Also at Town Meeting . . .
Four Town Meeting articles of note passed either unanimously or with token opposition after minimal discussion.
Fire Engine
Members voted unanimously to appropriate $1.275 million for a new fire engine. Select Board Chair Kevin Keane indicated the new engine will be painted red … to match the Adirondack chairs on the Town Common.
Getting the lead out
Town Meeting learned there are roughly 1,000 recipients of water service in town who still have service connections that contain lead. A few members inquired whether there is a list of those homes (there is not) and then voted unanimously to appropriate $1 million “for the removal of old lead service connections wherever they exist, replacing them with new copper service piping.” Keane said residents should not be concerned, however, because the town does treat the water to prevent any leaching from the pipes.
Banning single-use plastics
This article was made far more benign when it was amended to remove a planned ban on plastic water bottles, which had drawn opposition from the Charles River Chamber and smaller restaurants and shops. Bans on remaining items on the list— certain single-use food containers made from foam polystyrene, plastic stirrers and splash guards — passed with minimal opposition.
Making history
The article to establish the town’s first historic district, the Jonathan Kingsbury House Local Historic District at 3 Rosemary Street, easily cleared the required two-thirds majority vote. The vote also created a Historic District Commission “to oversee this district, any future district, and the initial process by which new districts may be proposed.”
32nd Great Bear Run this weekend
The 32nd Great Bear Run is set for this Sunday, May 19, and this year is the official 5K of the New England Road Race Grand Prix series. Made up of seven USA Track and Field Championship events, the New England Grand Prix offers the best in open and age-group competition in the four-state (Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Rhode Island) region with both club and individual scoring.
Needham’s Jan Holmquist, who turns 80 on Saturday, will be out to break the US record in the 5K for runners ages 80-84. The record is 25:11.
The Great Bear Run is put on by the Needham Youth Track Club and starts at Pollard Middle School at 10 a.m. It includes a 5K, a 1-mile run and a 1-mile run/walk as well as kids races, live music and children’s entertainment. For more information and registration visit Great Bear Run.
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