Tag: Massachusetts

Upcoming events: Community Dialog and state budget talk

Two events to put on your calendar: an October 13 chat with Massachusetts House Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Murphy on the state of the State’s budget. Then set aside the evening of October 27 for an important Community Dialog on the future direction of the public schools.

Summit on Wellington traffic, safety issues Wednesday

One area of discussion and concern with the New Wellington is with the impact of the siting of the building on parking and drop-off/pick up space. Some neighbors have voiced strong concerns about traffic on adjoining streets, and fire and public safety officials want to make sure that the new school will be easily accessible by emergency vehicles in the event of …well…an emergency. Now an important meeting has been called to help address the traffic concerns. Wednesday, September 16 at 7:30 PM in the Board of Selectmen’s room at Town Hall. It will involve members from the Planning Board, the Traffic Advisory Committee, the Board of Selectmen, the School Committee, Wellington PTO, the WBC and the Fire Chief, Police Chief, and Building Inspector.

Kennedy’s legacy: service to the public

I don’t know what Rupert Murdoch has ever done for me, but I’ll say this: Ted Kennedy’s work opened doors for my three daughters that will transform their lives, helping them build confidence and insuring that they will be treated as full equals of their male counterparts in the classroom, on the playing field and in the workplace.

Single stream recycling = big boost in participation

A study suggests switching to single stream recycling (all your recyclables in one container) increases household participation and can save towns money, according to Attorney General Martha Coakley.

Opinion: One person’s ideas on Waverley Square

What change should be promoted to encourage a more pedestrian friendly environment in Waverley Square?

Town: officials didn’t violate Open Meeting (but will meet publicly anyway)

The Belmont Citizen Herald is reporting that Belmont’s legal counsel has issued a response to the Middlesex District Attorney that claims town officials who met behind closed doors to formulate plans to discuss the consolidation of School and Town services were not doing so in violation of the State’s Open Meeting Laws.

District Attorney looking into Belmont Officers Group

The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office is inquiring into the doings of an informal, private gathering of some of the Town’s top elected officials with questions about whether the group ran afoul of the State’s Open Meeting Law, according to the Belmont Citizen Herald.

Closed government? Questions hang over new Town-School consolidation plan

Belmont’s latest consolidation plan is the product of an informal and closed door group of the Town’s senior elected officials that some have dubbed the “Officers’ Group.” Is Belmont closing the doors on Open Government?

NYT: Literary legend Ray Bradbury fights for local libraries

With all the debate in town about preserving our elementary school libraries, I couldn’t help but note this story on the front page of today’s New York Times about sci-fi writer Ray Bradbury’s crusade to preserve public libraries in his home, Ventura County, California.

Proposed cuts from House, Senate would hit education hard

Proposed cuts to local aid and a variety of programs supporting public education programs could hit Belmont, and other towns, hard.