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.

Maynard, MA - A few yard signs have appeared in Maynard over the past week or so, urging residents to vote this Tuesday, May 6th.  For those who may need an update, this is Maynard's traditional annual town election for local officials.

The polls will be open from 7 AM until 8 PM at the Fowler School, at 3 Tiger Drive.
More information on voting is shown on the town's election page for this spring -
https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/170/Elections

Of the three positions on the ballot, two are uncontested races (Select Board and School Committee), with only one incumbent running for re-election in each.  That leaves the third office, that of Library Trustee, as the only contested seat, with two candidates are running for the one position.  In a quick search of the web, I could not find a web page for either candidate's campaign.  I found one post in a Maynard oriented group on Facebook, but there was no reliable campaign information there.  (Note:  For lack of additional time, I decided to end my search and publish this story).
This dearth of candidates is likely to leave many voters deciding that it's not worth going to the polls this Tuesday, leading to a very low voter turnout.

There are actually two separate elections shown on the town's election page, the second of which is on May 27th.  The ballot for that one is shown on a separate sample ballot page here:
https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3788/Sample-Ballot
Turn out for this second election is likely to be much greater, as there are two tax override questions for voters to decide upon.

This year, there are 45 articles on the Warrant, so it remains to be seen whether they can all be debated and voted upon in a single evening.  The Moderator usually does his best to keep the meeting moving along, but at the same time he must allow for enough time for each article to be discussed before those present feel that they are ready to take a vote.
According to the town's alert page,
https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=331
... a printed version of the Warrant was sent to all households in town as an insert with the Action Unlimited advertising flyer delivered last Friday, May 2nd.  Sadly, the Action Unlimited flyer does not  get delivered to every household every week reliably, so some households will may not receive a printed copy.  (I just got mine in the mail today [Monday], so perhaps wait to see if one arrives.)
Voters wishing to obtain a printed copy are encouraged to visit the Town Building at 195 Main Street during open hours to request one, or view it online, and perhaps print out their own copy (as it's 70 pages long, that could take a lot of toner or ink!)
If the town were to mail the printed Warrant directly through the Post Office instead, the cost of postage would me much higher, so distribution via the Action has been chosen as a compromise.

For anyone new to town government, I have written two documents, in PDF form, on my Perspectives page (here on this web site) that may help readers understand what's going on.  One is "Introduction to New England Town Government; How it Works" where I give an overview of the terminology (such as "Article," "Warrant," etc.) and the methods used to conduct Town Meetings.  The first few pages of the Warrant itself also provide some information, but it can take experience at a few meetings to get a good sense of the process as a whole.
The other article that may be of interest is "Reasons for Low Voter Turn Out - Why don't more people vote in local elections?"

This is clearly a very difficult time for town government.  Even in past years, keeping up with the issues facing the town has been challenging, given the growing complexity and cost of running local governments.  And yet, democracy depends on an informed populace.  It's meaningless to offer citizens the right to vote, yet leave them with little or no information on which to base their decisions.
As I explained in my essay "No News?" on the Perspectives page, most cities and towns are now left with no local news media.  That's because the economic foundation for local news organizations has crumbled in the last two decades.  Many town governments, including Maynard's, have had to maintain extensive web sites in an effort to provide citizens with information on town government operations.  However, there is so much information to access there, that it may seem overwhelming.  I have to laud town officials, staff, as well as volunteer board and committee members for the great job they do in keeping the information on the web site up to date and thorough. But clearly, for many folks who have limited time to delve into the details, the loss of a reliable local newspaper to summarize the highlights is a critical drawback.
One reason there are so few contested races in our local elections is that fewer people have the time and willingness to dive into the work required.  Making decisions about running local government has become more and more challenging over the past few decades.  Yet the seats on local boards and committees remain largely unpaid volunteer positions that require many hours of work in order to do a reasonable job.

This year, the political turmoil going on at the national level has suddenly produced a flood of news headlines, along with blog posts, online discussion forums, and so forth. Although these issues are of grave importance, this situation has distracted many citizens from paying attention to local affairs.
Make no mistake about it, policy on the federal level is bound to have a significant impact on local government in a number of ways, including our sources of funding and the health of the economy in general.
Massachusetts law restricts how quickly cities and towns can raise local property taxes (a provision known as Proposition 2 1/2).*  But expenses for everything, including materials, utilities, and labor, as well as employee benefits (such as medical insurance) are increasing faster than that rate. I covered some of this in my previous story, "Finding Our Financial Path," back in February.
At the same time, there are numerous state and federal laws that dictate how the town must perform many of its functions.  This makes it very difficult to cut costs for many town and school operations while still complying with those laws.

If you think that things can't continue to go on like this, then they probably won't.  It seems likely that significant changes will occur very soon that will cast this entire situation in a new light.  Yes, change is difficult, especially when it's rapid, widespread, and profound. Our best bet, in my opinion, is to keep our eyes, minds, and communication channels open.  If anything, we are all going to need patience and an attitude of forgiveness when people struggling to make things work end up not being able to produce the ideal results we might desire.
One important point to remember is how much Maynard depends on volunteer energy to get things done that are beyond the capacity of local government itself.  As we go forward, we may end up shifting more functions over to local volunteer organizations, either new or existing, to keep the town working.

