Hello, Burlington!

Stop by the Senior Center today from 1:00-4:00 PM for the Safety and Wellness Fair. The event, back after a multi-year hiatus, will be hosting about 26 vendors.

Overnight Work to Disrupt Traffic on Cambridge Street

Permission was given at last night’s Select Board meeting to do sewer lining work overnight on Thursday 10/26 into Friday 10/27. The work will take place from about 6:00 PM-6:00 AM on Cambridge Street between the Car Wash and Chestnut Ave. The DPW has attempted this work during the day three times, but the bypass pump is too large, and it needs to be run over the street.

The liners for this kind of project expire, and the ones the town has expire on October 31—so they’re trying to get the work done as soon as possible in order to avoid purchasing new liners. More importantly, the pipe is in “extremely critical condition” and needs to be lined urgently.

The work will be trenchless; no digging is required and no intense noise is expected. There is a plan for getting ambulances through if needed. Of note, though the road belongs to the state, the sewer pipes belong to the town.

Also at Select Board:

• Appointments were made to the DPW and Fire Departments and to the Cultural Council.

• Ritu Ki Rasoi will be changing ownership and will possibly apply for a liquor license.

• Economic Development Director, Melisa Tintocalis, gave an update. Some highlights:

  • Burlington’s average age (44) is older than the state average of 40 and has more disposable income than the state average.

  • With over 2,000 businesses, there are two jobs for every one resident (around 45,000 jobs for about 26,000 residents), which is a strong indicator.

  • However, there is lower tenancy in office space, which is in line with what other communities are experiencing. Two ways to address this deficiency are to be more creative with office space and to add residential so Burlington can have some live-work spaces.

  • There have been $300,000,000 in private investment in our town including Broad, Varicel, and other projects. These are expected to translate to about $3,000,000 in permitting expenses.

  • Bed Bath & Beyond building is scheduled to be a Bob’s Discount Furniture.

  • Many commercial projects are finishing up without tenants already lined up, but they are expected to

  • Revenue from Beer Gardens largely offset the expenses; the town wants to use this proof of concept and investigate if this is something they want to continue doing or if they want to change up the location and/or activities

  • They are exploring a vacant storefront improvement program in conjunction with the state.

  • 3A Overhaul - the state will be restriping and repairing it, but there is a way to do something more robust with TIP (Transportation Improvement Program).

The Police Station Committee will be created as an advisory committee to the Select Board. There was general agreement among the Board that very large committees can be difficult to manage. Don’t forget to get your application in to join the committee.

Member Morandi shared some interesting deer facts. Bow hunting season in the landlocked forest is open now.

PFAS project - Burlington was awarded $3.5 million in loan forgiveness. The project was completed using zero-interest loans and some other grants, and this forgiveness will cover 25% of the project.

Today in Burlington

Municipal Meetings and Community Events

• 10:30 AM - Current Events Discussion: Lively and respectful Discussion Group of Current Events on the local, state and Global level. (Library; Register)
• 1:00 PM - English At Large Conversation Free chance to practice speaking English for non-native speakers. (Library; Register)
• 5:00 PM - Shawsheen Policy Subcommittee will continue working on policy manual updates. (Shawsheen Tech)
• 6:00 PM - Free Cornhole Tournament Free to play with a four-match guarantee! The top two teams each night will win prizes. From beginners to seasoned veterans, all levels are welcome! (Green at 3rd Ave.)
• 7:00 PM - Board of Health: In addition to time for residents to speak, there will be reports from Public Health, Environmental Engineer, the Chairman and more.  (Town Hall Main Hearing Room and Virtual)
• 7:00 PM - School Committee will give an MCAS update and review the student handbook, take a vote on composting, and more. (BHS School Committee Room and Virtual)
• 7:00 PM - Shawsheen School Committee Reports from students, the Assistant Principal, the Director of Academics, Superintendent, and many more. A vote on the Audit Service Firm will take place. (Shawsheen Tech and YouTube)
• 7:00 PM - Can I Recycle This? The Sustainability Manager for New England at Republic Services will teach us all about recycling and challenge some myths.  You'll learn where your recyclables go and how to recycle well. (Library)
• 7:00 PM - Land Use - Sustainability Sub-Committee will discuss goals and charges of this subcommittee. (Town Hall Basement Meeting Room)

Sports and Activities

In volleyball, the freshman and varsity girls won their matches 2-1 and 3-2, while JV lost theirs 0-2. They play Wilmington and Masconomet this week before heading into the post-season.

The Freshman Girls Soccer game against Wakefield was canceled, while the Boys travel to Wakefield to play at 4:15. The Field Hockey teams also travels to Wakefield, with JV playing at 4:30 and varsity at 6:00. The Cross Country teams head to Melrose to compete at 4:15.

That’s all I’ve got for you today. Have a great one!

Nicci

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