Article 3 was the biggest ticket of the night, a plan to borrow 3.4 million dollars to fund replacement of the bleachers at Alumni Field with a new facility.  The proposal included seating for 750 people, with a press box mounted above (for WAVM students to record video of the games), along with a separate building to house a concession stand, and ADA compliant bathrooms with enough capacity for a full crowd.  Based on current building codes, bleachers cannot be constructed without enough bathroom facilities included.
If the measure were approved, the town would borrow the amount by issuing bonds to be paid off over the next 15 years at a 3.5% interest rate.  The total cost, with interest included would be just over $4.5 million.  Property taxes would increase approximately $70 per year for the average single family household, assessed at just over $500.000.

Proponents also explained that the cost has increased since the original concept was developed as building code requirements have been added in the mean time and construction costs have gone up as well.  A document detailing the plans was projected on the screen for voters to view.  A copy of the plan, along with other information, is available on the school department's web site page devoted to it:
https://www.maynard.k12.ma.us/page/alumni-field-bleacher-project
Discussion on the article went back and forth between pro and con arguments along with a variety of questions in between. 

Apparently, the field is not in good condition, but town officials could not give an estimate of the cost of field renovations because the process of determining that is still in very preliminary stages.   At least one voter recommended that the town come back with a more comprehensive plan to include the field and bleachers together as a single project.
Others questioned the town’s priorities in general, with more than one voter asking why we would be spending more on school related projects when a new senior center has still not been addressed.  Last year, the town voted to borrow over 50 million dollars to build a new elementary school to replace the existing one.   That vote passed overwhelmingly (see previous story "Historic Vote Brings Historic Attendance at Meeting").

When asked how many days per year the field is used, or how many high school students are currently enrolled, proponents did not offer any exact answers.

But at that point a loud murmur arose in the room, so the Moderator asked for a show of hands for how many voters wished to extend the time for debate, for this one person.  Seeing a significant number in favor, he invited the person to have his say.

Finally, a vote was taken.  The count was 97 "Yes," and 136 "No," so the article did not pass. It would have needed a 2/3 majority to pass, so this was a decisive loss.  (These are the vote totals I wrote down while attending the meeting.  However, for official results, check the Town Clerk's web page:  https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/535/Special-Town-Meeting-October-7-2024 )

An "Enterprise Fund" is a way to separate both income and expenses within the town for a particular purpose, rather than intermingle the money with the "general fund" that is used to pay the rest of town expenses overall.  For example, the water and sewer systems use an enterprise fund which puts all money collected from water and sewer bills paid by residents into a separate fund for just that purpose.

During the meeting, more than one voter wanted to know that if this went into effect, would the cost of trash stickers would go up and yet property taxes would not be reduced at the same time (and the property tax money now collected would instead just go to other purposes)?  However, town officials explained that the exact cost of stickers was far from being worked out and the tax burden was therefore still not determined.  They told the meeting that was just a first step to help manage the entire portion of costs to the town for these services.  The article was only intended to lay the groundwork for further discussions, proposals, votes, etc. in the future.
The article passed by a simple majority, by a show of hands, as a neither a secret ballot nor more than a simple majority was required.

By the end of the meeting, all articles passed by the required percentage, except for Article 3.  For anyone with questions regarding the terminology used at Town Meetings, such as "What's a Warrant?" please see my "Introduction to New England Town Government" (a PDF available for download via a link) on this web site's Opinion Page.

No, you don't have to squint at my illustration here, or go searching for your copy of the Warrant to see what caught my eye.  I'll give it to you right here (although you can see the full text of the Warrant on the town's web site here:
https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3331/Special-Town-Meeting-Warrant-October-7-2024
Here is what they wrote, "The Finance Committee is concerned about the total debt service that Maynard is carrying and the burden to the Town’s taxpayers. The Finance Committee would like to recognize that there are many important potential projects yet to be funded in the upcoming years. This includes projects such as the Winter Street DPW Garage, Stormwater, Golf Course and Senior Center improvements. The Town Boards and Committees are holding regular meetings on these priorities and Townspeople are encouraged to attend and make their voices heard."
I have put the text I underlined in color here, to add emphasis not originally present in their statement.