* For a description of how the law works, the Wikipedia article seems to be a good summary:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_Massachusetts_Proposition_2%C2%BD

Alert readers of my posts here may have noticed that I published my most recent story back in early March, almost two months ago.  As I primarily work alone, when personal and family life demands arise, I must postpone putting effort into the news.  Recently, those demands have increased markedly with the sudden passing of my ex-wife, Janet Blodgett, back on Easter Sunday.  Her obituary is on the funeral home's web site, here:
https://obits.fowlerkennedyfuneralhome.com/janet-blodgett
I would not normally put such personal events here in a news story, but I thought I should be honest about one of the main reasons I haven't been able keep up with publishing as I might have wished.  We, as a family, must settle all of her affairs, including clearing out her apartment.  I put up a link to her obituary on Facebook last week, but I thought it only fair for those of you who do not have a Facebook account to have access to it as well.
Meanwhile, Maynard may have an additional source of news reporting soon, to complement what I have been doing here.  So, stay tuned.

Maynard, MA - After a few years delay, residents of the town are about to see real progress on two buildings owned by the town that were left empty, once their previous uses ended.  One is the Fire Station at 1 Summer Street and the other is the old Fowler Middle School building at 61-63 Summer street, most recently known as the home of ArtSpace.
Going in address order, I'll cover the building at 1 Summer Street, first.

The Fire Station at 1 Summer Street had served the town since it was opened as a combined Fire and Police Station in 1955, according Maynard Historical Society Archives.  In 2015, 60 years later, plans were begun to build a new station to replace the existing one, as the needs of the fire department had long since outgrown the space.  New larger fire trucks could not even fit into the building, necessitating the construction of a temporary shed to one side of the original bays.

Construction on the new building, at 30 Sudbury Street, commenced in 2021.  In November 2022, the department officially moved into the new building, leaving the 1 Summer Street facility vacant.

Maynard, MA - It's a 200 mile trip to see a Broadway show in New York City, but why bother traveling all that way when you can see a fully staged musical, complete with live orchestra, right here in Maynard?  And, compared to New York, ticket prices here are a real bargain!
This weekend Maynard High School is hosting the musical "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," a production the town has been waiting five years to see.  Back in the spring of 2020, the entire show was ready to go on, when it had to be postponed indefinitely, only 36 hours before curtain time.  The pandemic had suddenly hit and gathering an audience was just too risky.

Tickets can be purchased online at a dedicated web site for the show, here:
https://cur8.com/40268/project/129267 or at the door.  Those familiar with the production recommend reserving seats as soon as possible, as previous shows at MHS have tended to sell out. Maynard's town government web site has a page that displays the flyer for the show:  https://tinyurl.com/TWMLink09
(Parents should note that the production may not be suitable for young children.  The 1988 film on which the musical is based was rated PG-13.  Although there is no formal rating system for live musical shows, think of the upcoming performance as if it was also rated PG-13 as it contains some adult language and situations.)

For those wishing for more live stage entertainment, you won't have to wait long.  The Fowler Middle School's spring musical, "Mean Girls, Jr. - Let's Do This Thing!" is planned to go on stage two weeks later.  Shows are scheduled for Friday, March 21st, at 7 PM, and Saturday, March 22nd, at both 1 PM and 6 PM.  According to Michelle Travers, the faculty member who is overseeing the production, tickets will be available at the door: $5.00 for adults and $3.00 students and seniors. "We can accept cash or check made out to Fowler School," she told me.  The show will be presented in the Fowler School Auditorium, located at 3 Tiger Drive.

This resurgence in live performance is partly thanks to a newly formed non-profit group in town, The Maynard Theater Association.  The organization was founded in the Fall of 2024 by a group of residents who wanted to support and grow theater arts in Maynard, in both the high school and the middle school, as well as in the town at large. 
The group hopes to provide educational opportunities in theater arts, such as workshops on technique, vocal quality, and theater expression, as well as stagecraft skills such as scenery design and construction, managing props, lighting, and sound operations.
The basic costs of mounting a show are still borne by the school department, including theater upkeep, lighting and sound infrastructure, costumes and scenery, as well as licensing agreements for the scripts and music scores.

Years ago, there was a large theater program in the schools, according to Laurel Mauroy, one of the Founding Members of the new organization.  She remembers that Bonnie Wilson was a very active parent volunteer back then.  Bonnie's husband, Glen, was also involved, focusing on building stage scenery and fundraising.
Back in 2020, Ariane Mauroy (Laurel's daughter) was a senior at MHS and was cast as one of the lead actors in the show at that time.  She told me how sad everyone was to have to cancel the production that year.  After graduating from MHS, she spent some time away at college, but has now returned in a new role, that of director for the current show.  Kevin Murphy, who was originally music director for the show back in 2020, has also returned in his same role, for the current run.

