$100,000 brings total since 2010 to nearly $2 million

Arlington is to receive a $100,000 grant to continue reducing energy use in town buildings through the state. 

Town planning has announced the award as part of the state Department of Energy Resources "Green Communities" program.

Three town buildings will receive improvements through the grant, utility incentives and town matching funds:

Claire Ricker, Arlington’s new planning and community-development director, was introduced to the Select Board at its Sept. 28 meeting.

Town Manager Sandy Pooler, welcoming Ricker, said, “We are lucky to have a new talented and experienced director of our planning department.” 

Ricker said that she works with an extraordinarily talented staff. “The town has given me a warm welcome, and everyone has been very supportive. Arlington is thoughtful, engaged and passionate. I think we’ll be able to deliver some really good projects.”

Ricker’s immediate goals include:

$860k supports projects aimed at sustainable growth for Covid-affected industries; see list of amounts below

UPDATED Sept. 28: Twenty-two nonprofit organizations and small businesses in Arlington have been selected to receive a total of $860,900 in grants. 

The town's Transformative Growth Grants Program, funded by American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and administered by the Department of Planning and Community Development, helps those affected by Covid-19 bring to life their vision for future growth.

The town announced the awards in a news release. Small-businesses and nonprofit organizations representing a variety of industries received grants for place-making, programming, facilities and infrastructure, news reporting, personnel or planning projects. Here are the recipients how much each received:

Tim Ross

Teresa Marzilli

Arlington Town Hall had no clear ongoing diversity effort in October 2018, when a town police officer published harsh, racially infused comments in an official, statewide police journal.

Lt. Richard Pedrini was placed on leave, and, in 2019, then-Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine addressed the matter with restorative justice, a process requiring the officer to deal with representatives of those affected by his comments. Pedrini later returned to active duty with the police and, months after that, publicly apologized. 

The controversy that followed spurred the birth of a citizen group, Arlington Fights Racism, whose leaders wanted the officer fired and viewed the restorative-justice process as ineffective. At the same time, the town manager instituted diversity training for all town employees.

Those educational efforts to address institutional bigotry are to continue this fall, Jillian Harvey told local public television station ACMi in an update (see ACMi video here >>). Harvey was appointed the town's first coordinator of diversity, equity and inclusion in 2020. Later, she was elevated to director.

Town Hall efforts to address inclusion are expanding. Harvey now supervises two employees whose roles represent firsts for Arlington.

Minuteman High School’s 2022 Hall of Fame Ceremony has been scheduled for Friday, Nov. 4, from 5:30 to 9  p.m. at the Paul Revere Conference Room at Minuteman High School, 758 Marrett Road, Lexington.

The ceremony in the recent past had to be paused due to the pandemic, spokesmen for the school reported in a news release.

The Hall of Fame honors alumni plus former teachers, staff members and coaches who have gone above and beyond to exemplify the spirit of Minuteman High School – whether it be in the classroom, on the athletic field, in the community or in the world of business and industry. 

UPDATED Oct. 2: The Arlington Redevelopment Board on Sunday, Sept. 25, reviewed at its annual goal-setting meeting a list of projects permitted in 2020 through 2022 and several that may come to the board. Of note:

• Arlington's master plan, adopted in 2015, expires soon, and the board has Community Development Block Grant funds to support an update. The board discussed timing of this effort, in relation to MBTA zoning.
• Members asked about the Hotel Lexington, site of the former VFW building on Mass. Ave. in the Heights. Staff believes the owner ran into problems with financing and may come back with a multifamily project.

'... a big chunk of money ... the right choice.'

-- Kirsi Allison-Ampe

Taking funds from nearly $8m contingency

UPDATED Sept. 28: Agreeing with the superintendent, the School Committee voted unanimously Thursday, Sept. 22, for the second of two choices presented to cope with the ongoing reconstruction of Arlington High School. “Option 2” was the more expensive choice but the one that would keep all AHS students on campus for full school days from the first scheduled instructional date of the 2023-24 school year.

“Option 2” will require the postponement of certain aspects of the construction, at an estimated cost of $1.2 million, all to be paid from the already established contingency fund of nearly $8 million. See both options here >> 

“This is specifically the kind of thing that contingencies are built for,” said committee member Jeff Thielman, head of the building subcommittee. “The needs of the students are paramount.” Later, making the motion favoring option 2, he said that this choice is “not increasing the total cost of the project” and that “this is in the best interest of the students,” particularly freshmen.