Changes called "long overdue"

A state report about the planned consolidation of town and school finances points to a number of shortcomings that need to be addressed while it recommends guidance for moving ahead with targeted completion of the process in mid-2014.

Steps include changing the treasurer and Board of Assessors from elected to appointed offices as well as moving the comptroller to Town Hall and increasing the automation and efficiency of financial processes.

"Currently, the school budget analyst spends as many as three hours per day to complete these tasks using a manual system," the report says, referring to Janet Collins, who records staff absences and hiring of substitutes. "We don’t believe that these responsibilities represent the best use of time for the second highest paid and longest serving person in the school business office."

The state's proposed timeline see completion of a proposed merger by July 1, 2014. The Jan. 26 report from the Department of Revenue's Division of Local Services has at least two key conclusions:

Read the complete state report here >> (.PDF)

For more about events at the Regent, see www.regenttheatre.com/events/ 

On Saturday, Feb. 4, at 10:30 a.m., Sara Wheeler’s Little Groove, as the Regent Theatre's Family Fun Series continues.

An artist workshop/demonstration is set for the Old Schwamb Mill at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4.

Demonstration/Workshop:

"Photographing, Documenting and Reproducing Art Doing It Yourself" is to be presented by Adrienne Tybjerg, acrylic and watercolor landscape artist.

Many artists have their work professionally photographed for documentation and/or reproduction, but more often they do not because of the time and money involved. This workshop explores simplifying the process for use in the home or workspace, on one’s own time schedule, as affordably as possible.

The idea is not perfection, but getting the best images of work on a regular basis.

A concert to benefit the effort to help save the Silver Maple Forest near Alewife is set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, at First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, 630 Mass. Ave.

Jim Scott, Stan Strickland, Fred Small, Maya Apfelbaum and Elke Jahns will sing and perform to perserve the small-river, floodplain forest in the midst of Boston’s densely developed western corridor among Cambridge, Belmont and Arlington. The forest, also known as the Belmont Uplands, is the ecological core buffer of the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Alewife Reservation with its river, streams and ponds. Development threatens the area.

Alberto Guzman photoA poster showing the flags of many nations created by Arlington High School ninth-grader Marley Jurgensmeyer has been chosen to represent the second annual Arlington International Film Festival (AIFF), set for the Regent in October. The student wins $500.

In a news conference at Town Hall on Thursday, Feb. 2, attended by about 35 people, five finalists were also named out of 41 who submitted entries from Arlington High and Arlington Catholic High School, in a competition for the second consecutive year to create the official festival poster. In addition to Jurgensmeyer, they were:

Dylan Desjardins, Sarah Griesmer, Adam Hill and Ziza Soares, all of AHS, and Richan Li of ACHS.

Kristen Lauerman, manager and assistant programmer of film and video at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, announced the names of the six top entries.

Jurgensmeyer knew she wanted to incorporate an international flair to her piece and did so through the use of flags from different countries.

Urena-Demartinez

Arlington police, with the help of an informant, have arrested a Boston woman who police said was found near a school with 60 grams of cocaine valued at $3,500.

Dorka M. Urena-Demartinez of Tremont Street was charged Thursday, Feb. 2, on Lowell Street, not far from Peirce School, after a lengthy and complex investigation by the Suburban Middlesex County Drug Task Force, Capt. Richard Flynn said Feb. 3.

"The Arlington Police Department is grateful for the hard work investigators devoted in making this arrest," he said. "We are pleased to have removed what we believe to be a large quantity supplier who was a direct conduit to the end users in this area."

The Arlington public schools' performing arts department has been honored with the choice of two of its ensembles to perform at the Massachusetts Music Educators All-State Convention at Boston's Seaport Hotel, on March 1 and 2.

The Ottoson Middle School Select Chorus, at left, conducted by Cheryl Christo and the Arlington High School Honors Orchestra, below, under the direction of Tino D'Agostino were chosen by anonymous submission of recordings of the ensembles.

The Select Chorus will perform at 1:45 p.m. on Thursday, March 1, and the Honors Orchestra at 1:10 p.m. on Friday, March 2. Both performances will be at the Seaport Hotel.

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:

-- Middle-school parent forum on fiscal '13 budget, Monday, Feb. 6, from 6:30-8 p.m., in the Ottoson Middle School cafetorium, 63 Acton St.