My point is this:  The town of Maynard faces at least two significant challenges.
   1.  The projects mentioned, and at least a few others not mentioned, are large, expensive, and require a complex process to scope out, design, and budget.  The more complex this process is, the more meetings and documents are involved, and the more difficult it is for the "Townspeople" to keep up with what's going on and develop an informed opinion.  Who has time to sit through all those meetings and read documents that can run 50, 100, or even many hundreds of pages?  (The Green Meadow Elementary School project had one document that ran 1600 pages, if I recall correctly).
I, as your loyal "self-appointed volunteer reporter," even have a hard time keeping up; I end up missing many meetings and don't have time to read more than a few documents that are presented. This begs the question: What has our democracy come to, if the public cannot properly avail themselves of the issues involved?
   2.  The world outside has a dramatic influence on our options, as a town.  The state and federal government are constantly changing laws, regulations, and policies that impact what we can do, specifically when it comes to building projects.  We either get an increasingly expensive building, or no building at all.  Trying to find a middle ground to save money has become increasingly difficult.  And that's just for government.  The "private sector," and the economy in general, also have significant impacts.  Construction labor and material are all market based, and markets can fluctuate, sometimes wildly.
For example, I often hear people lament that we have a number of empty storefronts in town, "Why doesn't someone do something to revitalize our downtown business districts?"  Why, indeed?  Others speculate, "It's due to greedy landlords!"  But the problem was largely caused ... by us!  Yes, it is we who shifted our buying habits from local merchants to big box stores (starting in the 1970s) and then to shopping online for direct delivery to our doors (the 00s through to now).
When we stopped shopping at local stores we dried up the revenue they needed to stay in business.  They, in turn were no longer there to pay for ads in our local newspapers, which then dried up their income from ad revenue.  We stopped buying classified ads in our local newspapers to post items for sale or give-away, and shifted to posting those online instead, ether on CraigsList or now on social media.  That left local newspapers adrift and eventually bankrupt.
There is no evil person or conspiracy here.  These are the changes we've made without fully understanding our impact on the towns in which we live.  We have prioritized low prices and access to an array of products so vast that no one "brick and mortar" retailer can ever hope to keep in stock. It is natural to want these things, but there are significant impacts on the quality of life in our towns.  We have yet to develop an entirely new arrangement to support local community communication and commerce.
And, of course, Maynard is not alone in this.

We must be very careful in deciding which projects to pursue and how to pursue them.  If we vote in favor of too many costly infrastructure projects, we risk increasing the local property tax to such a level that it changes the very character of the town.  That is, people with modest means, such as the elderly, the artists, the self employed, the staff workers at our restaurants and schools, etc. will all increasingly leave town for other places to live where the costs are more within their means.  The ultimate end of that would mean that a "monoculture" replaces the diverse and vital town we now have.
There are towns not to far distant from us that are now dominated by families with high paying jobs, who want to have "good schools" for their children, smoothly paved streets, nice new buildings, and the like.  Everyone else has already left those towns because they can no longer afford the taxes or the price of real estate.  Increasing real estate prices benefit those who own a home and wish to sell it, but deter those who wish to buy.  We can't have it both ways.
I live here because I looked at a number of towns nearby and chose Maynard on purpose.  I didn't ask my real estate agent to just find me a house. I wanted to "buy into" a specific town because I wanted to live where there was a diversity of residents who were active in town affairs.
No, nothing can stay the same over time.  Changes must come.  It just pays to think through the impact of how we live and the assumptions we make, when it comes to what we value in the way of community. As for me, my slogan is "shop locally."  I can't always do that, but I keep it in mind and try to act accordingly, whenever possible.

I am hosting a presentation and exercises entitled “Freeing Ourselves from Blame and Shame” here in Maynard next week.  Here are the specifics:

• Thursday, October 17, 6:45 to 8:45 PM
• at the Maynard Public Library, Trustees Room
• FREE, but please RSVP as the room has a maximum of 20 people.
The link to RSVP is: https://tinyurl.com/MRLink02 (through EventBrite)
The link to the event announcement is: https://www.messagerain.com/upcoming-events.html
The link to the a detailed description is: https://www.messagerain.com/workshops.html

During Maynard Fest, I handed out cards to promote the event with some text on the back.  It reads:

“When we blame, we have the illusion that all bad things could have been prevented, “if only ...” someone had acted differently.  But we all make mistakes, emotions can overwhelm us, and we have limited time and resources.  Life is unpredictable!  No one has perfect foresight.  There are always risks.
I invite you to join me as we learn to replace blame with love and forgiveness, within ourselves, whenever we can.

I have hosted a similar event at a few different conventions, back before the pandemic, but this is the first time I’m doing so for the general public.  Please RSVP and I hope to see you there!

Note: This is not an official Library event.  The Library is only permitting me to use the room.

