
Candidates' Night to go live in Town Hall tonight
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- YourArlington staff By
- Category: Town Election
- Hits: 1065
Envision Arlington and the League of Women Voters of Arlington will host Candidates Night on Wednesday, March 23, in the Town Hall Auditorium.
Candidates for Town Meeting and current Town Meeting members are invited to meet with constituents at 7:30 p.m. The forum for townwide candidates will begin at 8 p.m. The event will be carried live on ACMi and will be shown on cable several times before the election.
Override call expected after town election
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- Alex Svenson By
- Category: Finances
- Hits: 289
Meeting on successive Fridays this month, the Long Range Planning Committee is reviewing the Town of Arlington’s five-year financial projections -- and the town manager already believes that an override will be necessary this year to achieve the appropriate budget for the town’s financial goals.
“The meeting today really concluded that we are going to need another override soon,” Town Manager Sandy Pooler told YourArlington, referring to the March 10 meeting. “We were really focusing on the possibility of having one this spring, or probably in June.”
The committee met again March 17 and did not change its view about proceeding with an override this year, according to those present. The panel plans to meet again March 24.
Feeney, last manager finalist standing, to be interviewed Monday
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- Bob Sprague By
- Category: Selectboard summaries
- Hits: 978
James R. Feeney
UPDATED: The Select Board plans to interview publicly one finalist for town manager next Monday, and he has been a familiar face at Town Hall since 2009 -- James R. Feeney, the deputy town manager for operations.
Town Counsel Doug Heim told the board on Monday, March 20, that legal questions about naming the single finalist had been cleared via advice from the state and that he was free to name Feeney.
Board members Len Diggins, Diane Mahon, John Hurd and Eric Helmuth discussed how to move forward and decided on a public interview to take place at the March 27 meeting. Board membet Steve DeCourcey was absent March 20; there was no formal vote.
Feeney's candidacy emerged into public view after three of the four finalists to succeed Sandy Pooler as town manager withdrew with no public explanation provided. Read the detailed explanation here >>
Approximately 300 'stand out' before classes on campuses to say 'no' to hate speech
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- Judith Pfeffer By
- Category: School news
- Hits: 421
Collage of peaceful demonstrators at schools March 17.
UPDATED March 21: Educators, local government officials, students and parents took part in a brief “standout” Friday morning March 17. They were there to demonstrate acceptance of all identities and to reject the bigotry of a few recent incidents of hate speech at schools and elsewhere in Arlington.
The peaceful gatherings took place between approximately 8 and 8:20 a.m.
The effort at all 11 public-school buildings was led by the Arlington Education Association, whose president is Julianna Keyes.
“The standout was inspired by the Belmont Education Association and the Belmont Educators of Color and Allies, who hosted a similar event against racism earlier in the month,” she told YourArlington via email over the weekend.
“In Arlington we have seen several incidents of hate speech and acts of bias recently and felt it was important to take a stand for our students and staff who are members of targeted groups. Our schools should be safe and welcoming environments for all.
“We are thankful to the town and the school administration for their support, and to the Massachusetts Teachers Association for quickly printing signs and stickers for us. We can't solve discrimination in 20 minutes, but we can send a clear message to the perpetrators that it is not welcome in our schools.”
Schools' superintendent gets raise, bonus, 5-year contract renewal
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- Judith Pfeffer By
- Category: School Committee summaries
- Hits: 1306
Elizabeth Homan given five-year contract renewal.
UPDATED: The School Committee at its March 16 meeting announced a "successor contract employment agreement" with Dr. Elizabeth C. Homan, who has been superintendent of Arlington Public Schools since July 2021. This agreement is to run for a term of five years, coinciding with the full implementation period of the proposed APS Strategic Plan.
According to a news release issued by APS on March 17, Homan’s compensation for fiscal year 2023-2024 now is $220,000; compensation includes an eventual retention bonus for fulfilling the five-year contract. Per the terms of her original contract, Homan was to have been paid $204,000 for fiscal year 2023-2024.
Responding to a YourArlington inquiry, School Committee Chair Liz Exton said that the committee vote March 16 was unanimous and that the $25,000 bonus is due to be paid to Homan at the end of June 2028. “The intention of the retention bonus is to encourage the superintendent to fulfill the entire duration of her contract,” Exton said March 17.
