Local Government

Sneak Peek: Fox Hill, Retail Cannabis Come to Town Meeting

Nicci Kadilak

— 3 min read
Sneak Peek: Fox Hill, Retail Cannabis Come to Town Meeting
Burlington Buzz Select Board Recap Stock Photo
A recap from the latest Select Board meeting. Last night, the Board voted to approve the index of warrant articles for September's Town Meeting, putting retail cannabis and the Fox Hill school on the agenda.

September's Town Meeting is coming up soon, and the Warrant—the list of articles Burlington's legislative body will be voting on—is under construction. As such, the Select Board voted to approve the index of Warrant Articles at their meeting last night. Some highlights:

  • The Police Department would like to use the Water Department building as a temporary home while construction is happening on their new facility.
  • The contentious Fox Hill School Building project will go before Town Meeting. The vote must be 2/3 in favor for the project to move forward.
  • Remote accessibility of Town Meeting will be on the warrant again, as well as a change in how a roll call vote is initiated and an attempt to create a committee to investigate electronic voting options for Town Meeting.
  • A pair of articles designed to rescind the town's local prohibition on retail cannabis sales and establish an overlay where a dispensary would be permitted is expected to be put forth.

Expect to hear more about these articles and the rest of the warrant as Town Meeting nears; for a full look, reference page 55 of last night's Select Board agenda.

Also at Select Board:

  • Appointments were made to:
    • The BCAT Board of Directors: Kent Moffatt, who also sits on the Shawsheen School Committee and the Conservation Commission, beat out BCAT volunteer and host, Christina Nikitas, by a vote of 4-1.
    • The Police Department: Jack Stafford, Matthew Schipelliti, and Alexa Gaudet will be Burlington Police Officers; Stafford begins August 26, and Schipelliti and Gaudet will begin the Academy on September 9.
    • The Fire Department: Kristelaine Hammond as Civilian Fire Dispatcher and John Hanafin, who retired from the fire department last month, as Limited Assignment Firefighter (a position used for special assignments when no full-time firefighter is available.
    • ISSAC: The town's internet security committee has a new member, Kevin Pumphrey.
  • A Space Force flag will be added to the Veterans' Area of the Burlington Town Common. This project will be self-funded by the town's veteran organization and will include landscaping improvements and cleaning of the area.
  • An allocation of $12,800 was approved to support Therapeutic Recreation programing through the Recreation Department via the Disability Access Commission.
  • The policy for speed tables was approved pending minor adjustments. These are raised portions of the street intended to calm traffic in areas near pedestrian attractions such as schools and parks.
  • A stop sign will be installed at the intersection of Sylvester and Frances Roads.
  • The town will look into translation services to support residents whose first language is not English when they need assistance during routine situations, like visiting town offices, or in emergency situations such as during a mental or physical health crisis.
  • The town has signed a contract with a municipal electricity aggregation provider. More to follow, but here are the basics: The price per kWh is $0.13229, the contract is two years, and customers can opt out whenever they want; the first opt-out date is September 18.
  • The Select Board spoke for the third time with a representative of the contractor Verizon has assigned to address a leaning utility pole. For the third time, the Select Board continued the conversation in the hopes the utility can bring a more visually appealing solution to them. Member Nick Priest expressed his frustration that the three representatives have not been on the same page and that, despite requests for alternatives, none have been given. The matter has been continued to the next Select Board meeting.
  • The Committee to investigate the pros and cons of moving the Town Clerk role from elected to appointed has met a few times and will next work on a job description and reporting structure. The article before Town Meeting will be to place the question on the local ballot in April. The change will require a vote at an election.
  • The Select Board is working on a policy for the proposed electronic sign on the Town Common.
  • There will be an art show at the Council on Aging on September 4 from 5:00-7:00 PM. There will also be a Health Fair in September for seniors and their care partners.
  • There were a handful of DPW updates that we'll address in a separate story.

The Select Board next meets on September 9, 2024.

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