Yes, I'm just getting the word out about this, now that I have the room reserved and Maynard Fest is over.  I know it's somewhat short notice (10 days after I'm posting this), so I hope you can attend!

Maynard, MA - This Saturday, Oct. 5th, 2024, at Maynard Fest, residents of Maynard can see how far Artspace has come since leaving their previous building, back in the Summer of 2023.

According to Executive Director Suchitra Mumford, "In the summer of 2023, ArtSpace moved to 74 Main St. in downtown Maynard. As an arts organization we almost didn't survive. It took the dedication of our community and Board Members to make sure we continued and we have!"

"We continue to offer art studios for rent as well as opportunities to engage and promote the arts." according to Director Mumford.  In addition, the organization is now running classes and workshops for anyone age 16 or over.  "Through the help of grants, donations and program income, we are on our way to becoming a sustainable arts center in Maynard," she explained.

Carolyn Wirth, ArtSpace's Administrative Arts Manager on staff, authored an article in Artscope Magazine about the revitalization of ArtSpace in Maynard, in the September/October issue. Although the bulk of the article is behind a paywall, the first few paragraphs can be seen at the magazine's web site here:
https://artscopemagazine.com/2024/09/determination-rewarded-artspace-returns-to-downtown-maynard/
(See the Background section, below for more.)

ArtSpace has it's own web site with more complete information about the organization:
https://artspacema.org
The show "Source" that opens this Saturday is also highlighted on the Discover Maynard web site:
https://discovermaynard.com/event/source-the-artspace-fall-exhibit/2024-10-03/

Maynard Fest runs this Saturday, 3 October 2024, from 9:00 AM until 3:30 PM in downtown Maynard, along Summer, Nason, and Main streets.  All three streets will be closed to traffic during extended hours, in order to allow organizations to set up their tables and booths, as well to take them down at the close of the festival.
The festival is sponsored by the Assabet Valley Chamber of Commerce.  More information about the festival is also posted on the Discover Maynard web site:
https://discovermaynard.com/event/14145/

For many years, the word "ArtSpace" was synonymous with the building at 61-63 Summer Street, where it was housed.  The organization was permitted to use the building, the former Fowler School, by the town, essentially for no cost, as long as the organization took care of maintenance and utilities.
The building, built in 1911 clearly had some significant problems but the artists, along with the Acme Theater, managed to work within the building's limitations.
Then, some time in 2022, an attempt to do renovation work on the building exposed numerous fire code violations and the building was eventually declared uninhabitable.  In mid 2023, the artists and staff had  to vacate the building.

(See https://www.bradfordmill.com/artscape-studios for details.)

With all these setbacks, the board had to work diligently to find new space.  There was nothing as big as the Summer Street building, so they had to start small and go from there.

Maynard, MA - Maynard’s planning department recently added a page to the town’s web site asking for comments about a proposed housing development, to be built on a large parcel of available land within the town.  The page, entitled, “Maynard Kanso 40B (2024),” can be found at this link:
https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/536/3854/Maynard-Kanso-40B-2024
The page contains a brief description of the project, followed by a form in which residents may enter comments.  Below that is a list of 25 various documents that describe the project.  The deadline for comments is this Friday, October 4th.

Maynard town officials first learned of the proposed project on August 27th, only about a month ago, so there hasn’t been much time to prepare. Likewise, there has been little time for residents to become familiar with the project and the issues raised by the proposal.  However, the current comment period is just the first in a series of steps that must take place before the project can go forward.

The town is seeking comments from residents who expect to be directly impacted by this development.  I recently talked with Bill Nemser, Planning Director for Maynard.  He emphasized that general comments critical of affordable housing, taxes, or population density in Maynard are not what is needed at this stage.  That's because the comments collected are likely to go directly to the Massachusetts Housing Partnership (known as MHP), a quasi public organization that acts as a clearing house for projects of this type, state wide.  The MHP is already familiar with the overall situation with housing and land availability in Maynard, but wants to hear from residents who actually live near the property, who frequently drive on the roads near it, or otherwise would be directly impacted by the development.

In a recent letter, Planning Director Bill Nemser asks that commenters, "... please give an extra thought to ensure that initiatives the community has adopted are not unintentionally cast in a negative light that may hurt the town (i.e. creation of affordable housing, economic development efforts etc.)."
(for further information, see The Town's Role section, below.)