The Maynard Theater Association was able to get started with a grant from the Maynard Cultural Council.  Now, the group is hoping to raise funds from donations from businesses, families, and others who wish to support the theater arts.  Anyone wishing to contribute can go to their donation web site, https://app.teamfi.works/donate/b22a38f282a5 or send a check made out to "Maynard Theater Association" c/o MHS, 1 Tiger Drive, Maynard, MA 01754. As the founders have registered the group as a 501 (c) (3) organization, contributions are tax deductible.
In addition, the Assabet Co-op Market has a option where customers can contribute by rounding up to the next dollar when paying at the register, with proceeds to benefit the organization.  That will run through until the end of March.

It's true that this news story is largely promotional, not just a report.  Chalk that up to my love of dramatic arts as well as my growing sense of connection to this town, even though I've only lived here since the Fall of 2019.
One of the things that makes Maynard a great place to live is the spirit of the people who live here.  See something that's needed?  Well, then people pitch in and get to work answering that need.  It doesn't always work out, of course, but I'm continually amazed by the amount of volunteer work that people put in to make Maynard the special place it is.
In today's world, we are flooded with entertainment from far away, be it from traditional media, such as magazines, radio, and TV, to today's online streaming and gaming options.  When big organizations create the entertainment that we "consume" then they reap the funds we pay for it.  The money leaves town and seldom returns.
So, how refreshing it is to see that we can get together to support and enjoy our own home grown entertainment, right here in town.

As a person who has been largely self taught throughout life, I'm always heartened to see opportunities for learning that extend beyond traditional classroom instruction.
When you think about it, putting on a musical involves learning a great variety of skills, gaining knowledge, and finding some wisdom in the enterprise as a whole.  People of all ages can participate in making group decisions, managing finances, along with learning set and costume design, construction, painting, makeup, props, lighting and sound technology, interacting with the public through publicity, ticket sales, ushering and seating, and public speaking, all along with the essential elements of the main event, including directing, acting, singing, and dancing.  There are even themes of literature and history related to most of the stories told through theater performances.  All of this is part of an integrated experience, rather than separated out into individual academic disciplines, and that is just the way I like it.
When the curtain closes after the last scene, and then opens again for everyone involved to take their bows, there is that special feeling one gets, standing there to receive the enthusiastic applause.

The budget includes both the costs of running the town for the next fiscal year, as well as an estimate of the taxes and other revenue that will be needed to pay for it all. 

I arrived just after 10 AM, right as the meeting paused for a short break.  From what I was told by those who had been there from the start, the general message was that state revenues were expected to be steady, but that expenses for the town were rising faster than income, the lion's share of which comes from property taxes.  The Town Administrator and the Superintendent of Schools had both presented their draft budgets.

Details on which I based the above table are from last year's Joint Budget Review meeting which is available on the town's web site:  https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/250, and from the Town Meeting Warrant from the Spring of 2024, Article 6, starting on page 11: www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/2921/Annual-Town-Meeting-Warrant

For those who really want to dig into the details of how the town works, I suggest you try the Annual Report.  State law requires every town to produce one, every year.  The latest one compiled here in Maynard is for calendar year 2023 (the 2024 report is being prepared now and will be available before Town Meeting in May).  The link to the 2023 Annual Report is here: https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/261

The latest issue of the Maynard Advantage Newsletter (published by the Maynard Marketing Task Force, an independent non-government group) contains more details about the meeting just held, along with breakdowns of the dollar amounts discussed, and links to the presentations made by the Town Administrator and the School Department.  The link to their latest newsletter is: https://maynardadvantage.com/the-maynard-advantage-february-2025-vol-19/

There was serious concern expressed by those at the meeting regarding the financial impact on residents of the town, not just because of rising property taxes, but also increases in water & sewer rates, trash stickers, and the prospect of adding a new storm water fee.  Payments on the debt, to be incurred for building the new Green Meadow Elementary School, have yet to have an impact property tax bills, but they will soon.
The Finance Committee often calculates the amount of tax increases on the average single family home in town, but that does not reflect the situation many home owners find themselves in, based on their income.  Some residents on a fixed income cannot afford to pay significantly more in taxes, even though their home may be worth significantly more than it was when they first bought it, perhaps decades ago.
One participant acknowledged that while the average income in Maynard has gone up, people at the lower end of the income scale, such as those on Social Security, are not seeing enough increases in their income to keep up.  He was concerned that some long term residents of the town would be "priced out" of living here and thus be forced to move.  At the same time, many of those same residents have waited for years for the town's senior center to be relocated to a more suitable facility.

There was some discussion about more completely separating income and expenses for both water and trash pickup, using a dedicated account for each, known as an "Enterprise Fund."  The idea is that residents have some control over how much water they use or trash they put out for collection, so they may be able to reduce their costs.
But even with such a change, there would still not likely be enough revenue to cover all the anticipated expenses.  One possibility would be an "operating override" - a voter approved tax increase, just to provide more funds for regular expenses.  This is different from the more common "capital override" where taxes are raised to borrow money in order to build or renovate buildings or other major physical infrastructure.