In preparing to negotiate the new agreement, the release says, the School Committee reviewed school-superintendent compensation terms from comparable districts, including the “town manager 12” municipalities with demographics similar to those of Arlington – Belmont, Brookline, Medford, Melrose, Milton, Natick, Needham, North Andover, Reading, Stoneham, Watertown and Winchester. The “town manager 12” concept was developed about 10 years ago by former Arlington Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine.
Resolution gives National Grid deadline to repair town’s gas leaks
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- Susan Gilbert By
- Category: Selectboard summaries
- Hits: 279
In 2018, Bishop gas-leak taggers were happy to let you know about a neighborhood danger.
The Select Board at its March 13 meeting approved sending a resolution to National Grid requesting that it repair Arlington’s significant environmental impact gas leaks by June 30.
This resolution, proposed by the Arlington chapter of Mothers Out Front, received a vote of 4-0 (Steve DeCourcey recused himself because of his National Grid legal work).
“This resolution is the first step, and follow-up is the second step. It helps that it’s not just a piece of paper, and it’s nice to have several tools to use,” said board member Diane Mahon.
Board Chair Len Diggins concurred about the need for follow-up and said that he would ask staff to look into this. “This is an opportunity to educate people more than anything else," he said.
"The solution is to get us off gas as soon as possible. We need to find out where the points of opportunity are, whether in the legislature or another entity in the state.”
Housing authority goes solar, seeks climate grant
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- Renee Abbott By
- Category: Housing Authority
- Hits: 453
Appreciation expressed for 3 who are leaving.
The Arlington Housing Authority earlier this month confirmed a new solar-energy project, voted on a sizable grant application, updated attendees about ongoing projects and reported that three employees are leaving.
At monthly meeting March 15, all board members heard from Jamie Smith and Oliver Sandrover present on behalf of Lodestar Energy. The small Connecticut company, in business about 10 years, develops solar power and sells it back to customers.
The board voted unanimously to approve the proposal, agreeing to a discounted rate on clean renewable energy and getting credits and money in return.
“You are buying dollar bills for 85 to 90 cents, but they’re special dollar bills; they’re only dollar bills that can be used to pay your electricity bill,” Smith said. “It’s like a Groupon.”
New town rules on gas-powered leaf blowers in effect
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- YourArlington staff By
- Category: Town news
- Hits: 2092
During the 2022 Town Meeting, members approved a bylaw allowing for a gradual phase-out of gas-powered leaf blowers.
Starting March 15. a seasonal ban took effect on the use of such leaf blowers for both commercial operators and residents on their own property.
Read an overview of the bylaw and gas-powered leaf-blowers by user type >>
Beats for EATS Saturday: auction open
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- YourArlington staff By
- Category: Things to do: Events
- Hits: 924
UPDATED March 20: Beats for EATS, an annual fund-raiser to support Arlington EATS ― an organization that provides access to fresh local food to help eliminate food insecurity and hunger in Arlington ― is set for Saturday, March. 25, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., at Town Hall, 730 Mass Ave.
Time to bid: The Beats for EATS' silent auction is open. Bid now on our incredible array of silent auction items to support Arlington EATS! Even if you can't attend Beats for EATS, you can still bid from the comfort of home.
Auction items are on display here >>
Bidding closes at 9:30 p.m .March 25.
Minuteman students increase accessibility for women everywhere
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- YourArlington staff By
- Category: Minuteman
- Hits: 1290
Jane Pokress, Arlington; Kaytaki Pathak, Arlington; Elizabeth Kolakowski, Lancaster, with collected products
Since October, three environmental science and technology majors at Minuteman High School have been organizing a community service project to increase access to menstrual products in their school, local, and global communities. Two of the students, Jane Pokress '25 and Kaytaki Pathak '25, are from Arlington; the third, Ellie Kolakowski '24, is from Lancaster.
The team is currently running a menstrual product drive to increase access to menstrual products in their local community. On Monday, March 6, they began collecting adult diapers, pads, and tampons, which they will donate to the Women’s Lunch Place in Boston.
They are also hosting an online fundraiser to donate money to the organization, Days for Girls, which helps raise awareness about menstrual health and distributes sustainable products around the world. So far, the team has raised more than $1,500. The fund-raiser is currently active, and donations can be given at this site: https://donate.daysforgirls.org/theperiodproject.
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