This news story is divided into individual sections, below:
• The Land - its location and characteristics
• The Proposed Development - what the development company wants to build
• The State's Role - How Massachusetts State Government is involved
• The Town's Role - What the town is doing to manage the situation
• Background and History - The story behind the law and affordability
• Commentary

The land, known to long time residents of Maynard as the "Cutting property," was recently put on the market by the family that owned it, members of whom previously resided in the single family house that is still standing there. As that house is set way back from the road, the parcel appears just to be open land.  This is in contrast to other recent projects in town, such as "Maynard Square," the new building now replacing the old Gruber furniture store, at 115 Main Street, right next to the CVS Pharmacy. From the time that building was torn down in May of 2022 (video here) (Beacon Villager story here), the public has had a close hand view of the progress there.

The land has been on the market for some time, but as the price was over $3 million, the town declined to purchase it, as no financial resources were available for an amount that large.

The project being proposed by developer, AvalonBay Communities, is currently known as "Kanso Maynard" in the documents they have submitted thus far. Despite the title of this news story, the project would consist of not one, but a cluster of buildings.

The developers are interested in having their project approved under a provision in state law, known as "Chapter 40B," enacted decades ago in an attempt to streamline the creation of more housing units throughout the Commonwealth (see details in the Background section, below).
The purpose of the law is to alleviate the housing shortage that has persisted for over 50 years by now.  State law also defines what is meant by "affordable housing."  Towns with an insufficient percentage of affordable units, based on the law, must allow developers to build new housing with only minor oversight by town officials, if they qualify.  Towns with sufficient affordable units are exempt from the requirements under Chapter 40B, and are thus able to require developers to meet their local requirements as usual, instead.

According to town officials, the town is nearing the 10% level of affordable units necessary to keep such projects under the town's control.  Even if the town can't reach that level now, if we can at least prove significant progress toward that goal, then we may qualify for a one year exemption from the Chapter 40B requirements.  This is known as establishing a "safe harbor."  For that to happen, enough new affordable units need to be deeded and on the market as soon as possible. Some units currently under construction may be completed in time to qualify, but this remains uncertain.

So, why would the town be so concerned?  We could use more affordable housing units, right?  A new development would bring new tax revenue, at least initially.
In fact, Maynard has worked diligently over the years to develop a Master Plan, which already provides for more affordable housing.  There is an entire section of the town's web site devoted to the plan:
https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/229/Master-Plan
The overall idea is to manage development projects with the future in mind, rather than just build whatever comes along.  According to Planning Director Nemser, we have plenty of other areas that are suitable, as laid out in the plan.  The zoning map on the town's web site has the specific details:
https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/232/Town-of-Maynard-Zoning-Map-PDF
The goal of the town is not to block developments such as this one, but to ensure that they are compatible with the overall layout of the town and it's supporting infrastructure.

The land where this project is proposed to be built is currently zoned for single family housing, whereas there are other areas that are zoned for multi-unit housing.  These zones take into account a number of factors, such as ground water levels, as well as the capacity of existing storm drains that feed into local streams and rivers, the water and sewer lines available, and traffic congestion on local roads.  A development project sited in an inappropriate zone risks straining this infrastructure unnecessarily.

Chapter 40B:
For most new buildings in Maynard, a builder would typically apply for a building permit, then get the required approvals from various town boards and departments before going ahead.  However, for larger projects, developers have the option to bypass many of the town's requirements under a state law, known as "Chapter 40B."
The state enacted this law way back in 1969.  It is so well known and controversial, that it has its own Wikipedia article :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_Comprehensive_Permit_Act%3A_Chapter_40B
In essence, the state was trying to solve a huge problem:  Not enough housing units, causing prices to increase faster than the wages and salaries that were being earned by the state's residents.
So, what was preventing more housing units from being built?  The cause seemed to be that many towns had zoning laws that effectively blocked multi-unit housing in favor of single family housing.  There are 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts, each one with it's own unique requirements.
The attitude among many people in the towns was, "Build multifamily housing somewhere else, we want to keep the 'small New England town" feel in our town.'  But this meant that many of the people that towns needed to thrive could no longer afford to live there.  People with middle-class incomes, such as teachers, shop clerks, restaurant workers, tradespeople, artists, the self-employed, the retired, and so forth, were all being priced out of the housing market.
The state decided to enact this law to give qualified builders a "fast track" to build multifamily housing, if they included "affordable" units in their projects.  That was the origin of Chapter 40B.

