On Saturday, June 17, you can celebrate Arlington new and old.
At noon that day, Feast of the East makes the best of everything in East Arlington. It’s only the 19th annual event under that name.
An older observance that Saturday will be the one at the Smith Museum at the Jason Russell House — a celebration of the town’s 150th birthday. It notes the day in 1867 that West Cambridge was renamed after the Arlington National Cemetery.
At left, a woodcut from depicts a parade in 1867 passing the old Town Hall.
“I encourage everyone to come by and help with this observance,” Selectman Chairman Joseph A. Curro Jr. said at the Monday, June 5, board meeting.
8th 5K race OK’d
The Council on Aging, working with the Health and Human Services’ Charitable Corporation, will host its eighth annual 5K road race, set for Sunday, Sept. 10.
The race benefits the council’s programs and services and is “a tremendous community event and we want to take it forward to an even greater height,” said Executive Director Susan Carp.
“The road race and all that we do to support it tie nicely into this age-friendly community initiative,” Carp wrote June 7. “It is such an exciting community event and even more special the week before Town Day.”
The Health and Human Services’ Charitable Corporation also hosts the annual fall gala for the Arlington Youth Counseling Center.
The route and need for police detail and road closures are the same as the previous seven races.
Girls Scouts’ traffic data
Selectmen unanimously approved (4-0, with Steve Byrne absent) to receive traffic-safety data from a fifth-grade Girl Scout troop, for which it had earned a bronze award. Representing the troop was Avon Lewis.
The chairman and Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine plan to follow up on the Girl Scouts’ report and recommendations, such as adding speed bumps and cameras.
The girls observed that out of 9,524 cars at three different intersections, 1,159 cars ran stop signs or red lights, or did not stop at the stop line.
The scouts will also present their findings to the selectmen’s Transportation Advisory Committee, and potentially could work with them to resolve some of the town’s traffic issues.
See the data and where the girls observed >>
$3,000 to Food Link
John Farese, Wheelabrator Technologies market manager, presented a $3,000 check to Food Link. DeAnne Dupont, Food Link cofounder, expressing her appreciation, said, “Thank you to the town manager’s office and all those who recommended us for this award, and for this donation.”
The grant was first announced May 21, when the nonprofit celebrated its fifth birthday.
Appointments
Selectmen unanimously approved the following appointments:
Arlington Historic Districts Commission: Nellie Aikenhead, a real estate broker and “fan of older homes,” now holds the Realtor position on the Arlington Historic Districts Commission. She is an active member of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board and a board member of the Arlington Land Trust.
She has been involved in several restoration projects, preserving historic structures and/or landscapes and been a conservation consultant for numerous real estate projects. Aikenhead also lives in a home designated as historic by the town. Her term expires June 30, 2020.
New election worker: Sheryl Emerson, Precinct 8.
Reappointments
Selectmen unanimously approved the following reappointments (all terms expire June 30, 2020):
Vision 2020 Standing Committee: Annie LaCourt;
Redevelopment Board: Andrew West;
Commission on Disabilities: Liza Molina;
Board of Library Trustees: Katharine Fennelly;
Community Preservation Committee: Andrew Bengston and Eric Helmuth;
Conservation Commission: Catherine Garnett (associate member) and Susan Chapnick;
Council on Aging: Noreen Murphy, Paul Raia and James Munsey;
Cemetery Commission: Brian Hasbrouck;
Constable: Tina Helton; and
Board of Human Resources: Cynthia Gallagher and Julie McKenzie.
Other approvals
Selectmen unanimously approved the following:
Letter of support for a bus rapid-transit grant to study/improve the MBTA Route 77 bus line;
Common victualler and all-alcohol license transfer for Jimmy’s Steer House, 1111 Mass. Ave.;
Hackney/taxi business operator’s permit renewal for Boston Airport Express;
Contractor/drainlayer license for StrongBack Systems, Nutting Lake, MA;
Verizon cable franchise license amendment; and a
One-day all-alcohol license, and two one-day beer-and-wine licenses, for upcoming private events at the Whittemore-Robbins House.
May 30, 2017: Celebrate 150 Years as ‘Arlington’: Drop in to June 17 open house
This news summary, by YourArlington freelance writer Susan Gilbert, was published Wednesday, June 7, 2017.
