Town meetings in the fall are only scheduled if needed, but often there are at least a few issues to be voted on that can’t wait until next year.  For those who missed or didn’t receive the 29 page warrant booklet at home (see illustration here), extra copies will be available at the Town Building (195 Main Street) during normal hours on Monday from 8 AM until 4 PM.  Copies sent to homes were bundled with the Action Unlimited ad flyer a few weeks ago, delivered to most households, but adnittedly not all.  The text is also available to download on the web page set up for the meeting:
https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/608/Special-Town-Meeting-October-27-2025

For anyone not familiar with the terms I’m using here, here are three of them:

• Town Meeting - a gathering of registered voters to make specific decisions that cannot be made by government officials alone. 
• Warrant - An agenda and guide for the meeting, listing the individual issues to be voted on.
• Article - An item on that agenda, with a description of the decision to be made, who put it on the agenda, along with some comments from town boards or committees.  There is also a recommended vote from at least one of these boards or committees. 

The first four pages of the warrant booklet provide some explanation of the details on how the meeting is run and definitions of some of the terminology used in the pages that follow.

For more details on the nature of town meetings here in New England, you may want to download and read my unofficial and slightly irreverent article “An Informal Guide to Town Government and Town Meetings in Massachusetts.” It’s listed as "town_government_introduction_1.6," the fifth one down on my “Perspectives” page, here on this web site.

The format and wording of the articles in the warrant booklet are laid out the way they are because they have to conform to various state requirements.  Here is my quick unofficial preview of each of the 12 articles, just to get you started.

1. Housekeeping - to correct an oversight in a list of duties for the Select board.
2. Update to agree with a state law - essentially allow one widow(er) of a retired town employee to receive increased benefits, now permitted by the state.
3. Update to agree with a state law - allow a beer & wine license holder to convert to an “all alcohol” license.  Just one business in Maynard is eligible at this time, according to the comments.
4. Wipe the slate clean of approvals for the town to borrow money that it no longer needs to borrow.
5. Allow some public and school property to be available to permit solar panels to be leased or licensed.
6. Update to agree with a state law - If article 5 passes, allow the town to actually lease or license such solar panels.
7. Take money from PFAS (known as “forever chemicals”) lawsuits already won against polluters and give it to the water department to upgrade treatment equipment.
8. Housekeeping - Zoning - add the Powdermill Overlay District to the existing list of districts. (for what this means, see my article, "Plans in Progress" published in November 2023)
9. Housekeeping - Zoning - delete a parking requirement in one part of the Zoning Bylaw and let parking be governed by a different part.  (The two different requirements conflicted with one another.)
10. Zoning (this one is definitely not housekeeping!) - Make extensive changes to the “Powdermill Overlay District (called “Section 9.7” in the Zoning Bylaw).  (This goes on for over 10 pages of details.  The Comments at the bottom of page 24 say why we’re doing this in three simple sentences.  Planning department officials will explain the reasoning for all this at the meeting).
11. Zoning - specify where large scale electrical battery installations can be located to keep from polluting our water supply in case of an accident.  The state requires us to provide at least one location for this kind of thing. Note:  There is some controversy about battery capacity limits in the wording, so expect some debate about this.
12.  Last one - Take the next step to ban "ANTICOAGULANT RODENTICIDES" (let's just call it rat poison for the moment) in town - In order to ban rat poison boxes town wide (not just on town owned property, as we already voted back in May), we have to ask the state for permission.  The town voters have to ask the Select Board to ask the State legislature (House and Senate) to vote and then turn around and give the town’s voters permission to vote on a Bylaw, down the road.  Got that?

I took the time to write all that stuff, above, because I know it's hard to go through the entire warrant booklet ahead of time, before going to the meeting.  Of course my quick descriptions are just that; brief somewhat irreverent synopses.  But the idea is to read the above before you get to the meeting, so you are ready to vote on the housekeeping ones and get to the more important ones, all before 11:00 PM.
Some of these issues are complicated, at first glance, of course.  But what's really at stake is finding a balance between reasonable government regulation and so-called "overreach."  We want our drinking water to be safe, our land used responsibly, and our rivers and wildlife to be protected, of course.  And yet, we want to allow technology and the needs of the public to move forward with as little trouble as possible.
Thankfully, none of the articles for this meeting involve budget or tax increases, as far as I can tell.  That should help keep the discourse low key and allow voting to proceed more easily. At the same time, that does not reduce the importance of voting on these issues now.
Supposedly, Town Meeting is a "pure" form of democracy because any adult resident who is registered to vote can participate, in theory.  Unfortunately, not everyone is able to attend an in-person evening meeting that can run close to midnight.  Conducting the meeting online, "virtually," is just not practical, nor is it legal, unfortunately.  We do our best, despite the impediments (see my opinion pieces, "no news," and "low voter turnout" on my Perspectives page.)
Given all that, I plan to attend, and I hope to see you there!

