Hello, Hive!

Lots has happened since the last roundup, including our first Hive Coffee Hour, at least three major holidays (Community members celebrated Hanukkah with a Gelt Drop and Christmas with caroling & cookie decorating, and Kwanzaa is still underway until Monday!), and an awards ceremony that has me excited for local artists.

And, local nonprofits and other organizations were supported in record-setting numbers—including a $150 donation on behalf of Buzz subscribers to People Helping People and a 1:1 match from our partner, VoteLight!

Here are some ongoing things to keep on your radar:

• The Buzz Winter Guide is packed full of indoor and outdoor winter activities to keep your mind and body active this winter. And, many of our advertisers are running special offers just for Buzz readers. Don’t forget to bookmark this valuable resource!
• The Buzz and the Town are hard at work planning Burlington Buzz’s first-ever Civic Expo. Come learn about your town’s departments and the Boards & Commissions that oversee them, in a fun environment with refreshments and childcare! Be sure to save the date and RSVP!
  When: January 17, 5:00-7:00 PM
  Where: 61 Center Street, Murray Kelly Wing
• The first-ever Hive Coffee Hour was a hit, and we can’t wait to see you at the next one! Hang out with your neighbors and Buzz staff (plus Baby Buzz!) in an informal environment where we can chat about local issues and more.
  When: January 19, 9:00-10:00 AM
  Where: Wegmans Upper Level
  RSVP here so we know you’re coming!
• There is a winter parking ban in effect in Burlington. It’s illegal to park on the street between the hours of 2:00 and 8:00 AM each morning.

And now for the main event! In this Hive Roundup:

• TownVote Issue of the Week: Fitness Center Designation?
• Schools: Vertical Alignment, Equity, and a New Bus Contract on the Horizon
• Municipal Planning: Parks, Police Station, and Road Safety
• Library: Ever-Expanding Offerings Include Diana of LOVE, Maker Spaces for Adults
• Extracurriculars: Robotics Prepares for Competition Season, Girls’ Hockey Off to Another Great Start
• Be on the Lookout for Local Artists Doing Good
• Election Season is Nigh

Setting the Stage for the New Year

The Boards and Commissions that oversee our town’s departments have conducted their final meetings of 2023 and begun looking ahead to the new year. Many meeting calendars have been set, the January Town Meeting Warrant is being finalized for 1/22 as we speak, and the parking ban and moratorium on road work are in full effect.

The Planning Department published a 2023 retrospective on their social media pages, outlining what happened in Burlington Planning this year and what the community can expect next year.

TownVote Issue of the Week: Fitness Center Designation?

One item up for a vote by your representatives at January’s Town Meeting will be whether or not Burlington should update its zoning bylaws to distinguish between a smaller Fitness Studio and a larger Fitness Center, which would be subject to more restrictions. Read more and voice your choice at this week’s TownVote Issue.

We pulled in a whopping 10 votes to our last Issue, with 70% voting in favor and 30% voting against the proposed zoning change that would allow the Herb Chambers Kia dealership to expand into the two adjacent properties owned by the company. Of course, at 10 votes, these data are nowhere near predictive of how Town Meeting would vote, but the more participation we get, the more useful the information will be!

Schools: Vertical Alignment, Equity, and a New Bus Contract on the Horizon

Burlington’s School Committee is hard at work towards improving vertical alignment in all subject areas, with a special focus of math and computer science. In these conversations, the topic of equity has been embedded, and the Equity Report is online for your viewing pleasure.

The district will soon be entering into a new bus contract; expect more information about this in the new year. The Committee is also attempting to future-proof the policy manual with the establishment of a Policy Subcommittee to keep on top of policy updates rather than having to spend an entire year reviewing it as they just did.

Municipal Planning: Parks, Police Station, and Road Safety

Planning in Burlington is moving and shaking, as plans for parks, parking lots, new buildings, and safety features on exiting roads are underway.

The Recreation Department is seeking a grant to develop a new conceptual plan for Overlook Park, the former Nike missile site where the Burlington Players’ theater currently stands; they also have plans to upgrade Simonds Park.