The questions on many people's minds are likely to be: Why does it cost so much to run the town?  And why were those at the meeting worried?
From what I sensed at the meeting, board members and public officials are very sensitive to the impact of increasing taxes and costs for residents. At the same time, trying to keep costs down has become more and more challenging over just the past few years.  Some of the factors that contribute are:

• Costs of equipment, materials, labor, and benefits are all going up, as they are for all of us.
• The limit on property tax increases (2 1/2 % per year), is set by state law.
• Opportunities to increase the tax base (new construction or property improvements) are very limited.
• New requirements by the state and federal governments for things such as water quality, wastewater treatment, police and fire procedures and training, school curricula and additional student services, etc. require that the town adapt, often increasing costs.
• Unpredictable policy changes at the federal level mean that funding sources may soon be unreliable.

The limit on new construction is not only due to a lack of available land, but also based on our limited water resources.  Maynard has its own water system; it is not part of the MWRA.  (Connecting up to the MWRA has been discussed in the past, but the cost would be significant and require a multi year construction effort).  Constructing and maintaining a water system is extremely expensive and requires extensive long term planning and financing.  And yet, water is one of the most important things the town provides.  Without water that meets current health standards, there would be no town.

Even though Maynard is not that big a town (under 11,000 residents, living in approximately 3 square miles), it must provide most of the functions and services that larger towns do, but on a much smaller income.
Some residents may be wondering why we don't work harder to keep salary increases to a minimum when negotiating union and employee contracts.  I can see three reasons why such an effort can come back to haunt us.  That's because Maynard doesn't exist in a vacuum; we must consider factors beyond our control.
First, there is a trade-off between paying lower salaries and employee turn-over.  Unless we keep our salaries somewhat commensurate with what other towns pay, we run the risk of employees jumping ship for a better pay package elsewhere.  When that happens, we actually lose out by having to spend time (and money) as we search for, hire, and integrate replacement staff.  Some positions in town require an understanding of long term plans and projects.  When experienced managers leave, that experience leaves with them.  A new hire will likely take significant time to properly grasp the complexity of many of these projects.
Second, our employees have to live somewhere. They are subject to the same increase in the cost of living, including the high cost of housing in this area.  If we don't pay a reasonable wage, then they will likely be squeezed between a modest salary and the increasing costs of living nearby and end up moving to too far away to continue working here.
Third, with Maynard as small as it is, employees and especially managers often have to wear multiple hats, and frequently work longer than 35 or 40 hours per week, just to get tasks completed.

So, our true challenge is to find a balance between these factors and our financial resources.  This is significant because much of the cost of running the town is in wages and salaries.  The town is essentially in the service business.

During the budget process, Maynard, like most towns in the area, typically has looked back at previous years and attempted to make minor increases or decreases, based on past budgets.  But recently, the job has become a lot harder.  I say that because we are now in a time of very rapid, profound, and unpredictable change.  It's much harder to plan for what we will face next year based only on our history over the past few years.  Think of it this way: Instead of driving gradually up hill on a highway, we're likely in for more of a real roller coaster ride.

Fortunately, there's an opportunity to find out why this is happening and what we can do about it, right here in Maynard.  Tomorrow evening (well, this evening, by the time you are likely to be reading this), you can step into the Maynard Public Library at 7:00 PM and see a free presentation to fill you in on the big picture. (I was going to say "to bring the whole issue to light," but I can just hear the groans now.)

Here are the links for the web pages described above, in case you need to enter them by hand:
https://maynardpubliclibrary.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/dark-skies/
https://www.greenmaynard.org/post/dark-skies-initiative

Darkness is often used as a metaphor for trepidation, danger, or ignorance.  The wilderness at night has historically been experienced as a dangerous place.  Our human eyes are better suited for daylight.  So historically, we came to fear the dark, understandably.  We use the words "I see," a reference to our visual sense, to mean "I understand."  Metaphors like this, referring to darkness and light, have flooded our language.  The Star Wars movie franchise introduced the term "The Dark Side" into everyday language to mean evil intent.  Alas.

Even we humans need the night for sleep, which research has well established as being necessary for good health.  Researchers in astronomy need the dark of night to better scan the heavens with their telescopes and instruments without the sun’s energy interfering.

In the years since, by deploying electric light sources both indoors and outside we have had a great impact on the darkness of night.  The effect has been dramatic, disrupting the many aspects of night mentioned above.  For just one example, many people have lost sleep because of light shining into their windows from a neighbor’s house or a nearby parking lot that stays lit all night long.

Despite all this, it’s possible, indeed practical, to alleviate all this “light pollution” simply by considering how to properly control light when planning to install or replace light fixtures.  We don’t have to give up safety or other benefits of artificial light if we stop to consider light pollution ahead of time.  There are plenty of light fixtures and equipment to direct all light toward the ground (where we need it) and limit how much is radiated out into the sky and surroundings, where we don’t need it.  We stand to save significant amounts of energy, as we don’t need the power to produce all that wasted light.