It's easy to forget the many hours of work put in by quite a number of people, many of whom are volunteers on boards and committees, who do not get paid anything for their time.  Even for those on staff, in paid positions, preparing for a town meeting is a lot of work.  The articles and motions must be drafted, the language worked out, the legal references checked, the considerations regarding the comments and recommended votes discussed and agreed upon, and lay it all out in individual pages, with charts and tables.  This is followed by the logistics of getting it proofread, printed, and distributed.  Still other folks work to keep the town's web site updated so that reference material and meeting records can be available to the public.
On the night of the meeting, personnel from the Clerk's office must be on hand, along with volunteers, to count and keep records of all the votes.  Students and staff from the schools often volunteer to provide audio and video support when needed.
Doing all this costs money, and must be done the way it is, as required by state law, no matter what a town's population or tax base might be.
So, here is a big "Thank You" to everyone who contributes to keep our local government working.  I appreciate it.

This has been tried in other nearby towns and has been shown to work effectively in most places.  Drivers no longer have to fuss with coins, credit cards, smartphone apps, and so forth. 

Back in July of 2023, I published a story about the dilemma facing drivers in town, called “Money for the Meter?”  The town has an official committee, known as the Parking Authority (See: https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/285/Parking-Authority ), but most of the documentation there dates back to 2018. The most recent minutes are from 2023, back around the time I published my story.  At that time, the position of parking officer was vacant, as the previous employee had left.  Without anyone to attend to the meters, they soon filled up with coins and stopped working.

So, what took so long?  Part of the reason has to do priorities facing town government officials.  Old obsolete parking meters had to take a back seat to other more pressing matters, such as road repaving, water system troubles, and trying to balance general town expenses against limited revenue.  Since some meters were labeled “2 hour limit," that had to do in the meantime.
Finally, at the Select Board meeting on Tuesday, August 5th, money was finally appropriated for the change over from meters to signs, as shown in the meeting's minutes (Item 7, section C, on page 4),
https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_08052025-1742
On August 15th, The Maynard Voice ran a story about future plans for the Naylor Court area.  At the very end of the story, they mention the pending removal of the parking meters,
https://maynardvoice.com/naylor-court-commons-action-plan-2/

It's amazing how contentious parking issues can be in cities and towns in New England.  Much of the problem stems from the fact that the roads were laid out many years before automobiles became common.  There were some horse drawn carriages and coaches, but the vast majority of people either walked or, starting around 1820, were able to ride on a "street railway," the horse drawn precursor to the trolley car.  Electrically powered trolley cars began to take over from horses in the 1880s, before automobiles became practical.  In that same era, the bicycle also became popular.  Thus, there was no need for vast amounts of parking space.
But as with anything else, the advent of automobile transportation came with both pros and cons. According to a chart online, published by the Federal Highway Administration, in 1900, there were only about 8,000 motor vehicles in the US, but by 1913, there were over 1 million!  By 1950, when I was born, there were over 40 million.  With a population of 150 million people, that amounted to just about 1 car per family.
By the mid 1990s, there were over 128 million motor vehicles.  As the population was over 250 million by then, that meant there was 1 vehicle for every 2 people, or about one car per adult, instead of per family.  With many of the same roads still in place in the older cities and towns, no wonder there is a parking problem!
Although Maynard is classified as a "MBTA Community" by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (state government), that's only because we're next door to the South Action commuter rail station. Otherwise, we have no public transportation in town, or connecting us with neighboring towns.  The only thing even close is the van service operated by the Council on Aging.
However, implementing a public transit system (perhaps a local bus that runs a regular route) would take a significant effort, based on the need for funding in today's tight public economy.
We have become so used to the advantages of owning and driving a car, that it may be difficult to stop for a moment to consider walking or using a bicycle. If the weather is cold or rainy, or we're buying groceries, using a car is likely to seem even more attractive.  But, in spite of these challenges, the more we find ways to leave the car at home and set out into the open air, the better we will alleviate parking congestion, and perhaps benefit from the exercise as well.

Maynard, MA - Residents and visitors to town enjoyed blue skies and warm temperatures for two days of festivals this past weekend.
On Saturday, October 4th, Maynard's annual October street fair, Maynard Fest, was well attended, with booths and tables ranging from community organizations, state and local agencies, political parties, medical professionals, and banks, to food vendors, play areas for children, crafts, and other vendors of a variety of kinds.  This year it was very well attended, with Nason and Main Streets, as well as Memorial Park crowded with people exploring the options and enjoying conversations.
Maynard Fest is organized every year by the Assabet Valley Chamber of Commerce, which is based in Hudson.  Their web site is  https://www.assabetvalleychamber.org  It takes place the first Saturday in October every year.  Members of the Maynard Police Department were on hand to direct traffic around the streets that were closed to vehicles and provide safe passage for pedestrians at the various crosswalks.

I know at least a few people who did not know that Porchfest was taking place this past weekend.  “How does anyone find out about these things?” they asked me.  Even the organizer of Porchfest remarked that it's hard to get the word out.  I've heard the same from others at different times.
The traditional weekly newspaper in Maynard, The Beacon Villager, ceased publication in May of 2022, so that's no longer an option.
Here at Town Wide Mall, I only publish stories occasionally, so I can’t possibly keep up with the many  events and activities that take place every week in town.  The Maynard Voice has just started publishing online every few weeks, so that is another possible source.
Otherwise, how do people planning an event - and people who want to find events - get connected? 
One of the best guides is the Discover Maynard Calendar of Events web page, https://discovermaynard.com/calendar/  The Discover Maynard site is hosted by the Maynard Cultural District and was originally created to help people from outside of Maynard, "discover" our town and all it has to offer.  But by now, with no printed newspaper in town, it has become a central place to connect Maynard residents with events going on.
For those organizing an event, go to that page and click on the words, "SUBMIT EVENT," just below the banner photo.  That gets you to a page with the guidelines and policies, which you should read before proceeding.  Then click on the large blue button, "Fill out the Submission Form" at the left and enter the specifics for the event, then click the "Submit" button at the bottom.

