Arlington has achieved the top score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation's annual Municipal Equality Index (MEI) for 2023, a town press release said. This is the 12th year of the MEI and the sixth year that Arlington has been included.

The MEI examines how inclusive municipal laws, policies and services are of LGBTQIA+ people who live and work in a  municipality. These communities are rated on nondiscrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement and the city leadership's public position on equality. 

This is the fifth year since 2018 that Arlington was scored at 100.

 Incident closes Park Avenue for more than two hours: APD blog

Via the Arlington Police Department official news blog and social media, APD Chief Juliann Flaherty has reported that the APD is investigating a motor-vehicle collision that involved a pedestrian over the weekend. The pedestrian was transported to receive medical attention.

On Sunday, Nov. 19, at approximately 1:45 p.m., police and fire responded to a report of a pedestrian struck in the area of Park and Wollaston avenues in the Arlington Heights neighborhood.

Obscured no-trespassing sign at Burch and Edith streets, November 2023. / Susan Gilbert photo

UPDATED Nov. 27: The Conservation Commission at its Nov. 2 meeting requested peer review of Arlington Land Realty’s notice of intent under the Wetlands Protection Act to build Thorndike Place. The commission continued discussing this issue at its remote-only meeting Nov. 16.

Arlington Land Realty is the applicant seeking to construct Thorndike Place, a 124-unit apartment complex plus six duplex townhouses on the Mugar wetlands, a 17-acre wooded area that is habitat to birds and other animals near Dorothy Road in East Arlington.

No structures are on the private property, and no one officially lives there, though unhoused people are known to gather there. Thorndike Place was initially proposed in 2015 and originally was to have been much larger. Two years ago it was unanimously approved, albeit with many conditions, by the town's Zoning Board of Appeals. However, many in town continue to oppose it because of concerns about potential for flooding and other environmental issues.

The applicant earlier this autumn submitted a notice of intent -- an application outlining the work proposed in order to obtain a permit to conduct work within the wetlands jurisdiction. The Wetlands Protection Act is a state law that establishes procedures for conservation commissions to follow in issuing permits for work in protected areas. According to the introduction on the commonwealth's website, “Wetlands help clean drinking water supplies, prevent flooding and storm damage, and support a variety of wildlife.”

UPDATED Nov. 19: The Housing Corporation of Arlington is again providing free holiday nourishment to those who apply in time.

Applicants need not reside in HCA-affiliated facilities, according to Luca Cassano, civic engagement coordinator for the nonprofit organization whose stated mission is "to provide affordable, stable housing and empower residents in order to build a supportive and equitable community."

The deadline to apply for free food for Thanksgiving was Monday, Nov. 13, via this simple online form. However, the one-page form also can be used to request Christmas meals; a deadline for that has not yet been set.

Thanksgiving baskets were to be picked up from the HCA office at 252 Mass. Ave. on Saturday, Nov. 18, between 2 and 5 p.m.

In response to a YourArlington query, Cassano clarified, "As of now, there is no formal deadline for Christmas registration. People can still use the current form to only register for Christmas meals. But after Thanksgiving is over, around early December, we plan to do another round of outreach, with a new form that covers only Christmas meals."

Festive planter outside Cambridge Savings Bank, which sponsored six planters throughout the area./ Courtesy Arlington Heights Community Association

Arlington Heights is tapping into the holiday spirit with new festive planters outside several businesses. The wintergreen arrangements with pinecones and berries are part of the Arlington Heights Community Association's beautification project.

According to a statement from the group, the project ensures that planters throughout the area will be filled with seasonal vegetation until next fall.

The association sent out acknowledgments to the businesses that sponsored these planters. These include Intelligent Labor and Moving, Realtor Julie Horvath of Senne, the Roasted Granola Café, Society Beauty Bar, Sports Etc. and Wonder Yoga.

A special thank you was given to Cambridge Savings Bank, which sponsored six planters this season. 

"We hope the community will continue to patronize these businesses and the many other unique Height businesses in this vibrant commercial district," wrote Janet O'Riordan, member of the AHCA.

Michael Cunningham

Town Manager Jim Feeney has appointed Michael Cunningham as Arlington’s new town counsel, as of Monday, Nov. 13.

