Good Morning, Burlington!

I hope your week is going well so far.

Town Meeting won’t be happening tonight. In anticipation of some more snow, the meeting has been rescheduled to Monday, January 30, at 7:00 PM, still in the BHS auditorium.

Last night at the Board of Health meeting, the Community Public Health and Scientific Faculty was officially created and will soon be seeking members. This Faculty would consist of medical and public health specialists who would hold talks with the community on various topics. The Board will be seeking applications to join the Faculty soon, and hopes to get around 100 volunteer members.

If you are a medical or public health professional interested in contributing to these discussions in our community, be on the lookout for more information on this. The application will be available on the Board of Health website.

The Board of Health also discussed a topic that many Boards and Commissions have discussed or will need to discuss in the near future: remote participation in meetings. You might be aware that the state’s emergency mandate for remote participation is going to be ending on March 31. We have had a policy in place since before the pandemic that allows for some remote participation, but it is adopted at the discretion of each Board and required an in-person quorum.

Board of Health Chair, Dr. Ed Weiner, proposed the following policy to take effect when the state mandate ends:

• Public participation will still be allowed in person or online (capped at 5 minutes).
• Board members can participate remotely. Our town policy says remote participation must be approved in advance and that an in-person quorum must be met, so those regulations would still be in place.
• Proponents of agenda items must be present in person.

This isn’t a huge change from what we currently have, and mostly affects proponents, but it will be important to keep an eye on what other bodies do so we can know how to participate in pubic open meetings.

In partnership with Nicci’s Notes

Come enjoy a virtual celebration of the launch of Nicci’s novel, When We Were Mothers, which has earned 5 stars on both Amazon and Goodreads. There will be games, giveaways, guests, and more! Mark your calendars and sign up for Nicci’s Notes to receive more information in the coming weeks.

Today in Burlington

Meetings and Events

There’s nothing official in town today, but that doesn’t mean you’re stuck at home!

• 10:30 AM - Toddler Storytime at the library, followed by Preschool Storytime at 11:30.

• 5:30 PM - Community Meal at the Presbyterian Church of Burlington
• 7:00 PM - Library talk: James Herriot: Life of the World’s Most Famous Veterinarian (Zoom) (Register here)

Sports and Activities

Our Varsity Boys’ basketball team rose to 11-2 last night as they won in Woburn 77-44. Girls, on the other hand, lost against Woburn 45-55. No word on the results of the swim meet yet.

Today we’ve got hockey, with JV Boys playing Melrose at 3:45 at the Ice Palace, Varsity Girls playing in Arlington at 4:00, and Varsity Boys in Arlington at 6:00.

Best of luck to these teams. I hope you have a great day! See you tomorrow!

Nicci