For those who just want to find out what's going on, ignore the "submit event" button and just start scrolling down the list for events taking place on the date shown above.

It may not seem likely, but flyers posted on these boards actually get a lot of attention.  It turns out that many people stop by to look at them because they pass by one of these boards while walking or jogging, etc. as part of their daily routine.

There are two venues that have so many events that you may want to check their web sites directly.  One is the Maynard Fine Arts Theatre, at https://www.maynardfineartstheatre.com which has details on films, show times, ticket prices, etc.  The other is Sanctuary, with their web site, https://www.sanctuarymaynard.com

In addition to those, Maynard Town Government has some events listed on its home page:  https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov  If you scroll down just a little, below the banner photo and icon strip, the center of the page has a column entitled "Latest News" which has a list of some events.  To the right of that is a calendar grid that has days marked off for meetings and other events.  There is a huge amount of information on this site as a whole, carefully curated by town officials and staff, so it can take awhile to learn where various things are among the many web pages, but there are many good resources.

Maynard Fest has been around for many years, but Maynard Porchfest is a more recent event.  It all sprang from an idea by Elizabeth Barren, who moved to Maynard back in 2017.  At first, she was not aware of Maynard Fest.  However, in October of 2019, she happened to end up on Nason Street around 5 PM, the first Saturday in October.  She observed Sarah, from the Assabet Valley Chamber of Commerce, doing the last bit of cleanup after Maynard Fest had just ended.
When they talked, Elizabeth learned about what Maynard Fest was, and, being a part time musician herself, she realized that Maynard could have a Porchfest, similar to those that take place in other cities and towns nearby.  In more densely populated cities, there are few driveways or lawns to stage performances, so front porches are typically the only outdoor space for performers to use.  Anyway, Sarah supplied her with a number of contacts and information to help her get going.
The following year, she began to plan Maynard's first Porchfest to take place in the spring, around the time of the Artwalk.  She had signs made up and had a schedule of bands and musicians finalized when the pandemic hit.  So it all had to be scrapped.
It wasn't until 2022 that she was able to try again.  Various other people chipped in, helping to print up maps, make lawn signs, review submissions by musicians and bands and determine the schedule.  The result?  The whole thing turned out to be a big success!
Everything is done by volunteers.  Musicians are allowed to put out a "tip jar" to collect a bit of cash, but that's it.  Otherwise everything is free and open to the public.
To learn more, yes, of course there is a website for Maynard Porchfest.  You can do a search for "Maynard Porchfest" to get there, or use the link here:  https://maynardporchfest.wixsite.com/website

I am continually amazed and heartened by how many people volunteer to help make Maynard the great place to live that it is.  In today's world, when there is so much focus on financial affairs, taxes, prices, inflation, and so forth, it's easy to forget how big a role simple generosity plays in everyday life.  There is an amazingly robust "economy" of volunteer labor that makes the world work.  The benefits are enormous, both for those who directly partake of the results of that generosity, as well as those volunteering, who get not only the satisfaction in knowing they're making a difference in the world, but who also often benefit from the social interaction and connections that most volunteer labor entails.
When I see headlines with stories about war or political bickering, it helps me to reflect on how basic decency and willingness to lend a helping hand are truly quite common.
As I wrote in my first essay on Substack, back in July, if there's a flood and rescuers in a boat approach  someone who is stranded to take them to safety, they never ask what political party they belong to or for whom they voted in the last election.  They just say, "We're here to rescue you, climb in."  This is a fundamental part of human nature that, as far as I know, will always be with us:  The willingness to help each other, whether in times of crisis, or just to create a community that is warm and welcoming. 

But for those of you who haven't done either of those things, but would still like to participate, here are some details.
First, the page for this event on the town's web site is:
www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=385
Next, if you don't know where Crowe Park is (and I didn't, at first), it's located on Great Road (Route 117) near Tiger Drive (the road that leads to the town's schools).  If your GPS or map doesn't show the location of the park, search for 138 Great Road in Maynard instead, the approximate location of the park.  (Note:  This is not Carbone Park, which is a smaller area off Florida Road.)
As for the weather, Select Board member Mike Stevens told me, "We will make the final call on Saturday at midday. At the moment, the rain looks like [it will be] tapering off at about 1:00 PM. If it looks worse, we will postpone to our rain date 2 weeks later."  As it says at the lower right corner of the flyer shown above, that would be September 21st.
Although I will be busy Saturday, if I get the word that it's postponed, I will provide an update here.
––––––––––––––
UPDATE:  Select Board member Mike Stevens issued a statement yesterday afternoon, "We have decided to delay the start time of the event from 2:00 until 3:00 to reduce the chance of being impacted by rain."  (This story updated here as of Sunday morning 9/7/2025 at 8:00 AM.  I will post further updates as more information becomes available.)

Living in Maynard, it’s easy to miss how many people volunteer their time, labor, or expertise to make this town what it is.  Of course, we pay taxes to pave and plow the streets, pick up the recycling and refuse, run the schools, provide a library a senior center, and so forth .  But so many other things that give the town its quality are done by folks who aren’t on any official payroll.  They are people who have seen a need or have joined a group, or even worked to get elected or appointed to an official board or committee, but do it all without being paid a dime.

