Hello, Burlington!

I’m sure you woke up at the edge of your seat, so I’ll just say it. Burlington Buzz won the Community Engagement Award at the LION (Local Independent Online News) Awards yesterday evening. I’ll spare you the speech (I was shocked; there were tears!) but you’ll hear more about it in the days to come. The headline is that you—YOU—made this happen. The Buzz might be my brain child, but it wouldn’t exist without you. So, thank you. More to come.

One quick note: Enjoy Coffee with a Cop today from 9-11 at True North, 204 Cambridge St. Hang out with Officer Goggin! This is a great opportunity to make a no-stakes connection with our police department and learn more about their work within the community. Stop by if you have time!

School Building Committee Votes to Eliminate Consolidation Option

The School Building Committee met last night. Prior to the main event, they responded to previous public comments, including sharing a slide that showed the enrollments at each elementary school in town and an explanation that the 18:1 student-to-teacher ratio is an average across each school and across the district, not necessarily the reality in every single classroom. Of note, students in the DSC program are included in the enrollment at Pine Glen, but the explanation stated that the LABBB program students are not counted in enrollments. That assertion was later questioned, and we’ll look for a clarification at the next meeting.

Also discussed:

• Committee members discussed their experiences at school visits recently; each member who spoke expressed a mix of positives and concerns.
• Conservation experts from both Wilmington and Burlington will be going out with members of the design team to ensure the wetland and vernal pool areas are properly delineated. This has nothing to do with school placement or design and is only intended to demarcate where the resource areas are.

Then it was time for the main event. Many community members, and even some SBC members, were surprised to see a vote on this Committee’s agenda now, when previously they’d been communicating an expectation to vote in November. According to architect, Donna DiNisco, the outcomes from the ThoughtExchange survey (especially when added to feedback at the Community Meetings and previous SBC meetings) seemed pretty clear, and it didn’t seem necessary to belabor the process for another two weeks.

Many Committee members read prepared remarks ahead of the vote; while members had differing opinions, most everyone who spoke emphasized their commitment to working as a cohesive Committee regardless of which option was selected. In the end, the vote was 10-5 in favor of removing “Option 6,” or the consolidated option, from consideration. The only option in consideration now is the 325-student single-school Fox Hill building.

DiNisco explained that on November 13, the SBC plans to vote on whether the new building will be two or three stories and where it will be situated on the property. This decision will be supported by updated cost projections. There will be another community meeting between now and the Committee’s vote (expected the week of December 11) to approve the final submission package; they’ll submit this to the state at the end of December and the state will vote on whether or not to approve it in February.

Today in Burlington

Municipal Meetings and Community Events

• Fox Hill Walk, Bike, and Roll to School Day
• 9:00 AM - Grade 9 Parents' Breakfast at BHS
• 9:30 AM - 50+ Job Seekers Networking Group (Morning Session) - Resumes: the Basics (library event; Register)
• 7:00 PM - An Evening With Bestselling Author Marie Benedict (Virtual library event; Register)

Sports and Activities

Varsity girls tied their soccer game 1-1 against Wilmington, while boys lost 0-2. The boys’ cross country team won 24-32. More results to come tomorrow!

Golf is up first again today with a 4:00 matchup in Lexington. Volleyball teams play at 4:00 (freshmen), 5:15 (JV), and 6:30 (varsity) in Arlington. Freshman girls have soccer in Billerica at 6:15. And, the middle school Junior Devils football team defends their undefeated record as they host Reading tonight.

That’s all for today. Enjoy the sun!

Nicci

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