Affordable Units:
Potential home buyers who cannot afford to buy housing at market rates may apply to purchase a unit designated as "affordable." This means that they can purchase at a reduced price, in exchange for certain restrictions.  Applicants must have income and financial resources that fall below established thresholds in order to qualify, but still robust enough to qualify for a home loan and cover the typical expenses of home ownership.  Most such buyers are "middle class" who have local jobs but whose salaries are insufficient to afford market rate housing in the area.
Once they buy a property, they must sign a deed that restricts them from selling it later at market rate, which would otherwise gain them a substantial profit.

From what I can determine from the conversations I've had with public officials, the intent of town government is to continue the support for creation of a reasonable number of affordable housing units within the town.  The main question is how and where to build them, so that they work well in the town overall.
Certainly there will be some impacts from a slight increase in population.  We must be careful to avoid overtaxing our fresh water system, for example.  On the other hand, we have enough capacity in our school system for more students.  Our cost per pupil could actually decrease slightly.  We also have enough additional capacity at our wastewater treatment plant.

As I see it, there are many advantages to have a reasonable supply of affordable housing. The people who are waiting for a chance to live here are likely to contribute to the overall vitality of Maynard as a whole.

by Glenn C. Koenig, Webmaster at Town Wide Mall

Maynard, MA - For a few hours, this Saturday afternoon,(21 September) the downtown area will likely be serving as a movie set.  At various times, Nason Street and Main Street will be closed to traffic to allow the crew to record images for a television show.  A flyer distributed to businesses downtown gives the details (see photo below).
A traffic detail from the Maynard Police Department will be on hand to direct traffic and detour signs will be up.  Although driving and parking along Nason and Main Streets will not be allowed, local businesses will be open and pedestrians are welcome to shop.  The main parking lots will be open.
Note that the flyer gives their "current plan" but in the production business, last minute changes can occur.
(I have not contacted the representative listed on the flyer for this story, in the interests of getting it posted quickly.)

Because of the situation, the bridge was temporarily closed in both directions.  Personnel on site this evening told me that the hole, although significant in size, did not appear to extend all the way through the bridge deck.  If the inspection underway shows that the bridge will be safe once the hole is filled in, later during the night, the work should be completed by morning.  However, if more serious damage is found, the bridge may have to be closed for a longer time.

Alternatively, drivers could to turn left, head up Walnut Street, then turn right on Thompson Street, and work their way back around to Main Street on the other side of the Mill Pond.

The photo below was taken from the Assabet River Rail Trail pedestrian bridge just a few yards up river from the Memorial Bridge. You can see the river as it passes directly under the bridge, at the center of the image. (Story continues, below)

The photo below, shows the work getting underway.  I took it from the opposite direction, with the Post Office behind me and Mill & Main to the right.

According to Maynard Public Works Director, Justin DeMarco, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (Mass DOT) has sole responsibility for the maintenance, repair, or replacement of this bridge.   Therefore, our local Public Works department was not involved in the repair and local taxes are not impacted.  DeMarco stated that Mass DOT has implied that the bridge will be replaced some time in the near future, but at this point, "... we have no confirmation of when, and what the impacts or implications will be for the Town of Maynard."

Construction to replace the Florida Road bridge began in early 2022 and was completed by the end of 2023, just under two years.  However, there is much more to the story because of how long it took before that to "get in line" on the state's roster of bridge replacements, work up the design, apply for the necessary permits, and finally secure the funding to go ahead.
The world is a very different place from what it was in 1922, when the Memorial Bridge was constructed. In general, towns can no longer afford to fund the replacement of bridges such as this one, so the state has assumed responsibility for all aspects of the cost, scheduling, design, and construction.

The challenges facing the replacement of the Memorial Bridge are greater than they were for the Florida Road bridge because of the amount of traffic it handles and it's critical location for Maynard's traffic flow.  Florida Road was more of a "shortcut" for drivers, heading up to Summer Street.  The detour was inconvenient, but we managed.
However, Main Street carries Route 62 traffic between Concord and Acton, to the East, and on to Stow, and Route 495, to the west.
But that's not all.  As the state has grown in population over the last century or so, more and more bridges were built that now need replacing.  This story explains some of the challenges we face in getting this work done:
https://mass.streetsblog.org/2022/08/31/its-not-just-the-t-analysis-finds-unusually-large-backlog-in-commonwealths-bridge-repair-needs
In the mean time, we're stuck paying for necessary repairs (from state funds) until a replacement can be scheduled.

The work will continue for about a month or so, although the streets involved will be passable after each workday, for the most part.
Fortunately, both Mayfield Street and Randall Road have relatively light traffic volumes.  Along with Brooks Street, they lead into an area of Maynard known as "the maze," with a varitey of intersections, unusual curves, and dead ends.  The area is purely residential and does not provide a way through to any other major route in town.