So, now the Select Board has created an event to express thanks to all the people who contribute generously to make this town a great place to live, work, and enjoy ourselves in the off hours.

The Council on Aging helped to coordinate the event and provided transportation to those who needed it, in order to attend.  Others arrived in their own cars or car pooled. C.O.A. Director Amy Loveless was also present to help with the proceedings.  Emerson Health (formerly Emerson Hospital) granted funds to offset the costs of the food and venue.

The room was filled with the sound of lively conversation, indicating that those attending appreciated the chance to get together.

The idea for the event stemmed from the results of a survey of seniors in Maynard, conducted last year.  Those who responded listed isolation and lack of social connections as being of high importance.  Ms. Carter, who had launched the survey and interpreted the results, was instrumental in putting together the program for this morning.

Isolation and loneliness have been identified as serious issues in today's world dominated by online shopping and social media.  Seniors, especially, are vulnerable as many no longer have the connections they may have once had, either through work, through connections with parents of other school age children, or simply getting out into the community in general, due to mobility limitations.  Many grew up well before today's digital devices and networks went mainstream, in the early 2000s, so participating is often more challenging than it is for younger folks.
So, it was heartening to see an event like this brought to life by various town officials, staff, and volunteers to at least take a step to alleviating the problem!
While there myself, enjoying the free meal, (as I am also over 60!), and taking photos for this story, I decided to make a "Free Hugs" sign and offer free hugs to add to the spirit of the occasion.  I was only approached for a hug by five people, but I consider that a success.  I hope to offer free hugs at other events and I encourage others to do so as well.

Based on the latest town census, Maynard had a population of 10,585 residents as of this January. Of those, 3,282 are age 60 or older.  That's 31%, just short of a third.  A few hundred live in housing facilities devoted to this population, the rest live in apartments or private homes.  Many have outlived their spouses, siblings, or other family members, and in today's mobile society, even relatives or old friends may live far away.

If you’re feeling especially isolated, here in Maynard, what can you do?   Unless you have some kind of emergency, there is no 911 or 988 to call just for loneliness.  If you want something that’s not as much of an emergency service, but more long lasting and consistent, what are the options?

Some of us over 60 have plenty of social connections, but even then, it’s easy to feel isolated sometimes.  Many Maynard residents of all ages are aware of this situation and are interested in developing ways to help.  Enter Maynard’s emergency services, the fire and police departments, who are stepping out of their emergency roles for just this purpose.  Of course, this is just a one time event, but hopefully, it can lead to better connections that continue in the weeks and months to follow.

When it comes to strengthening a sense of community, I'm all for it.  In today's world of constant change, finding connections with each other can help us in so many ways.  I applaud our local emergency services folks for putting this together.
Clearly, when it comes to building community, the more the better.  It's easy to get together with those with whom we typically connect with, but for some people, it may seem more challenging to feel as if they belong.
The boom in social media and online that started in the mid 2000s has had a significant impact on all of us.  We now order items online, communicate using social media, and read news from websites.  This has been quite a shock to the existing ways we have socialized or shopped in the past.  I mention shopping, because, although the main purpose is to buy something needed, shopping in person has also had its social benefit. Shoppers often talk with with shop owners or those staffing the store as well as others   who happen to be there for the same purpose.
Overall, we do more things on screens and less in person, compared to 20 years or so ago.  Now, we are struggling to find a way to restore our in-person connections and build local networks of people gathering together.  This includes everyone who could benefit for more community connections, not just older folks.  At least this event is one of a number of things we can do to help.

Maynard, MA - After almost 2 1/2 years since I created Town Wide Mall and started posting news stories here, it's time to celebrate!  OK, it's 2.334 years, but who needs to wait for a nice even number, right?  (You can see the date of my very first news story listed on the News Index page, if you scroll down far enough.)
In my life, I've often started something, and once it really got going, I handed it over to others while I  moved on to start something else.  That's why I'm happy to see The Maynard Voice get off the ground.  It doesn't mean I'm quitting altogether, but as a single individual covering all the roles: reporter, photographer, editor, layout, publisher, and circulation manager (such as it is for an online news feed), I welcome the efforts of others to supplement what I do here.

So, if you're reading this, you're invited to my party, which I'm calling "Charity Begins In Town."  As I am a strong supporter of local community, and have volunteered extensively throughout my life, I thought it fitting if I invited a few local charities to join us, both to let everyone know what they do as well as invite volunteers and solicit donations to help them in their work.
But don't worry, this won't be all speeches and Q & A.  Mostly, I've arranged to have music, dancing, a buffet and beverages, along with some birthday cake.

Rather than give all the details here, I ask that you to go to the "Upcoming Events" page on Message Rain, one of my "sister sites," for the details, the time, the location, and the schedule.  It's especially important for anyone wishing to come to RSVP, using the form on that web site, so we can order enough food to be prepared for the buffet.

The group is headed up by a seven member board of directors, many of whom were previously involved in The Maynard Advantage, a newsletter sent out by e-mail, with editions published at various times over the past few years.
Unlike the Maynard Advantage, which was organized to promote Maynard as a good place to live, work, or visit, The Maynard Voice represents a change from an advocacy organization to a journalist one.  The mission statement, available under the “About Us” heading on their home page states, in part, that it is, “to provide accessible, accurate, and non-partisan information to residents, business owners, and stakeholders.”