The Board of Health is anticipating hearing in the new year from the owner of the property at 111 Middlesex Turnpike (the plaza where Blackbird Cafe, Blaze Pizza, and the UPS store are located) a report of what they plan to do with the section of the parking lot that has been under water for the majority of the last five years. They conducted a stream cleaning process in the fall, which seems to have done little to mitigate the flooding in the area.

The Fox Hill School Building Committee voted to approve and submit their Preferred Schematic Report to the Massachusetts School Building Authority; this is anticipated to be accepted in February, and then the more detailed schematic planning process will get underway. This all brings us closer to a new Fox Hill, which could open as soon as 2028. The school will be two stories, house only Fox Hill students (Pine Glen will remain as is for the near future), and be located at the northern point of the property.

Police Station Planning is also underway, as the Committee has selected a Owner’s Project Manager who has participated in the construction of a number of public safety buildings. The station will remain on its current site, though the department will need to relocate for about two years while the building is constructed. The most likely scenario seems to be that the building (which was built in 1897 and housed the Union School until the 1970s) will be torn down.

New, responsive pedestrian crossing lights will be installed at the intersections of Francis Wyman & Cedar, Winn & Sears, and Winn & Harriett; others will be installed as a part of some planned repaving projects, including the 3A repaving which is scheduled to begin in the spring. There will also likely be a light installed at Winn Street & Mountain Road.

Library: Ever-Expanding Offerings Include Diana of LOVE, Maker Spaces for Adults

The Burlington Public Library, known for providing a variety of fun and educational opportunities for community members of all ages and interests, has a few more offerings in store in the new year:

• Book clubs for all kinds of literary interests
• New maker meetup events for adults with a different project each month and multiple times to accommodate different schedules
• Museum passes, including the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline
• The Diana of LOVE Live Theatrical Performance by History At Play, January 19 (Free tickets available starting 1/5)
• Video games, videos, and music for checkout—including from India and a number of other countries!

Extracurriculars: Robotics Prepares for Competition Season, Girls’ Hockey Off to Another Great Start

The BHS DevilBotz Robotics team gets started with their build season this winter, and to prepare they held a mini competition before the school break. Be on the lookout for more about the DevilBotz in the new year, as well as other extracurriculars such as Model UN, DECA, and Mock Trial.

In athletics, the girls’ hockey team is holding strong with a 4-0 record, having defeated Reading, Lexington, Arlington, and Falmouth so far this year. Their next matchup is against 5-0 Malden Catholic this Sunday. Go get ’em, Lady Devils!

Be on the Lookout for Local Artists Doing Good

The first-ever MassArt Common Good Awards happened on December 16, recognizing locally-affiliated artists whose work makes a positive difference in their communities. Reporting on this event got me really excited about Burlington’s future as a community that values art and beauty.

The Sculpture Park, other installations around town, and the Community Corner Pocket Park, are just a few artistic highlights of our community, and there are sure to be more to come. We have a number of artists right here in Burlington that work to improve our municipal spaces; be on the lookout for these community members over the next several months, and I’ll be sure to let you know when the nomination period opens again!

Election Season is Nigh

It might seem like ages away, but local election season starts in earnest in just a few days. Our election is April 6, and nomination papers will be available for pickup beginning January 2 at the Town Clerk’s Office. To run for town-wide office, candidates need 50 signatures from Burlington residents; Town Meeting candidates need 10 signatures from their precinct. More info about running for office here.

Burlington will also be holding the Presidential Primary Election on March 5. You’ll hear much more about elections at the Civic Expo and in upcoming editions of the Buzz!

As a Hive member, you have already supported the Buzz in so many ways, and we appreciate your dedication to our work! One big hope I have for the new year is to create a website that will expand the Buzz’s reach to folks who don’t already know about us. To establish that site and run it for the year will cost about $5,000. Thanks to the generosity of readers, we’re almost 20% of the way there!

If you’ve been meaning to support the Buzz’s effort to expand community connection throughout our town, now is the time! Your tax-deductible contribution will support website development and expanded reporting to make the Buzz work better for you and all our neighbors.

That’s your roundup for the last few weeks. As always, thanks for being such amazing members of the Buzz community. Reply to this email, comment on the post, or tell us on social media what you like the most about Hive Roundups.

Have a lovely couple of weeks, neighbors!

Nicci