Hive Roundup #12: Changes Set in Motion

Hello, Hive!

I keep meaning to get this out, but with vacation etc., it’s been tricky to assemble! But now that we’re here, please enjoy this roundup of what’s been going on in Burlington since last we spoke.

Brovitz Design and the Town of Burlington are ready for the next phase of the Burlington 128 District rezoning project.

This work aims to redevelop the underutilized area in the Mall Road and Middlesex Turnpike region (largely unused parking lots) into more usable, walkable mixed-use and possibly residential space.

The first community forum to discuss this initiative was held on February 15, and the town plans to work with Brovitz to submit a full proposal to Town Meeting in September. Find out more information about the project, and see the recording of February 15th’s community forum, here. A timeline of the project is also included below.

We are a member of a three-town coalition receiving a Public Health Excellence Grant from the state, which Burlington will be administering.

The towns of Wilmington, Lexington, and Burlington were awarded this grant to explore how we can collaborate and share resources to increase access to public health information and services across our three towns. Burlington’s Director of Public Health, Susan Lumenello, will be administering the grant.

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Subcommittee to the Select Board was disbanded.

After a contentious year during which the DEI Committee worked to bring more awareness and standardization to Town departments, the Select Board has made the choice to end the Committee—at least temporarily. While many members of the Select Board acknowledged the importance of working toward a more inclusive town, they expressed not being sure where to go next. They will reportedly look into hiring an outside consultant to help make those decisions, and have not discounted the possibility of re-instituting a more focused DEI Committee in the future.

The entryway to the high school will be named after the late Dottie Yeadon.

The town lost an icon with the passing of Dottie Yeadon earlier this year. A community fixture who drove the school bus for generations of Burlington children, Dottie brought unmatched energy and enthusiasm to the lives of many. The Select Board moved, and the School Committee agreed, to name the entryway to the high school “Dottie’s Way.”

Whitson’s, our new food service vendor, made a presentation that sparked excitement among students and parents.

Whitson’s made a brief presentation at a recent School Commitee meeting, highlighting their focus on whole, all natural foods and their student-centered food selection process. Now my kids won’t stop talking about the smoothie station (which may or may not happen, but—hey—a kid can dream). We’ve been told that the contract officially begins this month, but we shouldn’t expect major changes until we burn through our previously-stocked food inventory over the next month.

Francis Wyman now has new batting cages.

That’s cool! I don’t actually know any more about this.

The ballot for the April 1 election has been set, and you can expect more information about candidates in the coming days.

Podcast interviews have been scheduled with School Committee candidates, and I’m reaching out to Recreation Commission candidates as we speak. You can expect more information to come out as time goes on.

Things to know: While there are enough candidates to fill all the town-wide seats, the above are the only contested town-wide races. There are a handful of contested Town Meeting races, but there are also a handful where we don’t have enough candidates to fill open seats, let alone have a contest. More information will be coming very soon about how to be a write-in candidates.

Blanchard Road will have sidewalks next year.

The state gave Burlington half a million dollars to create them. The planning process will be happening this year, and the actual construction will happen next year. This is exciting for all the possibilities for walkability around the area, especially taken in conjunction with the rezoning initiative in around the same area. I’m actually really eager to see how the area looks in 3-5 years. I am also, however, curious to see how the sidewalks will be fit into such a narrow space.

MA Vocational Schools are in the process of updating their admissions requirements and determining the effects of those changes.

As a town that feeds Shawsheen Tech, it’s interesting to see that the state has asked voc-tech schools to revisit their admission requirements for the first time in a long time. For decades schools have “closely followed a model policy designed by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE),” according to a press release by Shawsheen Tech. These guidelines included four required criteria (grades, attendance, discipline, and recommendations) and one optional criterion (a personal interview).

In response to these reviews, many schools have added an interview or increased the weight of the interview, as well as made staffing changes to better focus on admissions.

The Buzz and the Town both celebrated birthdays!

Happy first birthday to the Buzz, and happy 224th birthday to the town! Now in our 225th year, the town will find ways to celebrate throughout the year!

Phew. That’s a lot, and I hope it was fun to read. I will see you again sooner rather than later. Below find that 128 Rezoning Initiative timeline I was talking about earlier.

Nicci