The Maynard Voice joins other local news non-profit organizations in nearby towns, including The Concord Bridge https://concordbridge.org and The Acton Exchange https://www.actonexchange.org/  Unlike The Concord Bridge which publishes on paper, The Maynard Voice and The Acton Exchange are “web site only” publications, at least for now.

Although it may seem that The Maynard Voice competes with Town Wide Mall for readers, that is not the case.  I welcome the advent of more news coverage in Maynard, after having published news stories here since April of 2023.  (See a list of stories I've published starting back then, on the News Index page.)
Starting now, both Town Wide Mall and The Maynard Voice will work to complement each other.  I tend to publish stories less frequently than most newspapers do, but I tend to go more in depth, more in the tradition of "news features," rather than just short bulletins. In contrast to that, The Maynard Voice, as I understand it, is dedicated to publishing more stories, more frequently, on a more timely basis.  We have discussed the possibility that I may, at times, submit commentary to The Maynard Voice, to include with stories in their publication.  The details haven't been worked out just yet, but we hope to develop this idea further.

Frequent readers of my stories may have noticed that I have been publishing a little less often, compared to when I started out.  If you scroll down on the News Index page, you can easily see this trend.  There are a few reasons for this, including typical events facing home owners, such as replacing a heating system, and other family events - things that often take more time than expected in life.

But another reason has to do with an evolution of my focus.  The world is changing rapidly and profoundly, and I seem to be changing along with it.  I have been keenly interested in national and world events, for decades by now.  I even included some essays describing trends I was seeing, in my book "a man wearing a dress," which I published back in 2017.  However, when I started the Town Wide Mall web site, I vowed to keep my stories and commentary as locally focused and non-partisan as possible.
But I have had more and more thoughts over time that relate to the bigger picture, outside the borders of our town.  Over the last year, approximately, I have increasingly felt the urge to publish commentary related to this bigger picture.  After all, I see a great need to provide a perspective that goes beyond the daily headlines and news stories that flood our inboxes, web browsers, TV screens, and radio reports daily.
Back last Fall, I began working on a new series of essays, that were outside the scope of what I was doing here on Town Wide Mall.  For months, I kept writing, but was disappointed with what I ended up with.  I wanted to provide an alternative to the sometimes disturbing or upsetting news of the day, but some of what I wrote seemed to just make things worse.  After nearly 100 unfinished essays, I finally began to feel that I had finally found the right voice, so to speak.
So, a few weeks ago, I established an account on the Substack online service.  I have posted three pieces there already and am working on more.  My Substack Account is available here:
https://glennckoenig.substack.com/
The other day, while walking in downtown Maynard, I met someone who had been reading my news stories, here on this web site.  I remarked at the time, that I had a story almost finished, but I hadn't written the commentary section just yet.  She replied, "Oh, the commentary is the best part!"  Of course, remarks like that warm my heart, but for her and others like her, I'm glad to say that my essays on Substack are designed to be pure commentary.
Living in times of rapid and profound change can easily be challenging and even upsetting.  My goal is to help others see our current situation from new perspectives.  I firmly believe that, although there may be plenty of reasons to feel upset or even despair these days, we will eventually get through all this and reach a better place in the long run.  I plan to "hang in there," so to speak, and I hope you are able to do the same.

One more thing.  Over the past two and a half years a number of people have graciously clicked the Donate button, below, and contributed funds to help me cover my expenses in doing this work.  I am deeply indebted to them all for their generosity.  Others have commented on my stories, here on this web site (as well as in social media).
As I work diligently in creating these news stories, I am as much a flawed human being as anyone else, so I have focused so much on writing and publishing, that I have neglected to directly acknowledge those individuals for their contributions, and I have also often let comments go unacknowledgeds (and questions unanswered) for months at a time, as I am often overwhelmed with the volume of mail in my e-mail inbox!
Please know that I am sincerely thankful for the support and feedback you all have provided!

With the dew point (a measure of relative humidity) also quite high, the heat index (sensation of heat for most people) was well over 100° here. As summer is just getting underway, we have already seen temperatures almost as high since then, with more predicted next week.  
Town officials in Maynard have already sent texts, telephoned residents with a recorded message, and posted a bulletin on the Town’s official web site, to provide advice for surviving the heat:
https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=368
If you scroll down on that page, there is a link to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts web page, "Extreme Heat Safety Tips." 

Clearly, most people in town have found sufficient ways to stay cool, including air conditioning at home and in their vehicles.  Many establishments, such as food stores, restaurants, and the movie theater serve as unofficial cooling locations as well.

Council on Aging Director Amy Loveless had some good information for seniors, who live in town.  The Council's space in the building has a cooling system that's separate from the golf club facilities.  She pointed out that the housing authority locations, Concord Circle (off Concord Street as you head toward Acton), and the Powder Mill Circle (off Powder Mill Road, just east of the Assabet Co-op as you head toward Concord) both have cooling centers on site.

