Monday, April 29, 2013
The proposed change would have had unintended consequences, according to its original proponent.
In an unexpected turn of events Monday night, the Town Meeting member who proposed the article that would have lifted Arlington’s long-standing ban on self-service gasoline asked his colleagues to vote against it. Carl Wagner, of Precinct 11, said his proposal needs more work. “I ask you to resoundingly vote ‘No,’” he told Town Meeting. Less than 10 minutes later, his fellow Town Meeting members adhered to his wishes and shot down the article convincingly by voice vote. Wagner said after speaking with a number of people leading up to Town Meeting, he now believes his article would have had unintended consequences – it could have led to self-service-only stations and “mega stations,” he said. Wagner said he would still ultimately like to …
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Should Arlington’s 252 Town Meeting members lift the ban on self-service gasoline? Let us know by posting a comment below.
Last week, Town Meeting members significantly lessened restrictions on leaf blowers and shot down a proposed bottled-water ban. Tonight, they’ll decide whether or not to lift Arlington’s long-standing ban on self-service gasoline. Town Meeting member Carl Wagner, of Precinct 11, submitted the self-service article, technically a town bylaw amendment, by petition. In early March, the Board of Selectmen endorsed the change in a 4-1 vote. “I enthusiastically support this,” Selectman Joseph Curro Jr. said at the time. Three of Curro’s colleagues echoed his sentiments. Selectman Diane Mahon, who cast the dissenting vote, did not. “I haven’t heard from a person in my precinct, including business owners, who is in favor of this,” she said. At the …
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Arlington Town Hall
730 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA
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The temporary visitor center will go in near the Uncle Sam statue.
Town Meeting approved $25,000 Wednesday for a temporary visitor center to go in near the Uncle Sam statue. The town’s Committee on Tourism and Economic Development proposed the article, Article 2 on the Special Town Meeting Warrant. Angela Olszewski, chairwoman of the committee, told Town Meeting that the center is intended to promote Arlington’s history and attract more tourists to town. “We wanted something that says, ‘Welcome to Arlington,’” she said. The attached photo from Olszewski’s presentation is a prototype for the center, not the actual one that will be in town. The center will be fully constructed elsewhere and dropped off by a flat-bed truck. Town Meeting member Stephen Harrington, of Precinct 13, spoke against the …
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Arlington Town Hall
730 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA
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Thursday, April 25, 2013
The bylaw amendment passed Wednesday by 18 votes.
Town Meeting did away with the town’s controversial seasonal leaf-blower ban Wednesday night, replacing it with a list of restrictions that’s been dubbed the “leaf-blower compromise.” Some Town Meeting members took issue with the term “compromise,” as they said the new bylaw, which passed 113-95, “eviscerates” the intent of the seasonal ban. The seasonal ban, which Town Meeting passed 95-85 last May, would have prohibited the use of gas-powered leaf blowers on private property from May 15 to Oct. 15. The ban was never in effect (it would have been starting next month). The new bylaw, which was developed by a Town Meeting committee, allows commercial and town employees to use leaf blowers from Sept. 15 to June 15. Then, from June 15 to Sept…
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Arlington Town Hall
730 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA
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The group sang 'Your Smiling Face' Wednesday at Town Meeting.
For more on Wednesday's Town Meeting, see: Town Meeting Replaces Seasonal Leaf-Blower Ban with 'Compromise' Town Meeting Defeats Proposed Bottled-Water Ban
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Arlington Town Hall
730 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA
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Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Did Town Meeting make the right call? Let us know by posting a comment below.
After 25 minutes of debate Wednesday night, Town Meeting members convincingly voted down a proposed bottled-water ban by voice vote. The ban, Article 4 on the Special Town Meeting Warrant, would have outlawed the sale of single-serving water bottles in town, except in the event of an emergency. Three Arlington High seniors, Amy Currul, Sonia Zacher and Marina Milan, collected enough signatures to put the ban to a vote. They said they pursued the ban for environmental reasons. Currul (pictured right) presented the article Wednesday. “It’s not about taking away people’s liberties,” she said, “it’s about saving the planet.” A couple Town Meeting members and the store manager at the local Stop & Shop spoke against the ban before debate was …
Members also decided to wait on zoning the dispensaries.
There won’t be any medical marijuana dispensaries in Arlington for at least another year. Town Meeting members voted Monday to put a moratorium on the dispensaries, delaying them from coming until after the town’s 2014 Town Meeting next April. The measure, Article 8, passed convincingly by a voice vote. The delay is meant to give the town more time to understand all of the nuances of the dispensary application process, Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine said recently. For a simple guide on the issue: 8 Things to Know About Medical Marijuana Dispensaries in Arlington The other medical marijuana dispensary article on the 2013 Warrant, Article 7, received 114 “Yes” votes to 72 “No” votes – however, it failed to get the necessary two-thirds …
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Arlington Town Hall
730 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA
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Town Meeting members will consider a bottled-water ban and leaf-blower compromise.
Today is Wednesday, April 24. Here are five things you need to know. 1.) Town Meeting members will vote on a bottled-water ban and leaf-blower compromise tonight during a Special Town Meeting. The bottled-water ban, which was opposed by the Board of Selectmen, would prohibit the sale of single-serving bottled water in town. The ban is being proposed by three Arlington High seniors – Amy Currul, Sonia Zacher and Marina Milan – for environmental reasons. The leaf-blower compromise, which was crafted by a town committee, looks to lessen the restrictions on gas-powered leaf blowers from the seasonal ban, which was passed at Town Meeting last May and upheld at a Special Election in July and Special Town Meeting in October. If the compromise is …
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Arlington Town Hall
730 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA
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Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Local officers were on the 'front lines' during Friday's manhunt for one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine said.
Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine and Town Meeting members recognized Arlington police officers Monday for their work in the aftermath of last week’s bombing at the Boston Marathon. The local officers assisted Boston police with operations, including the president’s arrival Thursday, and formed part of the perimeter around suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, when he was found hiding in a boat behind a Watertown home Friday, Chapdelaine said. “Our men and women from the Arlington Police Department were there on the front lines helping to bring the suspect to justice,” he said at the beginning of Town Meeting’s opening session. Lt. Ronald Kerr led the Arlington officers in Watertown, while Chief Frederick Ryan commanded the local officers in Boston, …
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Arlington Town Hall
730 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA
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Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Town Meeting will consider two articles on medical marijuana dispensaries later this month. Here is a simple guide to understanding the issue.
We know the medical marijuana dispensary issue can be complex, so we tried to break it down as much as possible, specifically as it relates to Arlington. Here are eight things to know about the issue in town: 1.) How we got here: Last November, Massachusetts residents voted, 63-37 percent, to legalize medical marijuana, becoming the 18th state to do so. In Arlington, the ballot question was supported by 68 percent of the voters. The new law took effect Jan. 1, and the state Department of Health then drafted medical marijuana regulations, which were released last week. The regulations are expected to be finalized in May and then medical marijuana dispensary applications can start coming in 90 days after that, so in August or September. 2.) …
Spyponder
10:10 am on Thursday, May 9, 2013
Arlington is only 5 sq miles, if you are in a hurry you will hit a border in no time and then a self serve gas station. the rest of the country is a little less congested and spread out. makes it easier and logical to put self serve. This is one of those things that make Arlington.... well, Arlington. People move in and want to change things. I miss the quarter of 7 whistle. more ›