conclusions are accurate. Finally then there would likely be another Joint Meeting between the Committee and the Selectmen to go over the Study and then determine how best to proceed. Will the Selectmen vote to kill the project right then and there? Will they send it to the Zoning Board for that Special Permit whether the Committee is prepared for it or not?

What other roadblocks do the Selectmen have in store for this project?

Why are the Selectmen voiding the vote of the residents from at least Three Town Meetings?

Could it be because there are two projects still outstanding that the Selectmen Chair has repeatedly tried to have approved at Town Meeting? One of those projects has been rejected by the residents at least twice now!

Why would there be competition between projects? CPC Funds can only be used on projects like Medeiros Farm. They cannot be used to construct a DPW or a fire station. This is stipulated in the State Law. So what is the answer? I do not know. What I do know is that now the Committee has been hamstrung in its efforts to design a well thought out site for all the residents of Seekonk. At the end of the joint meeting the BOS Chair made a statement to me that his phone didn’t ring. Trying to make the point that I had some sort of obligation to reach out to him since his election to the BOS Chairman’s position. Well that statement can work both ways, I have never received any telephone calls from him either.

I would urge the residents of Seekonk to watch these upcoming meetings closely. Listen to the statements made about not being against the project or not having a personal agenda against the project. Actions speak louder than words. And right now those words are not supporting their actions.

Thank You,

David Sullivan, Jr
Seekonk, MA.




*This statement is my opinion and does not reflect the opinions of the Medeiros Farm Committee or the Town of Seekonk.