The work is being conducted based on a cooperation between Maynard's Public works department and Eversource Gas, as underground utility upgrades must be completed before the street above can be repaved.  Without this coordination, there would be the risk that newly paved streets would have to be dug up too soon, resulting in an uneven surface, cracks, pot holes, and accelerated deterioration.

(this is a developing story; stay tuned for further details in this report.)

Maynard, MA - On August 7th, Maynard residents who signed up for notifications from Town Hall received a message regarding a survey on health needs in the town. The Public Health department initiated the alert to ask residents to fill out the survey as soon as possible.

When I talked with Maynard's Public Health Nurse, Moira Carter, she explained that a link to the Public health page of the town's web site was supposed to be included in the notification broadcast, but was accidentally omitted by the time the message went out.

identifying future priorities, existing strengths and assets upon which to build, and areas for further collaborative efforts."  Public Health Director, Ivan Kwagala adds that the survey will also help us understand the problems people are facing in town and the strengths to prioritize needs and advocate for resources.

Ms. Carter explained that she divides her time between Maynard and Concord, as both towns employ her part time.  Thus, the survey is designed to gather information for both towns, but is posted and will be tallied separately for each town.
Using the same set of questions for both towns saves time and taxpayer funds.  The project involves developing the survey questions, creating the web based form (and the printed paper version), and analyzing, the entries to summarize the results.

I filled out the survey, which took me about 15 minutes, although most people are likely to go a bit faster than I did.  When I got to the end, a web page of "Community Resources" appeared.  It had a list of  organizations that are ready to help with various health and mental health concerns.  I recommend taking a screen shot of that page to save for later.  If you save a "web archive" of the page, it may save a copy of the whole survey, so a screen shot is a better alternative.  Otherwise, if you accidentally close your browser window before recording the information, you can contact someone at the Public Health Division to obtain a copy.  There are more links to resources on the Public Health Nurse page, as well, if you scroll all the way down to the last section on that page.
If you fill out the paper version of the survey, the last page has this same list of community resources, so be sure to tear it off and keep it, before dropping your completed survey in the collection box.

Both employees in the Public Health Department in Maynard are relatively new.  The director, Ivan Kwagala has been in the position less than two years, and Moira Carter, the public health nurse, started only last fall, in 2023.
As no true health assessment had been done for quite some time, they wanted to get a better assessment of community needs, along with residents' health priorities.
The project has not received any grant funding, however, they are getting help from an intern, referred to the town by the Massachusetts Department of Health, Local Health Internship Program.
Both towns are part of shared public health groups, each of which covers a group of towns and supports their public health departments in various ways.  Maynard is part of Metro West Shared Public Health Services, and Concord is part of the Great Meadows Public Health Collaborative.  Both groups cover specific geographic areas, which is why the two towns happen to be covered by two separate groups.

When people think of "democracy," we often think first of elections and the candidates who are running for public office.  But there is a lot more too it than just that. This is just one example of how we all can have an impact on what government does for us, without waiting for election day to come around.
True, it takes a little time and effort to make our priorities known, but in order for government departments such as this to serve us, it makes sense for us to have a voice in what they do.

It's common for people with health issues to hesitate to speak up or ask for help.  It's easy to feel alone or isolated with problems that are hard to talk about.  Since this survey is anonymous, this is a good opportunity to open up about your concerns.  The more the town understands what's going on for residents, the better it can act to help out where help is needed and offer resources that may be useful.

I urge you to find a few minutes to fill out the survey.  If you have questions about the survey or other issues relevant to public health, the Public Health Division web page has a "Contact Us" list in the right hand margin, with names, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers.
If you know of anyone who does not have good access to the internet, or may not see notifications of this news story on Facebook or other social media, please help by letting them know how they can participate, either by using computers at the library or by visiting the department to complete the survey on paper.

This project is being done to help prevent accidents and injuries at the intersection, which have become more frequent in the last few decades as the volume and speed of traffic has increased significantly.
Recently, I contacted Lieutenant Brian Cushing of the Maynard Police Department for some background information regarding this story.  He and his staff compiled accident data covering the past three years (since January 1st, of 2021) at this location.  They found records of ten accidents, with four of them considered to be serious collisions, where drivers or pedestrians were injured.
One long time resident of Maynard contacted me last year, urging me to report on the hazards at this location.  Her car was struck by another vehicle some years ago.  The other vehicle had turned left from Haynes Street unexpectedly, just as she was entering from Concord Street.  Fortunately, she was not injured, but both vehicles were heavily damaged and her car was totaled.  Other residents I interviewed told me that they simply avoid this intersection altogether and use other routes instead.