I have often heard the term "America's Energy Needs" and how they are ever expanding, so we have to continue to exploit nature for the resources to generate ever more power.  But here we have a chance to work in harmony with nature, through conservation, without the need for more exploitation.  Any sacrifice we might have to make is small in comparison.  In general, it's a win-win.

However, installing loops is costly and they often fail to work reliably.  The wire in the coil can be broken by construction in the street or by "drift" of the asphalt when it softens and deforms under heavy traffic in the hot summer months.  In the past few years, some loops have been redesigned to detect bicycles, but with mixed results.  A bicycle with a carbon fiber frame, for example, cannot be detected by the "metal detector" technology used.

Back in mid September, when all the sidewalks, paving, and other ground work was completed, the Select Board voted to close the one-way section of Acton Street and enlarge Haynes Park to cover the area.  The contractor got to work right away, as their equipment and personnel were still on site and available at that time.  Unfortunately, this meant that a convenient bypass for drivers to avoid the dreaded intersection was closed off, long before the new signals could be installed, making driving in the area even more difficult than before.

There are two questions to answer here:  Where did the money come from to do the work, and why close that section of Acton Street, in the first place?

The amount of money available wasn't known until work was finished on the main intersection project.  Since the contractor was able to finish all the paving, underground conduits, equipment foundations, etc., without significant weather delays or cost overruns, there was enough funding left over to implement this additional work, known in the world of engineering projects as a "change order."

The problems with Acton Street stem from where Haynes Street forks off to the right, just north of the Cumberland Farms store, and also from where the end of Maple Court merges with it, near Concord Street (indicated by the thin red arrow in the map shown below).
Well over 150 years ago, when Haynes, Brown, and Acton Streets were laid out, traffic consisted of a few horse drawn vehicles, so it was far easier to avoid collisions!  Now, traffic volume is many times greater, speeds are much higher, vehicles are much heavier, and yet human reaction times have not changed all  that much.  The danger all this presents has become quite serious. (For details, please see my previous story "Collision Course")

I stopped at the stop sign, only to have a driver come flying around the corner from Concord Street to head down Acton Street, right in front of me.  If I had proceeded a moment later, we might have had a head-on collision!

Many drivers just rolled right through the first stop sign, then stopped at the second one. There, they had to turn their heads almost all the way around backwards to the left, to look for gaps in traffic coming down Haynes street, before being able to go.  I once saw a mail truck turn almost perpendicular to the roadway, just so the driver could look back up Haynes Street.

Here are three images based on what users of the rail trail encountered, one from before Acton Street was removed, one from the same direction after that, and a third showing what they would see, coming the other way, headed south.

Clearly, I have again gone into some detail on this story.  I do that for two reasons.  First, because I consider myself partly an "non-institutionalized" teacher.  Although I went all the way through public school and later graduated from college, I am actually largely self-taught, and I like to provide learning resources for everyone, regardless of age,  socioeconomic status, or how much they are taking charge of their own learning process throughout life.  The internet has its drawbacks, but as a resource for learning, it's an amazing development, in my opinion, way beyond the World Book Encyclopedia I grew up with.  I'm glad to be able to contribute, as well as benefit from all this.

The second reason has to do with my appreciation of the level of detail that our local town government officials and employees, along with the various contractors and suppliers they deal with, have to live with every day.  Most of us have little idea of what it really takes to run a town, and that's understandable - today's world has a lot more going on to demand our attention!  We go to work, raise families, and maintain our homes as best we can.  Sometimes, there is little time for much else.

I have often heard people mention the high property tax rate we have here in Maynard.  I knew about the tax rate back while I was still considering whether or not to move here (in 2019).  I decided to move here anyway.  I knew this was a true town, with a real town feeling, plenty of volunteer work going on, and so forth.

I realize that Maynard is small, both in population (under 11,000), and land area (about 5 square miles, although it's more like 3 square miles when you subtract the area occupied by the Wildlife Refuge).  And yet, town government must provide many of the services that most larger cities and towns have to provide.  Much of what town government does is mandated by both federal and state laws, including maintaining the roads, providing water, treating the wastewater, collecting the trash, maintaining a library, police department, fire and emergency departments, and keep zoning laws up to date to respond to changing conditions.

This story is about one intersection in town, and yet it has only scratched the surface into what had to be done to complete the resulting project.

I'm not saying that every single penny is always efficiently spent; every organization could use some improvement.  But what I am saying is that, from what I can tell, the people who work for the town are dedicated folks, doing their best to keep our town running as efficiently as possible.  The tax rate we live with comes with the territory - a small town with limited property tax revenue has to work hard to balance its budget.  Yes, there may be disagreements at times, but overall, I hope that we can all work together to forge the compromises needed to go forward.

