Heat Wave Relief

by Glenn C. Koenig, Webmaster at Town Wide Mall

Maynard, MA - Back on June 24, the temperature in Boston reached 102°F, the highest ever for the month of June.  This broke the all time record for the month of June in the city. Temperatures here in Maynard were just a few degrees short of that, but it was hard to tell the difference. 

Note:  Please see announcements about upcoming events, at the end of this article.

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." 

The messages that the town sent out mention that there are two cooling centers, one at the fire department on 30 Sudbury Street, and the other at the senior center, 50 Brown Street.  The Maynard Library, at 77 Nason Street also serves as an unofficial cooling center. I visited the fire department, the library, and called the senior center to get more information.  One thing I was told was that few people ever show up to take advantage of the cooling centers.

Training Room at the Fire Department, which serves as a cooling center during hot weather.

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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.

Even without air conditioning, in a pinch, there are a number of ways to cool down (see list in illustration, here).  For the fourth option, "Cool your pulse points," if ice packs are not available and you need immediate relief, submersing your hands up to the wrists in a bowl of cold water will also work. (The veins in your wrists (and also behind your knees) carry the cooled blood flow directly back up into your body.)

If a heat wave is accompanied by a power failure, then the only cooling center likely to remain in operation is the one at the fire department, as they have an emergency generator.  Neither the Library nor the Senior Center have one.
To get to the cooling center at the fire department, you have to go up to the back of the building, at the far corner facing the parking lot, as shown here.

Announcements

• 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.

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