The town's web site has a Project Page: 
https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/510/Project-Page
... which has links to a variety of documents describing the full design, in detail, along with others that describe the steps taken by the town to get the project funded.

(To better organize the rest of this story, I'll use a question and answer format from here, down.)

Question:  Why are we having two traffic disruptions like this within only a few months?
Answer:   Eversource gas had been planning to replace old gas mains in this area for some time, as some of the original pipes were so old that they were more prone to leaks.  The town did not want to install a new intersection with new pavement, updated sidewalks, etc., only to have Eversource come along and dig it all up a short time later, so the town arranged with Eversource to do their work ahead of time.

Question:  Will there be dedicated left turn lanes?
Answer:  No. The timing of the signals may be arranged to provide "delayed green" opportunities for turning traffic, but that has yet to be finalized.  As for lanes themselves, there is simply no room to expand the width of the roadway to create additional lanes. The rail trail and park are at one side and private homes line the other side.  Not only that, if we were to substantially change the layout of the roads, the cost of the project would be much higher.  A previous plan, years ago, proposed changing the location and width of the roadway, but that was never implemented (see "Why did it take so long" below).

Question:  What other impacts will occur during construction?
Answer:  A clerk at the Cumberland Farms convenience store told me that they lost $7,000 during the Eversource project last spring, due to all the detours.  However, my calls to Cumberland Farms headquarters were not returned, so I was unable to confirm this figure with them.

Question:  What is all this going to cost the town?
Answer:  The project, when completed will be somewhere around one million dollars.  However, approximately half that amount is coming from grants from state government, some of which is federal money that was earmarked for funding projects of this type (see Why did it take so long for details).

Today's traffic volume has increased dramatically.  People are more likely to drive faster these days and we don't have enough police to effectively prevent most of them from doing so.  When traffic is heavier, pedestrians have to wait longer to cross safely, and sometimes people get impatient and start taking more risks.  So now we have pedestrian signals, push buttons, and sound signals for the sight impaired.  In general, we now have more federal and state requirements for pedestrians with various kinds of disabilities to be able to cross safely.
Although this may seem like needless government regulation to some people, it's good to remember that any one of us could become a "person with a disability" at any time, either through an accident or illness.
To get some idea of the complexity of the project, here is just one page from the plans that the contractor must implement.

Question:  Why did it take so long to finally get this done?
Answer:  There are essentially two reasons:  Funding, and disagreement on what to do.  Recently, I talked with David Mark, a long time resident in Maynard.  He told me that around 20 years ago, there was some federal grant money available, so the town developed a plan to change the course of Brown and Haynes Streets by moving them both to the west, to improve the “sight lines,” for drivers coming up Route 27 from Maynard Center, as described, above.  The intersection would end up very close to (or in place of) the “Cat Cottage” building, which is still there now.
At that time, the Assabet River Rail Trail had not yet been created.  The railroad had long since been abandoned, after the last trains ran in the 1960s, so that was not a factor.

In the years since, no one was able to come up with an alternative source of funding.  Then, after the pandemic hit, Congress passed legislation known as the "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021" (also known as the "ARPA spending bill").  Funds were allotted to the various states, including the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  Maynard town government officials submitted documentation for the need of such a project to the state Department of Transportation. They decided that this project was "in line with the intent" of the ARPA Spending Bill, and earmarked $500,000 to be awarded to Maynard, in June of 2022.
In the two years since then, the design had to be worked out, a request for bids was sent out to contractors, the bids had to be received back and evaluated, and the project awarded to the winner.  Some changes were made to the original plan to add specific safety features during the process, and to adjust for increasing costs of construction during that time.  The additional funds required were voted at Town Meeting this year, in order to fully fund the project.

(OK, just two more, I promise!)

Question:  What's the deal with Haynes Street?
Answer:  Haynes Street is perhaps the shortest street in all of Maynard.  In the mid 1800s, prior to the creation of Maynard as a town, Warren A. Haynes purchased a tract of land in the area, originally owned by Ezekiel Brown.  He laid out Brown and Tremont streets, and Haynes Street was named after him.  This is according to the book, “A brief History of Maynard Mass.” by William H. Gutteridge, published in 1921 by the Town of Maynard.