• I will have a table at the Maynard Farmer's Market this Saturday, 12 July 2025, for the first time since I started Town Wide Mall, back in April of 2023.  If you go to their web site, ...
https://maynardfarmersmarket.com
... and click on "Community Organizations" you will see Town Wide Mall listed for this date.
You may see that the "Maynard Advantage" is also listed and I'm happy to be at the market at the same time as their crew of volunteers.  They plan to start a new news service for Maynard to complement what I've been doing so far, and I welcome them in the effort to bring quality journalism to town.  Although they have been an advocacy organization to promote Maynard so far, they have been working diligently to create a more impartial news source to focus on more objective reporting.  Based on community input, the new name of their effort will be the "Maynard Voice."

• Save the date!  On Saturday, September 6th, I will be hosting a gathering to both celebrate my birthday and help support community non-profit organizations here in Maynard.  I'm calling the event, "Charity Begins in Town."  I'm asking guests to bring a pot-luck dish to share, but if your culinary skills are not your strong point, we will strive to have enough food for everyone.  The bar will be open and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided without cost.  The event is for people of all ages and will take place at the Elk's Club (34 Powder Mill Road).  We will have musicians to entertain us and dancing for those who wish to join in.  Some of the dancing in the earlier part of the evening will be "figure dances" with a caller, and children can participate.  It runs from 7 to 10 PM.

By the time I arrived, just  few minutes late, I was directed down the hall to the gym to take a seat in the bleachers.  Because I headed directly there, I missed passing by the table with the last minute hand-outs and reports, so I had to go back to get them once I realized that I wanted to refer to the Finance Committee's report.  From what I could tell, many in the gym also did not notice that there were hand-outs and therefore had only a copy of the warrant to refer to.

The first six articles were either routine issues that start off annual town meetings, or concerned the overall salary plan and budget for the entire town.  These were all discussed and voted on (and approved) in the first 40 minutes or so, with only a moderate amount of debate, even though nearly $54 million was involved.

Then the first big draw of public participation was taken up and discussed, that of arranging for a new Senior Center (Articles 8 and 9).  This took awhile, as it involved a tax override (meaning that the town would add $200,000 to the budget each year, thus increasing the tax rate to provide that).

Then it was time for Article 10.  This was for a separate tax increase of  $612,000 for the school department. Debate on this article took the better part of an hour, with more than one interruption for applause or other sounds from the crowd, despite the admonitions of the moderator.  On one side were proponents who stated that they originally wanted over twice that amount but were compromising to only ask for the $612,000.  On the other side were those questioning the cost per pupil for the Maynard Schools, which they cited as around $24,000 per pupil, per year, significantly above what many other towns are paying.  Debate seemed to center around the cost to pay "paraprofessionals" on staff in the schools.  School officials stepped up to explain that they are personnel who are not teachers, per se, but provide other services to students deemed to be important, including English as a second language instruction and practice. At one point a voter cited an executive order by President Trump that seemed to limit the national languange to "English only" and thus oppose this specific function within the schools, causing a stir among the crowd in the room.  Others spoke from more of a personal impact, related to rising taxes, as they seek to remain in Maynard on limited incomes.  The question seemed to be, "How long could this go on?" without pushing some residents out of town.  Even some current students were permitted to speak in favor of the article, although they were not yet old enough to be registered voters.

After settling down, Articles 11 through 14 were relatively routine.  Article 15, "Prohibit Use of Second-Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides on Town Property" was then taken up.  This is otherwise known as the "rat poison ban."  These toxic chemicals are usually enclosed in small black plastic boxes placed near the foundations of buildings in an attempt to poison rats.
The proponents had to amend the article to also include "First Generation" chemicals before a discussion and vote on the article itself.  The discussion centered around how, counterintuitively, the use of these poisons actually has caused rat populations to increase in a number of other cities, due to the fact that the poisons also kill the natural predators of the rats.  It was reported that the natural predators do a better job of controlling the rat population than the poisons do.  Other points to support the article were listed in the Comments section from the sponsor, in the Warrant, following the text of the new Chapter 47, to be added to the bylaws.  There seemed to be no significant opposition to the article and it passed by an overwhelming majority.

After a few more articles were voted to formally transfer income into Enterprise funds (for water and sewer, along with Golf Course receipts), along with a few more for by-law amendments.  Then it was time for what turned out to be the last article of the evening, Article 25. 

This was to add a new by-law, Chapter 48, to detail the requirements for residents and businesses to clear sidewalks in town for the safe passage of pedestrians.  Discussion on the article took nearly 45 minutes with many comments from voters in the hall.
Some of the points made were:
• Most people don't actually walk on most sidewalks; they just walk in the street, even in good weather (when there is no snow or ice)
• Many sidewalks are cracked or broken, difficult to walk on, and difficult or impossible to clear of ice and snow.
• Most sidewalks in residential areas were constructed in the 1930s, funded by the Works Projects Administration, a federal program during the Great Depression, 90 years ago.  Most of these have not been replaced since then.
• Residents who are seniors are often unable to clear the amount of snow and ice that accumulates.
• The plows that clear the streets often leave large piles of snow covering the sidewalks at street corners.
• People living on corner lots have a much greater length of sidewalk to clear.
• Many properties in Maynard do not have sidewalks at all, so pedestrians must walk in the street anyway.

