Ashland manager, Arlington deputy vie for job

Public interviews of two candidates to be Arlington's next town manager are to be held starting at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 30. The unprecedented event here, to be televised on cable, will be in the selectmen chambers, on the second floor of Town Hall.

Town manager candidates have not been publicly interviewed before in Arlington, but that is happening under new provisions, adopted in 2010, of the state's Open Meeting Law. They are competing to assume the position that Brian Sullivan will leave next month after nine years on the job.

A news release Jan. 18 from selectmen's office said town officials, working with the municipal placement consulting firm MMA Consulting Group, narrowed the pool to the finalists -- Adam W. Chapdelaine and John D. Petrin.

As officials report improvement in debt collection from parents of all-day kindergartners, those who have not yet paid must do so, or provide proof why they can't, or their children will be dismissed at 11 a.m. beginning Jan. 30 at the Bishop School.

Starting that day, Chief Financial Officer Diane Johnson said, schools officials will begin excluding from classrooms after 11 a.m. the children of parents who have not paid. In effect, the change would enroll students in a half-day kindergarten program, which the schools also offer.

The school budget process for fiscal 2013 is headed for the public beginning Jan. 30.

As the School Committee learned the amount the schools can expect from the town for fiscal 2013 -- $44,642,598 -- members also heard Thursday, Jan. 12, an announcement of three public budget forums by Kirsi Allison-Ampe, chair of the budget subcommittee. They are:

-- High school parent forum on fiscal '13 budget, Monday, Jan. 30, from 6:30-8 p.m., in the high school media center.

Lexington's Board of Selectmen asked LexHAB (Lexington Housing Assistance Board) to develop plans for four to eight housing units along the viewscape of Busa Farm on Lowell Street.

LexFarm, a group that support preserving farmland, report that LexHAB has developed a single plan for eight housing units and will be presenting that plan to the Selectmen on Monday, Jan. 30, at 7p.m.

LexFarm supporters believe it would be unwise to adopt a plan that would destroy the view, destroy farmland, and compromise the delicate eco-system near the Arlington Reservoir. 

AHS student
steps out
on pageant stages

Arlington High School junior Katie McAleer has become a seasoned expert in competing in pageants. A pretty brunette with a bubbly personality, McAleer is friendly and charming. Since she began competing, four years ago, McAleer has been winning titles.

On Dec. 17, She won the title of Empire Royalty in the Miss Empire Royalty New England Teen pageant.

McAleer entered the pageant world when she was 12, introduced through a friend during one of her modeling jobs. In total, she has completed nine pageants and has won two.

In an interview, the student said she has entered the Miss America system and will be competing in the Miss Easton's Outstanding Teen Pageant to qualify for Miss Massachusetts’s Outstanding Teen, and, she hopes, the teen version of Miss America, Miss America’s Outstanding Teen.

The Arlington Catholic girls' basketball team improved its record to 11-1
as they topped Matignon (5-5), 55-37, on Tuesday, Jan. 24, in Cambridge. Both Arlington High School basketball teams had high hopes, but lost at Burlington.

The Spy Ponder boys fell to 5-5 as it dropped its game, 61-47. Burlington, which began the season losing eight of its first nine, upped its record to 5-8 on Jan. 24.

AHS girls fell to (5-6) with a 59-48 loss to a Burlington team, now just 2-9. 

Garballey joins activists seeking Citizens United amendment 

In the days leading up to the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, Massachusetts lawmakers joined state and national organizations and activists in Boston to support a state legislative resolution calling on the U.S. Congress to overturn the ruling and restore fair elections and constitutional rights to the people.

"The People’s Rights Resolution," introduced by state Sen. Jamie Eldridge, Democrat of Acton, and state Rep. Cory Atkins, Democrat of Concord, decries the court's ruling as a "serious and direct threat to our democracy." If passed, the resolution would have the state Legislature ask the U.S. Congress to "pass and send to the states for ratification a constitutional amendment to restore the First Amendment and fair elections to the people."

As the vice chairman of the Joint Committee on Election Laws, Rep. Garballey, Democrat of Arlington and West Medford, indicated that the passage of this legislation is one of his top priorities this legislative session.

$9.5m deal for 32 low-income units

Peabody Properties Inc. has announced that it will assume management of the Capitol Square Apartments, on Mass. Ave., a block from the Capitol Theater, effective immediately.

The property, which consists of 32 apartments in three structures built circa 1912, have been managed by the Housing Corporation of Arlington (HCA), the owner and developer of the property.

Asked how many of the units are considered lower income, Karen Fish-Will, a represebntative for Peabody, wrote Jan. 23 that all 32 will be reserved for low-income individuals and families. "This means everyone living at Capitol Square will have an income at or below 60% of the Area Median Income," she wrote.

Asked how much Peabody expects to spend, she wrote: "The total development cost for the purchase and renovation of Capitol Square Apartments is just over $9.5 million. This includes the purchase of the buildings, the renovation of the buildings, the cost of relocating the residents as well as all other legal and financing costs."

Restoration plans are underway, Peabody said in a news release Jan. 20. The full-service, Braintree-based real estate company will oversee and manage this major renovation project and is committed to ensuring that the classic design and historic detail of the buildings remain intact.

As part of the planned renovation, new heating, plumbing and windows will improve the energy efficiency of the property, all apartment units will be upgraded and exterior restorations will maintain the integrity and character of the original building design.

HCA said Peabody Properties was chosen based on the firm’s demonstrated expertise in providing full-service management to multilayered affordable housing communities, in particular those which have undergone substantial rehabilitation, temporary relocation and reoccupancy. The units will be preserved for lower-income families in Arlington.

Kelly Hunt, director of real estate for HCA, believes that the relationship between the housing corporation and Peabody will benefit the residents and the project.

"To date, our experience with the Peabody team has been extremely positive," she said in Peabody's news release. "It is clear to me that the company has earned its reputation for professionalism and service."

While Peabody Properties provides comprehensive quality management services to over 10,000 units of residential housing in both inner-city and suburban areas throughout New England, this project will be the company’s first property in Arlington.

"We look forward to working with and in the Arlington community," said Peabody Properties Vice President, Karen Fish-Will. "We are very excited about the partnership and look forward to a productive collaboration."

About Peabody Properties:

Peabody Properties manages in excess of 14,000 units of housing — primarily in New England, and is a full-service real-estate firm. Divisional offices are in Florida and Georgia. An award-winning privately held corporation, Peabody Properties was incorporated in 1976 and, is currently under the direction of Karen Fish-Will and Melissa Fish-Crane along with Catherine Hult and Doreen Bushashia.

In 1995, Peabody Properties recognized its long-term commitment to Resident Services as a unique area of expertise within the field of property management and established a new and separate entity.

Peabody Resident Services, Inc. is dedicated solely to the development of support services and programs for residents of affordable housing. Peabody Properties is designated as a Woman Business Enterprise (WBE) and is certified by the Massachusetts State Office of Minority and Women Business Assistance (SOMWBA). For more information please visit www.peabodyproperties.com.

This story was first published Friday, Jan. 21, and updated Jan. 23 and 27.