The charger, installed recently, offers both CCS and CHAdeMO connectors, and is the first one in town to provide these options.  It was installed by agreement between the town and ChargePoint.  Drivers can use it with either an app on their smartphone (downloaded from ChargePoint) or with a credit card.

I used this charger for the first time on Saturday.  I was glad to see it installed because the Nissan Leaf I drive uses a CHAdeMO connector for fast DC charging, but this type of connector is somewhat more rare than the more common CCS and Tesla (NACS) chargers currently available around the country (see "Background" section of this story, below).

Normally, I charge at home, using the Level 1 setup shown in the photo below, (in the "Background" section).  Since I typically drive short distances, that is usually all I need.  As we have solar panels on our roof, I can often avoid using fossil fuels. This is possible when the sun is shining and we are producing more electricity than we otherwise need in the house.
Occasionally, my car's battery is depleted, perhaps due to taking unexpected trips. When that happens, I want to charge up much more quickly than I can at home.  Up until now, I had to drive two or three towns away to find a Level 3 charger that is compatible with my car.

Level 2 means charging a vehicle a from a dedicated 240 Volt outlet or charger unit, wired directly into the electric service panel in your house (not shown here).  This type of circuit is similar to one that might serve an electric dryer or stove at home.  Not only is the voltage twice as high, such circuits are often wired to provide three or more times the current (amps) compared to Level 1, so you can charge a vehicle in less than half the time.

There is a Wikipedia article describing the NACS standard here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Charging_System

Level 3 is a different story.  There are three different standards: CHAdeMO, Tesla (NACS), and CCS.  Why?  The main reason is that when something is very new, it's hard to develop standards because the technology keeps changing so fast.  The three standards evolved at different times as electric vehicles were being developed.
In 2008, Tesla introduced its first car, the "Roadster" and created its own proprietary network of chargers, so that owners of their cars could drive long distances and have a network of charging stations to use along the way.  The company didn't introduce its lower priced Model S until 2012.
In 2010, The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) in Japan formed a consortium of auto manufacturers (Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, and Subaru) to standardize the CHAdeMO standard.  Nissan began producing the Leaf in 2010 and it became the largest selling electric car in the world soon after.
Meanwhile, other US and European automakers were not as aggressively developing electric vehicles. In the US, the "big 3" Detroit automakers were pursuing mid and full sized pickup trucks and truck based SUVs.  There were many reasons for this, including existing industrial infrastructure, market demand, a strong fossil fuel industry, and a traditional reliance on personal vehicles for transportation when compared to other countries.

Battery electric vehicles have a slightly shorter range in the colder months because the battery chemistry is not as efficient as when it's warm.  Gasoline or diesel powered vehicles also experience lower fuel efficiency in the cold months, perhaps anywhere from 4 to 8 miles per gallon less.  Most drivers don't pay much attention; they just have to fill up a bit more often when it's cold out.
Running the heat in a battery electric car also reduces the range somewhat.  Internal combustion engines give off a lot of waste heat, so running the heater is "free" because it uses some of that waste heat that would otherwise be dissipated by the car's radiator.  However, they must use extra fuel to "warm up" after starting in the cold.  On the other hand, electric vehicle drivers can get going without any warm up.

nTo me, the Nissan Leaf is the best car I have ever owned.  I will never go back to driving an internal combustion car on a regular basis.  The car is quieter, the ride is smoother, there is almost no vibration (except for road imperfections), and there is plenty of power, such as when needed to accelerate from a ramp onto the highway. There are none of the odors or fumes that non electric cars produce, which is better for my health as well as the health of the planet.  The car needs almost no maintenance, as it has many fewer parts. There are no oil changes, spark plugs, fuel filters, or muffler pipes to rust out.
Yes, I have to pay attention to when and how to charge the battery, but for me, it's well worth it.  I enjoy the experience of driving a small car, and seldom need the capacity of a larger vehicle.  I also seldom need to drive long distances, so I'm happy with the range I have (240 miles).
If I want to travel farther, then I have some choices: I can use the apps on my phone to find suitable chargers and perhaps stop for a meal during a charging session.  Or I can rent a hybrid vehicle for the trip and leave my Leaf at home.
One of the reasons I chose to live in Maynard was the downtown area and how "walkable" it is.  This allows me to save even more energy by leaving my car at home when I go to the Post Office, Town Hall, or local shops and restaurants.

I know the sales of electric vehicles have outpaced the roll out of "charging infrastructure," but I'm willing to be patient because I know things will eventually catch up. I know many people cannot afford a new electric car, so I consider myself lucky to have been able to.  However, I expect that the market for used electric cars will improve soon, bringing the cost down for more people.
I am confident that we will continue to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.  My goal is to learn to live more and more in harmony with nature on this planet, largely through conservation and gradual lifestyle changes.  I know I have a lot to learn but I'm dedicated to pursuing that goal throughout the rest of my life.