The town counsel serves as the chief legal officer of the town, prosecutes and defends all litigation and provides legal representation and advice to the town manager, the Select Board and all other officials, departments and commissions, a town news release said.

“Arlington is an engaged community, from its leadership team to the many volunteers that make Arlington work," said Cunningham. “I look forward to this new opportunity.”

Col. Philip McGovern

Arlington Town Manager Jim Feeney appointed Col. Philip McGovern as the town’s new veterans’ services director beginning Nov. 6.

As director, he is responsible for the daily operation of the Veterans’ Resource Center, which connects veterans and their families to financial and other available benefits. The director also coordinates community events.

“Arlington has a reputation of honoring its veterans,” said McGovern. “I look forward to carrying on its mission, meeting Arlington veterans and connecting people with the services and resources they need.”

The two-story library is a key piece of the project. / photo by Arlington Town PIO Joan Roman

UPDATED Nov. 15: The largest and most complex of the four phases of the ongoing reconstruction of Arlington High School, phase 2, was substantially complete as of Wednesday, Nov. 8, officials said.

Public tours are expected to be scheduled early next year, after the phase's final aspect, Menotomy Preschool, is up and running in early January; the new preschool includes a separate and secure entry, age-appropriate interior classrooms and a dedicated exterior playspace, officials said. Earlier today, Arlington School Committee member Jeff Thielman told YourArlington that tours of the new wing of AHS currently are scheduled to take place between 9 a.m. and noon Saturday, Jan. 20.

View the phase 2 photo gallery and read about it on the town website.

Phase 2 features a 44-classroom humanities wing, a 600-seat cafeteria, a two-story library, forum stairs, an exterior learning courtyard, school district offices, the School Committee room and many other features, officials say. 

“It’s taken us over seven years to get to this point, and I’m thrilled to see three-quarters of the new Arlington High School facility finished,” said Jeff Thielman, chairman of the Arlington High School Building Committee, in a town news release.

“With a project of this scope and complexity, I am pleased to report that the project remains on budget and has only experienced minor schedule delays,” said Town Manager Jim Feeney. “As the project proceeds, our responsive and proactive project team continues to deliver a state-of-the-art, all-electric facility that will help Arlington meet its net-zero goals.”

For the fifth consecutive year, members of the Arlington Police Department took part in "No Shave November," which raises money for charitable causes. This year, many APD members may forgo facial hair restrictions throughout the month and are also donating or raising $100 each, with all funds to go to the Dan Kelly Foundation. Members of the general public may also contribute if they so choose.

The foundation was established in honor of retired Lt. Dan Kelly, who fought cancer for several years but ultimately died at the age of 58 in May 2023. The foundation, often referred to as DK4 for short, provides athletic opportunities for children in honor of a man who loved sports and believed it was important that every child have the chance to be an athlete. Its next major public event, "Irish Night," is scheduled for March 15, 2024.

Brookline Bank has announced that it is once again teaming up with Marine Toys for Tots this holiday season.

Starting Nov. 1, the public is invited to donate new, unwrapped toys at its Arlington banking office, 856 Mass. Ave., Arlington, during regular business hours.

The campaign is set to run from Monday, Nov. 6, through Friday, Dec. 8.

Toys collected at Brookline Bank locations are to be distributed to children in need in Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk and Suffolk counties, a recent news release said.

MWRA logo for illustration only

UPDATED Oct. 9: YourArlington continues to report a running tally of Covid-19 incidence regionally based on wastewater analysis by Biobot Analytics, listed in reverse chronological order toward the end of this ongoing column along with an explanation of why most scientists consider wastewater analysis statistics to be valuable data. Many Massachusetts hospitals drop universal masking and many other measures of what is no longer officially a pandemic may no longer be kept at all.

Starting Monday, Sept. 25, the federal government was planning to once again make a limited number of Covid-19 home-test kits available for free for those who request them, although they aren't expected to arrive until nearly Christmas. It typically is a nearly $25 retail cost at many chain drugstores for a similar box containing two tests.The federal government in September approved the latest Covid-19 vaccine for most people ages 6 months and older; some in the local area already have received it.

No new numbers have been reported for Middlesex County, where Arlington is located, since Sept. 13; YourArlington has made three inquiries, in three different ways, about it. Of note, Worcester County as of Sept. 27 may be the highest now in Massachusetts: 2,941.