40B public hearing tonight

Aug 22, 2019 by

Published August 22, 2019 By MAUREEN DOHERTY NORTH READING — The second Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) public hearing on the 20 Elm St. Ch. 40B comprehensive permit application for 200 apartments will be held tonight, Thursday, August 22 at 6:45 p.m. The meeting location is the Performing Arts Center at NRHS (not Town Hall) where the board has allotted about 30 minutes to discuss and decide whether the town can invoke “safe harbor” under the “general land area minimum” (GLAM) exemption provision of 40B if 1.5% or more of the town’s land area is allotted to affordable housing. Under the state law the decision must be made by Friday, August 23, which is the 15th day after the board had opened the public hearing. At question was whether land area occupied by group homes in...

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The Wall That Heals: Thursday’s moving ceremony...

Aug 22, 2019 by

Published August 22, 2019 By ALLISON HASTINGS NORTH READING — This past week, local residents had the privilege of viewing a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Ipswich River Park in North Reading. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, a non-profit organization, designed the three-quarter scale replica of The Wall and a mobile Education Center, which travels to 34 communities throughout the United States each year. Last Thursday, a special POW/MIA ceremony was held to commemorate those who died in combat and honor the veterans still with us today. Master of Ceremonies and North Reading’s own Veterans’ Director, Susan Magner, opened the program by welcoming audience members and acknowledging the hundreds of volunteers who helped bring this exhibit into the community. Magner, along with many of the speakers, emphasized the importance of recognizing the...

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Another academic year starts next week...

Aug 22, 2019 by

Published August 21, 2019 By DAN TOMASELLO LYNNFIELD — The clock is ticking until summer vacation ends and a new school year begins. Students in grades 1-12 will be returning to the classroom on Wednesday, Aug. 28 and the first day of school for preschool and kindergarten students is Thursday, Aug. 29. There will be no school on Friday, Aug. 30. School officials, teachers and staff members having been spending this week making sure everything is ready to rock and roll for students’ return next week. Custodians have also been making a final push to make sure each of the town’s four schools is in pristine condition when students return. “Back to school is the most wonderful time of year,” said Superintendent Jane Tremblay in an interview with the Villager. “The Administrative Leadership Team...

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Interim HHS principal excited about the coming year...

Aug 22, 2019 by

Published August 21, 2019 By DAN TOMASELLO LYNNFIELD — With the first day of school just around the corner, Huckleberry Hill Interim Principal Melissa Wyland is ready to hit the ground running. Wyland was appointed interim principal last May in the wake of former Huckleberry Hill Principal Brian Bemiss agreeing to become the next principal of Fisher Elementary School in Walpole. Prior to being appointed interim principal, Wyland taught first grade at Huckleberry Hill for 16 years. “It’s an honor to be the interim principal for the 2019-2020 school year,” said Wyland in an email sent to the Villager. “I am very excited for the 2019-2020 school year to begin. I don’t think I will be able to sleep the night before our first day. I have always loved the excitement and promise a...

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Mental health helpline open to those in need of services...

Aug 22, 2019 by

Published August 21, 2019 By DAN TOMASELLO LYNNFIELD — The town has partnered with a helpline designed to assist people who need mental health services. Margaret Hannah, the executive director at William James College’s Freedman Center for Child and Family Development, announced that Lynnfield has agreed to begin utilizing the college’s INTERFACE program during A Healthy Lynnfield’s monthly meeting on Aug. 12. She said the helpline is a referral service that “works to increase awareness of mental health issues impacting children, families and adults” by ensuring they receive the appropriate services. “INTERFACE is a program of William James College and works in collaboration with the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Project (MCPAP), the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Suicide Prevention Program,” said Hannah. Substance Abuse Prevention Coordinator Peg...

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Spring eyed for transmission line project...

Aug 21, 2019 by

Published August 21, 2019 By MARK SARDELLA WAKEFIELD – If you’ve been wondering if this summer’s ongoing gas line work on Salem Street is related to National Grid’s plans to run a 345kv underground electric power transmission line along the route, the answer is “yes.” General Manager Pete Dion of the Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department confirmed yesterday that the WMGLD’s replacement of gas lines on Salem Street is being done in anticipation of the National Grid transmission line project. The WMGLD’s goal is to finish the work by November, Dion said, so that National Grid can begin its work next spring. Once National Grid installs its underground transmission line, the energy company will repave the roadway curb to curb. By getting its own work done now, the WMGLD hopes to avoid digging up...

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