The sponsor of the article spoke to emphasize that Maynard does not have any current by-law that even defines the responsibilities of residents and businesses.  Some discussion pointed out that, although the sidewalks themselves are constructed and maintained by town government, legally, the property through which they run is still private property, down to the edge of the street itself.
The sponsor of the article stated that it was his intention to make the article primarily "educational" so that residents would understand what was expected, which heretofore has not been detailed in a by-law.  He said that enforcement was proposed to be a non-criminal citation with a fine of only $25.00 so as not to be an onerous burden, but more of an encouragement.
He also stressed that storm drains and fire hydrants are actually on Town Property and therefore no one would be fined for failing to shovel them out.  They were mentioned in the by-law text only to encourage and remind residents to please clear them of snow or overhanging vegetation, if possible.

As the time neared 11 PM, the meeting seemed at first to be reaching an impasse.  There was concern that the entire article would be voted down and nothing would be accomplished.  Finally, someone mentioned that a "Motion to Commit" could be used to avoid having to either approve or disapprove the article.  This would officially put off action until next year and render the article for further study in the mean time.  This motion passed, after which the meeting quickly adjourned.

Articles 8 and 10 concern a property tax increase (aka an override), so a general election is needed for the voters to approve the change. This election is being held on Tuesday, May 27th, from 7 AM to 8 PM, at the Fowler School at 3 Tiger Drive.  There was no early voting for this election.  You can only vote by mail if you have previously obtained a ballot last week, so if you haven't done that, you must vote in person on Tuesday, the 27th.  A link to the town's web page on the election is here:
https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/170/Elections
A sample ballot is available for viewing on this page on the town's web site:'
https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3788/Sample-Ballot

On account of other personal life demands, I have not yet had time to report on the second evening of Town Meeting, which took place on May 20th.  My report here will probably have to wait until I return from a long needed vacation trip, in mid June.

I am still amazed that it has taken this long to finally do something to provide better facilities for Maynard's Senior Center and the Council on Aging.  We spend millions per year on schools (nearly half the town's entire budget), and have routinely voted substantial increases for both school buildings and annual school expenses, yet somehow we have failed to allocate even a few thousand dollars to get this done, until now.  I'm glad that we have finally been able to remedy this situation, and I urge you to go to the polls to vote for the override to authorize the modest tax increase needed (see notice, above).
One might say that school children have their whole lives ahead of them.  It seems to me that senior citizens also have their whole lives ahead of them as well.  I think it is wrong to just think of the number of years that might entail, as if quantity was all that mattered, rather than the quality of life that I believe we should be supporting for all citizens, regardless of age.
To me, learning is a life-long process, not just for young people.  I think it is an antiquated idea that all learning should take place before an individual reaches their early 20s, with the rest of one's life devoted to a single career.  That may be fine for those in academia, and certain specialized lines of work, but for everyone else, life is more typically a series of different jobs and activities that change every few years, as many studies have shown.

§ § §

During the debate on Article 25, regarding sidewalks, I had some thoughts. First, I could tell how much work the sponsor had put into drafting the proposed by-law and his supporting remarks, covering pages 33 through 38 in the Warrant.  At the same time, it seemed to me that the apparent lack of support for the article may have stemmed from the "blanket" nature of the provisions listed.  Even the Finance Committee, in its statement at the end of the article, said that it, "... understands there may be concerns about implementation of this article ..."   It seems that 45 minutes of debate was certainly testament to that!
I have to credit the sponsor for emphasizing (on page 37) that, "... this by-law promotes a sense of community and shared responsibility ..."  After all, as he states just prior to that, "Expanding DPW services would require significant funding for new equipment, more frequent replacements, additional staffing (often at overtime rates), and possibly more contractors." This is not to mention the cost of replacing worn, cracked, or uneven sidewalks.
As it is, with the town's current financial situation, no one has come up with a way to raise the many thousands of dollars to fund all that.
Over the next few years, it appears that the town's financial situation will become more and more constrained.  If this is so, then we will become increasingly reliant on volunteer efforts to do what we can to maintain a reasonable quality of life here in Maynard.

So, back to the proposed by-law itself, what is to be done instead?  Is it possible to rethink how legislation like this might be approached in an entirely different way?  Clearly, the sidewalk situation in Maynard is complex.
What if we tried to better define which sidewalks represent the greatest need for pedestrian use, rather than just refer to all sidewalks in general, town wide?  Although listing actual locations may seem to be a novel approach in a by-law, perhaps that is key to creating something that might work without burdening large numbers of people for whom clearing a sidewalk on their property is clearly impractical or unnecessary.  To simplify things, perhaps we could divide the town into a few specific "sidewalk zones" and specify appropriate regulations for each.
What follows is (admittedly a rather lengthy) story about a similar by-law situation I encountered years ago.  I recount it here mostly to show an example of how conventional government regulation failed and was replaced by something that was just as effective, but without unnecessarily burdening the population at large.  So, sit back and I'll tell you a story.