Question:  Why does this news story have so much technical detail?
Answer:  Right now, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) is a big thing in education, but why should we just limit that to young people?  Don’t we all live in a world where these aspects are major influences in our lives?  When it’s time to set public policy, and we focus on the politics but leave the technology to the “experts,” aren’t we just cheating ourselves?

The myth is that most scientists, engineers, and mathematicians are as bad at communicating as most political science majors are at understanding something like magnetic induction.  Isn’t it time we found more ways to help each other understand these concepts, across the board?  Can’t we actually put some work into explaining things in the language of the person listening as well as that of the person talking?

I’ve read numerous news stories in the past that left me feeling cheated when the author glosses over the very technology that I find important.  Young people are born with a thirst for knowledge and experience, so let's give them as many options as we can to satisfy that yearning.  Perhaps a 10 year old isn't old enough to drive ... yet.  But if they read this story, it may help them be a better driver when the time comes.  This is certainly not an "R" rated story!

So, here’s my invitation to you, dear reader.  Read what you want and skip what you don’t want, as you wish.  Alternatively, if you want to understand more, please don't be afraid to ask.  As I see it, the more we all know, the better we'll be that much more prepared to live in this highly technological world.

Temperatures are high enough to cause significant health problems, especially for anyone without adequate cooling indoors.  Regional radio and TV news programs have been carrying stories about cooling centers in major cities, but Maynard is one of many small towns too numerous for them to cover.
For example, Boston has declared a heat emergency and has opened numerous cooling centers, as well as splash fountains and swimming pools.  Cities like Boston can end up with a "heat island" effect, where extensive expanses of asphalt pavement and roof materials soak up heat from the sun, creating even higher temperatures, so these facilities are essential.
Here in Maynard, we have a lot more open space with trees and other plant life, which can help absorb sunlight and slightly reduce the heat build up.  However, being a much smaller town, we only have a few options for cooling off.  Still, when it's this hot, it's important to be cautious, no matter where you live.

I checked Maynard's town web site and found an announcement regarding the heat wave here:
https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=227
On that page, three cooling centers are listed, although when I contacted both the Police and Fire departments, I could only confirm that the Fire Department actually has one available.

The Fire Department has a web page with extensive information about not only their cooling center, but other tips for surviving in the heat:
https://maynardfd.com/2024/06/18/maynard-police-and-fire-departments-share-tips-for-staying-cool-amid-heat-advisory/
On their site, it says that temperatures, such as we're now experiencing, "...can be extremely hazardous and at times fatal."  This may be common knowledge by now, but what seems to catch many people off guard is how the effects can develop slowly, while we aren't noticing, then become severe suddenly.  Because of this, it's very important to reduce exposure in the first place.
Although the 911 emergency phone system was offline for a few hours earlier in the week, the problems have now been fixed, so if someone appears to be struggling, get them to a cooler place right away, and call 911 for help.

During a heat wave such as this, where even temperatures and humidity at night are too high for most people to sleep comfortably, just using window fans is not recommended.  However, there are many times during the summer when the air outside at night is even cooler than it is in an air conditioned room.  In that case, using a fan can save electricity and provide fresh air for better sleep, as well.

I have been meaning to record a video on how to make one of these, but somehow, something else yet again interrupts me, and I have to put it off.  Since we had a heat pump installed after I made this video, we don't use window units in our house anymore, so I need a volunteer who still uses one, to show how it's done.  Ideally, the location would be a bedroom, in someone's home, where there is another window for cross ventilation. My plan would be to record the video on how to make one, do the actual work in my shop, install it, then leave it in place for the homeowner to use afterward.

There are many efforts to convert to sustainable energy sources for society as a whole. Some of them are very big and impressive, such as giant battery systems, pumping water up into lakes to flow down through hydro dams when needed, and so forth.
As impressive as they may be, conservation is often the forgotten factor.  There are no big headlines, no photos of impressive technology, and so forth.  Conservation is often based on the efforts of millions of people, taking the initiative to change habits and adopt new ways of living that can make a big difference.
With energy as plentiful and low cost as it has been over the previous decades, our culture adapted to what was available.  However, now that we realize what the impact of our energy use is, we must take the responsibility to adjust.
Although conservation may seem to involve sacrifice, the truth is, many ways to save energy and lighten our impact on the planet do not require extraordinary measures.  Often, simple change in habits or adjusting our lifestyles in minor ways can help a lot.  The Window Bar is just one idea of something simple that can be done, yet save a significant amount of energy.  There are many more.  I have a few articles on my web site https://energystories.org but they are only a few of what's available.