Buy the Car First, Build the Story After

On June 24, 2026, three people accomplished what two petition-led warrant articles could not do: they stopped the Medeiros Farm design study and put the Committee's work on hold.

Since then, we've heard a growing list of explanations for that decision. But there's a difference between gathering information to make a decision and building a story to defend a choice already made.

Think about buying a car. You decide you want it. You focus on what you like and find plenty of ways to justify buying it. They may all sound reasonable. But you chose the car first. Then you built the story around the choice.

At Town Meeting, voters approved the purchase of the Medeiros Farm 145–6. Later, more than 65% approved funding for the design study, and voters overwhelmingly rejected the two petition-led warrant articles aimed at stopping it. The message from Town Meeting has repeatedly been: move forward.

So why did three members of the Select Board stop the professional work needed to turn a conceptual plan into a final design — the work that could actually answer the questions raised by abutters, the community and the Board itself? If there are concerns with the contract, why not fix them?

There's a practical problem, too. The conceptual Master Plan has already changed significantly, and it would likely change again if the design study were allowed to move forward — that's the point of a design study. The Select Board is running its traffic study on a moving target. If those numbers go before the Zoning Board of Appeals, it won't be judging the final design. It will be judging a plan that may no longer exist — a permitting decision made on numbers that may no longer apply.

When another explanation surfaces for why the design study can't move forward, remember the car. Did the information lead to the decision — or did the decision come first, and the story follow? Get the whole picture.

This one-of-a-kind opportunity — to preserve Seekonk's farming heritage, create space for active and passive recreation, and offer unique educational opportunities — is for the entire town. It is worth getting right. That means doing the design study, with neighborhood input, and making decisions based on real numbers, not a moving target.

Respectfully submitted,
Anne Miller