Maynard, MA - Shoppers in town have gained a new bookstore to browse in, but are losing a grocery store, just over the border in nearby Acton.  The bookstore, Felixology, opened their new store in downtown Maynard just last week.  Meanwhile Stop & Shop is closing it's current location at 100 Powder Mill Road at the end of business on Thursday, December 12th.  The company is opening a new store, just up Route 27 at Kelly's corner, the following day (see further details, below).

The store is named for Elizabeth's son, Felix, who passed away from cancer in 2018, at age 29.  There are some details on the store's web site, http://felixology.com  (Note: the site does not yet seem to have an SSL certificate, so some web browsers may issue a warning to users when attempting to load it on their devices.)

The new store is located at Kelly's Corner, also in Acton, replacing the K-Mart that closed there a few years ago. Kelly's Corner is the junction of Main Street (Route 27) and Massachusetts Avenue (Route 111), where construction on the intersection is ongoing, in order to provide new lanes of traffic flow.  The location is just down the road from the Roche Bros. store. The new store is significantly larger than the existing location and is set to carry a wider variety of products.
The Acton Exchange, Acton's on-line news feed, published a story about the new store back in November:
https://www.actonexchange.org/news-brief-stop-and-shop-opening-nears/
Although technically not within Maynard's borders, the existing Stop & Shop location has been a convenient stop for many Maynard residents traveling along Powder Mill Road, as they drove to and from Route 2 in Concord.  There are only two full service grocery stores within Maynard's town limits, Market Basket, at Maynard Crossing, and the Assabet Co-op Market, at 84 Powder Mill Road.

(Full Disclosure:  I am a member of the Assabet Co-op Market, and the bookstore has agreed to carry copies of both my books for sale there.)

I don't often cover news of local shops comings and goings as they happen surprisingly frequently, and the time I have to devote to publishing news is limited.  I am a strong adherent of the "shop locally" movement, but we live in a world of trade-offs. That means that it may take some effort to change our ways.
Where people shop has had a significant impact on local communities over the last few decades.  As people shifted their buying habits to favor larger stores and online merchants, many downtown areas have been left with more empty storefronts, with some types of merchandise no longer available locally.
As with many things in life, there are pros and cons to everything.  Shopping online provides an extremely wide choice of products, as local storefronts just don't have the room to stock every brand, model, color, or style of product the way huge warehouse based supply chains can.  Online sales also have the advantage of economies of scale and lower overhead compared to small shops, so they can sometimes offer lower prices, although assuming that their prices are always lower can be a mistake.
However, the loss of local ad revenue generated by local shops along with the loss of classified advertising has bankrupted many local newspapers.  It has also shifted the tax burden in local communities, and reduced face to face interactions between residents who used to frequent downtown shops and areas.
This reduction in personal interaction has lead to increased isolation and loneliness in general.  In addition, ordering online has become more risky as products now more often lack the quality we expect from web page descriptions.  Without being able to try on clothes, shoes, etc. or try the features of some device with our own hands, we are often left having to return items that don't fit us or can't meet our needs.  Sadly, much of what we return can't be sold again online, and thus ends up in landfills.
Admonishing people to "shop locally" may help revitalize downtown areas and improve the quality of life, but doing so will take a concerted effort to accept slightly higher prices, somewhat fewer options, and involve slightly more patience and inconvenience.  Next day delivery and free shipping are very tempting, but these "features" risk making shut-ins of us all.
I chose to move to Maynard, partly because it has a significant downtown area.  I never buy books online, but rather order from local bookstores and then go to pick up my order in person.  Usually I have to wait three days for a book to arrive, but I'm never in such a hurry that I need a book more quickly than that.  I'm glad to know that, as far as books are concerned, I can now actually walk to a bookstore to shop there.
(Note: I don't often check books out of the library because I'm a slow reader and typically write in the margins as I read.  I depend on the Library as more of a community resource, offering meeting space to gather, and events to attend.)

When I first thought of this headline, my intention was a play on the words "Stop & Shop."  Why not "Stop & Go" instead?  The idea was that we have to stop shopping at the grocery store at 100 Powder Mill Road (now that it's closing there), but we can now "go" shopping at the new bookstore.  But now, reading it again, I realize that it could also be read more as a command to "Stop, and then go shopping."  Alas, I didn't intend to encourage anyone to simply do more shopping!  I didn't include a comma after the word "Stop" but that left it ambiguous, none the less.  Language is a funny thing, that way.

Maynard, MA - This weekend, Maynard residents will have two opportunities to celebrate the coming winter season, although the weather is likely to leave us feeling as if winter is here already!
These events are held every year around this time and are familiar to long time residents; however newcomers to town may not know much about them, so please help spread the word.

The event starts at 5:45 PM, in Memorial park (across Summer Street from the Fine Arts Theater), with carolers singing and the lighting of the tree and menorah. 