§ § §

I’m reminded of an article we took up in Town Meeting in Arlington, back in the 1990s.
This was a seemingly innocuous article about increasing a number of minor of fees.  One item on the list increased the fee for a second yard sale permit from $10 to $15.
I had forgotten that we even had a fee for this.  But at this point, I asked myself, why do we even have permits for yard sales in the first place?  I got up to ask about this, but my comment was ruled out of order by the moderator as “not being within the scope of the article;” as it was only about fees; other  provisions of the bylaw could not be debated.  OK, fair enough.
During a break, I talked with my friend Alan, another Town Meeting member.  He and I realized that to change this, we had to start to work now, to prepare for next year’s Town Meeting.  We agreed that he would go off to gather the signatures of 10 registered voters (necessary to submit an article to place in next year's Warrant), while I agreed to research the background.
It turned out that, five years or so earlier, there were a number of complaints by residents that some neighbors were running yard sales almost every week of the summer.  Their streets were clogged with the cars of shoppers, and it was clear that this was more of a business on the side, in a residential zone (where such a business was prohibited), rather than just selling off some extra household items.
So, the town did what any classic government might do.  They enacted a bylaw to regulate yard sales.  It stated that there could only be up to 2 yard sales at a given address per year.  To ensure compliance, the owner of the property would have to obtain a permit for each yard sale they wanted to have.  The first permit would be free, but if they wanted a second one, there would be a fee (originally $10).  Anyone caught by the police holding a yard sale without a permit would be subject to a fine of $200 ($490 in today's dollars) unless they immediately took down their sale and removed all the items.

There, that should do it!      However, … can you see where this is going?

As communication in local towns is frightfully inefficient, most people were unaware of the bylaw, failed to obtain a permit, and held their (perfectly legitimate) yard sales anyway.  Many of them had just moved into town, wanted to sell off extra furniture or household items they no longer needed, and had no idea that such a bylaw existed.  In those days towns did not have their bylaws on a web page, and searching through the long list of bylaws on paper was impractical.
If the police happened to notice a yard sale going on, and asked to see a permit, the homeowner was stuck.  “OK, where can I get one?” they might ask.  The answer was,  “Well, at the Select Board office in Town Hall, but it’s closed until Monday, so it’s too late now.”  So dozens of honest people had to cancel their yard sales on the spot. (I doubt anyone actually paid the $200 fine.)
Meanwhile, each Friday, at the Select Board office, a clerk had to gather all the permits for the coming weekend, enter the addresses into a spreadsheet, then forward that to the police department so that patrol officers would know who had a legitimate permit, in case there was a complaint.
When I visited the office, a woman there showed me an entire file drawer filled with folders of the permits, each folder for a year the bylaw had been in force.  The folder for the first year was relatively thin, but the size of the folders grew substantially from then on.  That increase occurred because the existence of the bylaw had slowly spread by word of mouth.
After that, I went to talk with the Chief of Police.  I asked him, "Could there be a way for the police to record a note in a ledger whenever they encountered a yard sale, and issue a fine if they found someone holding one for a third time?"  He assured me that they always file a report any time they are called to an address for any reason.  And, yes, such reports were listed by address in their computers, so it would be easy (even with the computers available at the time) to bring up records for that address to see if someone was having a third or subsequent sale in the same season.

Then I hazarded a guess.  I asked him, “How many people are there, who are trying to run a business in their front yards? Perhaps only a dozen or so?”  He responded, “Oh, less than that.”  Then I said, “And I bet you know who they are.” He replied, “Yes, we know who they are.”
At this point I realized something really important:  Literally hundreds of people had been inconvenienced every year by having to apply for permits, or even worse, forced to dismantle their yard sales or pay a hefty fine, … all in an effort to catch maybe 5 or 6 people who were abusing the privilege.  This was, of course, a tiny fraction of the approximately 18,000 households in town!
Talk about government overreach!  And this wasn’t the result of some harsh “law and order” administration.  Rather, it was the result of well meaning people who hadn’t thought through the implications of their “solution” to the “frequent illegitimate yard sale” problem.

So, Alan and I came up with a new solution.  We submitted our article for the Warrant, which said the minimum: “To see if the Town Will vote to amend, modify, delete, or otherwise revise the yard sale bylaw, or take any action related thereto.”  (We worded it that way to give as wide a latitude as possible, and to allow a fully open debate, before voting on the exact language at the meeting.)
Then we drafted our motion with the language we hoped to replace the existing bylaw.  The Town Manager added the part about having to end sales by 4 PM, and the whole thing passed.  You can now find it, still on the books in Arlington.  It's Bylaw Title V, Article 10
https://tinyurl.com/TWMLink10
We got rid of all the permits, spreadsheets, fees, and harassment of innocent yard sale families, all in a few simple paragraphs.  When I next visited the Select Board office, the women who worked there thanked me profusely for having saved them all that work, especially having to deal with disgruntled members of the public who showed up to apply for permits and complained about the excess bureaucracy.
The following year, there were some across the board staff reductions, so the town also saved money.  Mostly, this was accomplished by not replacing a few personnel who had retired.

§ § §

I tell this story because it’s an example of how easy it is to do the classic government thing.  That is, make a broad based law to “catch all those bad guys out there who are doing bad things.”  It takes more time and effort to dig down into the details and figure out a better way to more “surgically” target just the problem you want to solve, while alleviating common folk from the numerous side effects and trouble a broad based law can create.
Historically, perhaps the biggest error in legislation wasn’t a law at all, but a constitutional amendment, the 18th, which prohibited the production, distribution, and sale of “intoxicating liquors” in 1920.  It worked out so badly that it was later rescinded by the 21st amendment, after 13 years of turmoil.  It inconvenienced millions of innocent people who just wanted to stop by their local pub for a pint and gave rise to an entire organized crime movement that terrorized the public in the process.
The lesson from that is that laws can seldom dictate culture; instead the best laws follow culture, as much as possible.  That is, if the majority of people want something, they will find a way to have it, regardless of what the law (or the amendment) says they should do.