Needham Hoping for Hillside, Mitchel and Pollard Improvement Funding
School Committee to submit statements of interest for Hillside, Mitchell and Pollard school projects.
Board Of Selectmen
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Needham Hoping for Hillside, Mitchel and Pollard Improvement Funding
School Committee to submit statements of interest for Hillside, Mitchell and Pollard school projects.
It may take a few years, but the conversation about expanding some Needham Schools. The Needham School Committee has completed two statements of interest (SoI), one each for the Hillside and Mitchell schools. The Committee is finishing up a third to send to the Mass. School Building Authority (MSBA) for work on the Pollard School as well. They intend to submit all three and see which projects are approved. School Superintendent Dan Gutenkanst and School Committee Chair Heidi Black presented these SoI proposals to the Board of Selectmen at Tuesday's meeting. The MSBA receives SoI for assistance with renovating or building school facilities from communities around the Commonwealth. The Authority then determines which projects it will fund …
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Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Letter: Selectman Facing Challenges Ahead
This letter was submitted by a Needham resident and member of the Board of Selectmen.
Dear Needham friends, I want to share with you that I am dealing with some very serious medical issues concerning cancer. Despite those issues, I intend to continue fulfilling my obligations as a member of your Board of Selectmen and currently as the chairman. (Yes, I am also planning to perform with my band on New Year’s Eve.) The best aspect of being on the board has always been that it has made me feel so much a part of our community. I love this community and I find great joy in knowing that I can call so many of you my friends. I know I can count on your support at this difficult time and I am so very grateful. Jerry Wasserman Needham Board of Selectmen
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Board Mulls Alcohol Sale Regulations
If the measure passes in Needham on Nov. 6, selectmen will hold a public hearing on the rules later that month.
Though voters haven't yet decided whether Needham should allow the sale of wine, beer and liquor, selectmen have begun considering a list of regulations for if the special election question passes on Nov. 6. Town Manager Kate Fitzpatrick put together a draft of proposed regulations and suggested the board bring the rules before the public at a hearing in early November, after the election. If the ballot question passes on Nov. 6, Needham selectmen could issue up to six licenses for the retail sale of beer, wine and liquor in town, with two additional wine and beer licenses available after 2018, for a total of eight. Fitzpatrick said she and her staff had culled the list of proposed regulations from about a dozen other communities that …
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Selectmen Shoot Down New 40B Plan
Proposal calls for 300 rental units on Greendale Avenue.
Needham selectmen on Tuesday unanimously rejected an early proposal for a new 300-unit 40B development on Greendale Avenue, saying the plan was “outrageous” and that a project of this size would “redefine the neighborhood.” A project of Mill Creek Residential (formerly Trammell Crow Residential), the “Needham Mews” development calls for 300 rental units on 6.02 acres of land on Greendale Avenue. The project involves two lots that currently feature single-family houses, at 692 and 744 Greendale Ave. The site is bordered by Route 128 to the north, Greendale Avenue to the south, Greendale Avenue Worship Center to the east and Hardy Street to the west, according to legal documents filed in September with the Massachusetts Housing Finance …
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Thursday, October 4, 2012
Citizens Invited To Review Fall CPA Projects
Needham residents can ask questions and share thoughts on the three proposals.
Needham residents are encouraged to come hear about several projects that are being considered for Community Preservation Act funding at Needham's Oct. 29 special Town Meeting. The Community Preservation Committee will hold a public hearing on the proposals on Wednesday, Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in selectmen's chambers at Needham Town Hall. Following the hearing, the Community Preservation Committee will decide whether to recommend each of the three projects at Town Meeting. All three projects appear in the October 2012 special Town Meeting warrant. In 2004, Needham adopted the Community Preservation Act and its 2 percent surcharge on local real estate property tax bills. According to state guidelines, the funds can be spent in three main …
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Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Alcohol Sales Question Set For Special Nov. 6 Ballot
Selectmen voted Tuesday to hold a special election on the same day as the Presidential Election.
Needham voters will have quite a few decisions to make come November, including whether or not to lift the town’s longstanding “dry” status. With the state ballot already full, selectmen voted Tuesday, Sept. 18 to hold a special election on Nov. 6 that would include the alcohol sales question. The question—which asks if the town should be allowed to grant licenses to businesses for the retail sale of wine, beer and liquor—received state approval in August but was not placed on the state ballot because the slate was already full, Board of Selectmen chairman Jerry Wasserman said. Instead, if the town chose to proceed, selectmen had to authorize a special election and a second ballot would be drafted. In addition, a separate table of …
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Citizen's Petition Articles Make It On Special Town Meeting Warrant
A Needham resident seeks to establish two committees to address safety and recreation issues.
Two citizen’s petition articles will appear on Needham’s Oct. 29 special Town Meeting warrant—one seeking to create a bicycle and pedestrian advisory committee and the other seeking to create a rail trail committee to study the town’s two section of unused railroad right-of-way. Both articles were submitted just under the deadline of 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 18 by Ridgeway Avenue resident Thomas Connors and have been certified by the town clerk's office. To appear on a special Town Meeting, citizen’s petition articles must include the signatures of 100 registered Needham voters, according to the petition sheet included in selectmen's agenda packets. The first petition article reads: The selectmen shall appoint a bicycle and pedestrian …
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Selectmen Approve New Senior Center Name
The building is expected to open in October 2013.
Needham's new senior center has a name. Selectmen voted Tuesday evening, Sept. 18 to approve the Council on Aging Board's proposal to name the new building at Hillside Avenue and West Street "The Center at the Heights." The name is a nod to the building's location near the Needham Heights Commuter Rail Station. The absence of the word "senior" in the title also could encourage residents who don't like the label to come enjoy the new facility, proponent Steve Cadigan said at a meeting last week. Selectmen voted unanimously to approve the name. While he supported the name, Selectman Matt Borrelli suggested that the Council on Aging Board consider dedicating the building to a past or present Needham resident—"a patriarch or matriarch of the …
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Friday, September 14, 2012
Residents Sought for New Solar Energy Committee
Seven-member group will research potential projects for town lands.
Needham selectmen are looking for experts in solar energy and other qualified individuals to serve on a new committee that will be exploring ways the town can develop alternative energy projects on public land. In particular, the Solar Energy Exploratory Committee will be researching the viability, benefits and challenges of developing solar power generation on the town’s now closed landfill. “The board has adopted as a goal the exploration of alternative energy siting in town, particularly solar,” Town Manager Kate Fitzpatrick said at the selectmen's meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 11. Selectmen voted unanimously that evening to establish the committee. The committee will include seven voting members as well as the director of the town’s solid …
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