The Holiday Parade is organized by a separate organization, the Maynard Holiday Parade Committee, headed up by Director Jennifer Picorelli.  Numerous sponsors and volunteers collaborate to put the parade together each year.  Details are at their "Light Up the Holidays" web site:
https://www.lightuptheholidaysmaynard.com/

I thought of doing this story recently, when I saw predictions of unseasonably cold weather for this weekend.  I know that many volunteers have put in hours of work to make these events successful, and I thought it would a shame if attendance was low because of the cold.
In the interest of full disclosure, I am a member of ArtSpace, one of the non-profit organizations that will be open during the stroll.  I am likely to be standing outdoors to welcome strollers to the studios at 9 Nason Street, later on in the evening, so believe me, I will be sure to dress warmly for the weather!
My suggestion for everyone is to show old man winter that you've got what it takes, and don't let that deter you from having a good time this weekend!  I recommend you dress in plenty of layers during the stroll, as you may be indoors much of the time, enjoying what the participating organizations have to offer.
Viewing the parade on Sunday will involve being outdoors for longer periods, so layers may not be as important (as there will be no need to remove some while indoors).  Perhaps just good basic winter wear (coats, hats, scarves and boots) will be best.

Another thing that occurred to me is that many events in Maynard are promoted on Facebook.  I don't see a problem with this, however, there are people who do not wish to have a Facebook account, and others who, perhaps new to town, don't know where to look for information on community events.  I have provided a guide on the Opinion page, here on the Town Wide Mall web site, called "What's going on in town." It's in the form of a PDF document that can be downloaded, simply by clicking on the title on that page.  In it, I list a number of other sources of information about whats going on in Maynard.
So, I invite you to please let folks know about this story and the PDF document, especially if they are new to town.
Either way, I hope to see you downtown this weekend!

Frequent followers of this web site may have noticed that I have not published a story since late October, about six weeks ago.  Back then, I could see that interest in the election was growing more and more intense, fueled by a flood of stories about the campaigns, carried by national and regional news media.
It seemed disingenuous to me to carry on with local news, as if none of that was going on.  How could I ignore all the high emotions people were experiencing about the election?  I decided to wait until after a sort of "cooling down" period to elapse before I started again.

I also noticed something else.  I have slowed down in publishing somewhat, compared to when I started doing this, back in April 2023.  As with many things, I had a lot of energy at first.  But after many late nights and hard work, I began to realize how much effort being a good journalist really takes - a lot!  Next year, I will celebrate my 75th birthday, so I don't quite have the energy I did when I was 20 or 30 years old.
I have made a few attempts to engage others in doing some local journalism on their own, with the hopes that we could network with each other, perhaps using a "I'll do this kind of story, you do some other kind," approach.  (So far, I have only had one other reporter do two (excellent) stories before stopping to attend to other matters.)  I have not carried high school sports, weddings, obituaries, or public safety logs, ... some of the standard fare in traditional publishing.  Perhaps someone else might want to publish those things?
Also, I have yearned to return to some other projects that I have put off, since starting Town Wide Mall.  One of my main interests is video, but I've left precious little time to work on any video projects in the past two years.

So, I am facing a bit of a dilemma.  I don't want to stop doing this, yet I want to change the pace a bit. One idea I had was to invite people to suggest story ideas.  Perhaps you are curious about about something, but don't have the time to research yourself.  If you tell me (via the Contact Us page) about your interest, that might give me a continued sense of the "heartbeat" of the community, and point me in the direction of stories of interest.
Another idea I had was to take that a step further, perhaps.  Let's say you had some time to gather a bit of information about a story, but you're not up to fleshing it out into a full fledged report, with a headline, proper journalistic story structure, proofreading, photographs, web page layout, and publicity. Then you could "hand off the baton," so to speak, so I could then take what you had so far, and carry it through.
If you have thoughts or ideas about any of this, I'd love to know them.  (It's better if you leave comments here, rather than on Facebook, as it's easier for me to refer back to them later.)
I have thought of recruiting students or interns, but with the overall decline in revenues in the news business over the last two decades or so, most young people rightly don't see a career in journalism as very promising.  Even if there are some who are interested, it's a two way street.  They might help me in producing stories, but I would then have to devote time to a teaching role. There are always trade-offs.

I do want to thank all the people who have donated funds so far to help me continue.  I have been remiss in not thanking each donor individually, but again, that is one of the "back room" functions of a news organization that I have neglected.  Another is creating an e-mail list, to notify people who are not on Facebook, when I publish a story.
After all, I started doing this for the stories, and for you, the readers, so I have typically focused on the next story to do, while letting other functions languish. Recently, I have been planning to get up to speed on some of them.

Thus far, I have put over 500 hours of work into Town Wide Mall, and have gathered just under $1000 in donations since I started, so that works out to slightly under $2.00 per hour.  Take out my expenses, and it's even less.  Clearly, I'm not in this for the money!  At least I've published 82 stories (including this one), so I'm certainly proud of that.  Although I could run advertising or apply for grants, both of those things take considerable effort to manage, taking time and energy away from the basic job of reporting.
One thing I can say is that the response I've gotten from everyone so far has been overwhelmingly supportive.  I am grateful for the feedback you have given me and it tells me that I'm doing something that people need and appreciate.