Grafton Conservation Commission issues Highfields certificate of compliance, retains $7,350 bond

Conservation · Meeting of June 23, 2026

Grafton Conservation Commission votes to issue a certificate of compliance for the Highfields golf course subdivision after nearly 30 years. At the June 23 meeting, Chair Sandy Brock led a unanimous vote to release the compliance certificate for the subdivision owned by McGill Associates while retaining $7,350 of a $13,628 performance bond as leverage over three outstanding items: a $1,350 Japanese knotweed treatment, $5,000 tied to recording a permanent state-signed conservation restriction covering 221-plus acres, and $1,000 to resolve a boundary-marker discrepancy flagged by peer reviewer Jeff. Attorney Joseph Antonellis of Framingham told the commission the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs is taking three to four months to review the conservation restriction document, attributing the delay to agency staff reductions.

"I was really, really surprised," Antonellis said, adding that he had asked the state reviewer whether additional funding was needed. Commissioner Travis Mast recused himself from all Highfields votes. The meeting also marked the first appearance of new Commissioner Emma Coates, a land use planner at Tyne Bond with prior conservation and planning experience in Lincoln and Wellesley.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,168 words

Source: the Conservation meeting of June 23, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.